The Team

Alina has been with the nursery since fall 2022. Growing up on Vancouver Island with parents who fostered a love for natural spaces, Alina has been admiring local flora and fauna since a young age. This love led her to work as a wilderness guide in an attempt to facilitate a connection in others. In recent years with the increase in population and development she was inspired to pursue a more hands on approach, becoming a Certified Horticulture Technician through the Horticulture Center of the Pacific. Alina feels passionate about bridging the gap between wilderness and backyards by reintroducing native plants into our urban landscape. In her free time Alina can be found meandering in the forest, guide books in hand, searching for mushrooms, looking closely at lichen appreciating the beauty of moss covered rocks, or learning to sew her own clothes.

Andrea is a Senior Propagation Specialist at Satinflower Nurseries and has been with the team since 2018. She supports the nursery’s day-to-day operations with a focus on native plant propagation, customer care, and native garden maintenance. Andrea is deeply committed to the restoration and conservation of Garry oak ecosystems and brings a strong knowledge of local ecology to her work. She also brings a creative lens to the nursery, with a keen eye for design that supports garden planning and visual displays. Outside of the nursery, Andrea is a professional artist whose painting practice is rooted in her ecological knowledge and inspired by native plants and natural landscapes.

Daniela moved to Victoria in 2012 and has worked with Satinflower Nurseries since 2014. She obtained her BSc in Natural Sciences at the University of Lausanne and her PhD in Tropical Forest Ecology at University of Paris VI. She balances work life with volunteering at the Royal BC Museum herbarium, being a mother to two children, and enhancing her two-acre property in Metchosin with native plants. She loves propagating native plants and experiences great pleasure knowing these plants will thereafter thrive elsewhere, reassuring her that her work has a real and positive ecological impact. Daniela takes a lead role in propagating native plants at the nursery and coordinating seed orders and packaging.

David is a native seed and restoration enthusiast joining the Satinflower team to support the nursery’s ongoing applied research program through a partnership with the University of Victoria. David grew up in southern Ontario on the territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and has lived, studied, and worked from coast to coast across so-called Canada. Since 2023, David has been a visitor on Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories, where he began his MSc at UVic, focusing his research on Indigenous and community-led systems of native plant production and supply in support of socio-ecological restoration. Now graduated, David seeks to build on this work and support the nursery and broader restoration community through grounded and heart-centred research that contributes to the well-being of ecological and social systems alike. Outside of the nursery, David can be found riding his bike to the lake, making meals with loved ones, and dreaming about plant-filled futures.

SNEMIŦIYE Dominique has been part of the nursery team since the winter of 2020. Dominique is a member of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, currently residing on the W̱JOȽEȽP Nation of her maternal family home of the Sampson family and also tied to the BOḰEĆEN Nation on her paternal side. Dominique brings many skills to the nursery, from plant propagation to cultural knowledge and plant uses, and is always a friendly face greeting visitors. Dominique is a passionate SENĆOŦEN speaker, having worked at the LÁU,WEL,ṈEW̱ Tribal School in the SENĆOŦEN immersion program, then receiving education through UVic for Language Revitalization.

Dylan is a long-time friend of the nursery who began working as a native seed technician in July 2024. He's been fascinated and enamoured by the natural world for as long as he can remember and has been especially in love with native plants since he was a kid. He's taken a mixed-style approach to education, learning from restoration events, talking with local experts, personal observation, and his studies in Environmental Studies and Geography at UVic.

In his free time, Dylan is equally likely to be wandering deep into a forest or sinking deep into his couch watching tv. At Satinflower, Dylan helps care for the seed fields in Cobble Hill and works hard to prepare seed for sale: collecting, threshing, sieving, and winnowing.

After a life long fascination with plants Eve became passionate about restoring local ecosystems in her first year of university as part of Uvics Ecological Restoration Club. This passion has led to several summer jobs allowing her to build her skills in plant identification and ecological monitoring. Eve is so happy to be working part time at Satinflower as a propagation technician while she finishes her bachelors degree. When not digging around in the dirt Eve can be found hiking local trails and baking.

Hannah holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria, where her research focused on Indigenous-led ecological restoration, plant health and reproductive success monitoring, cultural resurgence, and community health. Her family is Saulteaux-Métis, with roots in the Chartrand, Lamoureux, Lussier, and Desjarlais families of Manitoba. She is committed to fostering hands-on, relationship-based education and stewardship practices that strengthen both ecological integrity and cultural resilience. Since the summer of 2025, Hannah has worked part-time with Satinflower Nurseries as a native plant propagation technician and is grateful for the ongoing knowledge sharing and community she has found among native plant enthusiasts!

