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The
Essex Thymes
The
Essex & District Horticultural Society Newsletter for November 26th,
2008
Remember
to “Lug a Mug”
Message from our President, Sandy Ellenor
Hi Everyone:
Well,
here we are at the last meeting of 2008.
Hard to believe, isn’t it? I
have certainly enjoyed my year as President and seeing all of you at the
meetings. We have shared a lot of good times this year and it’s sad
to see the year coming to its end, but next year we will hope to have an
even better year. We already
have some great ideas for speakers and we hope you will all be back for
the January meeting, weather permitting.
I hope you all have gotten your gardens tucked nicely away
for the winter. Make sure
that you get out there and gather some evergreen boughs, rose hops, holly,
grasses, red Osier Dogwood branches, etc., to make some nice outdoor
Christmas arrangements. Our
special speaker, Jim Spinks will give you some great ideas tonight on
sprucing up your front door and containers with just what you many have in
your own backyard. He will
truly inspire you and show you just how easily you can make your home look
inviting and welcoming for the winter season.
Thanks in advance, Jim, for helping us out.
Thanks to all of you who have
devoted time this year to helping out with our club.
Without all or you pitching in we would not have a club at all.
To my executive, I take off my hat.
You have worked tirelessly to keep our club going.
Thank you to all members for all the extra hours you have put in,
be it at executive meetings, planting beds, taking pictures, setting up
tables and chairs, selling memberships, taking notes, running to the bank
calling members, doing publicity, helping with bake and plant sales,
puling weeds, planting bulbs, etc., etc. Thank you to the Ridleys for
always getting our tea and coffee ready at our meetings and thanks to the
many of you who have supplied the goodies at those meetings, as well as to
Marie who calls to remind us all when it’s our turn to be on
“lunch”. Special thanks
to Teresa for doing a great job as Secretary and always being on top of
everything – she has a card sent before I even have to mention it –
and to Lynn for the awesome job she does on this newsletter.
No one could realize the hours Lynn puts into this newsletter, and
it’s one of the best around. Also
many thanks to Lynn for taking Teresa’s place last year when Teresa
joined the Snowbirds.
We had so many wonderful comments this year on the
downtown beds. Many thanks go
to Chris Darel for his choice of plant materials for each location and for
taking care of the ordering. To
Kathy Hudak and Tim O’Hagan, bless you for the work you have done on
those beds. Every year you do
a marvelous job. We have the
best people!
Special thanks to Bonnie, our quiet little Treasurer, who
just does such a wonderful job balancing the books – and that’s not
easy when you have bus trips, bake sales, etc., to keep things hopping.
Thanks to Walter for always being at the door at our
meetings and at our flower show to sign up memberships, and to Camelia for
being right on top of the publicity.
Thanks to Pat for looking after the Library and keeping track of
our books and always being on the lookout for door prizes at great
bargains. Thanks to Doris for
many kind donations of gifts, etc…I simply cannot mention everyone who
has helped here on committees and in so many ways; it has not gone
unnoticed and many people appreciate your kindness.
Thanks to all of you; I could go on for pages but I guess I
hadn’t better. Lynn will
have to get out the Editor’s strap!
I wish you all the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years
and I hope you all have a safe, healthy and happy holiday.
Here’s to seeing you back at the Field House on the 4th
Wednesday of January, January 28th, 2009, to be exact.
Til then, may God bless!
SANDY
^TOP^
Daffodil Drive
Many thanks to all members who contributed to the daffodil
purchases. Your
thoughtfulness has reduced the Legion’s cost of supplying plant material
and bulbs all year long and acknowledged friends and family affected by
cancer. – Tim O’Hagan
We were saddened to hear of the death of Mary Olah, long
time member of our Society, on November 15, 2008. Our sympathy is extended to her family.
My fondest memory of her is watching her tend to sausages over the
bbq at more than one of our horticultural summer picnics in my early years
in the Society – Lynn
Did you know?
The Holland Marsh, north of Toronto, legendary for
vegetable production, was drained and made ready for planting by 1930.
The Muck Crops Research station was set up in 1946 by the
Horticultural Department of OAC. The station is described as a science and field-testing
lifeline for a multi million collar industry. Carrots, onions, celery and lettuce and also bok choy,
Chinese broccoli and Chinese flowering cabbageon are currently being
evaluated there for diseases and insect pests.
Did you see the article in the Windsor Star early this
fall about the new medical building at the University of Windsor?
“A living or bio-filter wall in the main atrium provides cleaner
indoor air while reducing the need for air conditioning during the summer
months. The 12 metre high
wall is covered in lush green plants and is the first thing people see as
they walk through the front door.”
Compost – things not to put into your compost pile –
all information taken from the Supplement to Organic Gardening, “no –
toil power soil”
Remember not to use black walnut leaves, bark or chips.
They contain juglone, a chemical that inhibits the growth of many
plants, especially tomatoes.
Stay away from dog, cat, cow, pig and reptile manures and
beddings. They may contain
parasites or dangerous pathogens that are harmful to humans, particularly
children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.
Instead use chicken or horse manure which will add nitrogen to a
compost pile. Let the manure
sit in a cold compost pile at least a year or in a hot compost pile at
least 6 months before using so that it will not burn your plants.
Do not use grass clippings and leaves from the side of the
road. They may contain
petroleum residues, toxins and no-biodegradable materials.
If you use sawdust (which is great for allowing air into
your compost pile) make sure none of it is from particle board, plywood or
other chemically treated lumber.
Did you know that most leaves contain twice
the mineral content of manure?
^TOP^
Marie Tiborcz’s Christmas Decoration
Ideas – Projects 9 & 10
Christmas Décor – Use either
a cowboy boot, a rubber boot or a winter boot – paint red, tie a
bandanna around the top and pop a few silk poinsettias into the top
opening. Arrange on a table
with a