Growing up in WSÁNEĆ Territory on Vancouver Island, Jill spent much of her early life on or beside the ocean, where she developed a deep care for coastal ecosystems. Her curiosity about the natural world led her to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Anthropology at the University of Victoria, followed by several years working on an organic vegetable farm and with an environmental non-profit.

 In 2022, Jill returned to school to become a Certified Horticultural Technician and soon after joined Satinflower Nurseries, where she brings her knowledge and enthusiasm for native plants to her work with the people who steward them.

 As Site Supervisor at the Metchosin location, she supports customers, guides the nursery team, and coordinates community projects. She also helps manage the nursery’s native seed field in Cobble Hill. Through her work, Jill hopes to foster meaningful relationships between people and place, support Indigenous-led restoration efforts, and create and enhance wildlife habitat through native plants.

With Satinflower Nurseries since 2018, Julia has experience in plant identification, species at risk management, ecological restoration, and native plant gardening. She has always been passionate about plants, wildlife, and geography and now shares these interests with her two young children. Julia completed BSc in geography from the University of Victoria in 2012 and a diploma in applied coastal ecology from Northwest Community College in 2008. Julia is one of the friendly faces you will see at the nursery, always offering much-needed advice and guidance.

Larissa has supported the nursery in many roles since joining the team in 2023. Currently, she works in a dual role as a Restoration Biologist, working towards her accreditation as a Registered Professional Biologist, and as a Data Specialist, helping to manage and share the wealth of native plant knowledge held by the team.

Larissa's experience includes more than a decade of post-secondary education, professional experience, and volunteer work that have equipped her to help the community appreciate, conserve, and restore the incredible ecosystems of southern Vancouver Island.

She is also completing her master’s thesis, where she is exploring novel paleoecological techniques to uncover new insights into the vegetation and fire history of local prairie-oak ecosystems over the past 10,000 years.

Michelle has been with the nursery since Spring 2021 and is the Site and Propagation Supervisor at our Saanich location. In her role, she oversees plant propagation and supports the team in day-to-day nursery operations.

Michelle grew up in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, on q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) Territory, where she developed a deep love of rivers, lakes, forests, and ferns. Since moving to Victoria in 2020, her adoration of the local flora has expanded exponentially, especially after meeting the beautiful cast of forbs, graminoids, shrubs, and trees that inhabit our native prairie-oak meadows and coastal landscapes.

Her passion for ecology took root during her Biology studies at Simon Fraser University, and her love of growing plants developed through hands-on experience in small-scale organic food production. In pursuit of a more plant-focused career, Michelle moved to Southern Vancouver Island to study Horticulture at Camosun College. During her program, she completed her work experience at Satinflower Nurseries, where she discovered the ideal intersection of her interests in plant propagation and ecological restoration.

As a Certified Horticultural Technician, Michelle brings a horticultural lens to restoration, and as Site and Propagation Supervisor, she has become a vital part of the nursery's operations.

Michelle is passionate about sharing her knowledge of local ecology, growing native plants, and landscape design with visitors. Whether chatting with customers, leading nursery tours, or connecting with fellow plant enthusiasts, she enjoys discussing the natural world and the meaningful restoration work happening at Satinflower.

Sara joined Satinflower Nurseries in the summer of 2024, bringing a strong background in ecological restoration and gardening practices. A recent graduate with a BSc in Geography from the University of Victoria, Sara has accumulated diverse experience in the environmental field. Inspired by her youth spent exploring the woods, prairies, and Rocky Mountains, she developed a deep passion for conserving nature.

Beyond her work with plants, Sara finds joy in outdoor adventures like caving and snorkelling while also nurturing her creative side through dancing, painting, and graphic design. At the nursery, she applies her knowledge and love for plants to her role in native plant propagation, contributing to the restoration and preservation of local ecosystems.

Growing up in the Rocky Mountains, Sarah developed a deep appreciation for the natural world at an early age. After relocating to southern Vancouver Island, her passion for the region's unique ecosystem flourished, leading her to earn a BSc in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria.

Sarah joined Satinflower Nurseries in the summer of 2024, caring for a diverse array of native plants as a Propagation Technician at the Saanich location. Known for her warm smile and kind energy, Sarah loves helping customers and is excited to support ecosystem health while nurturing relationships between people and nature.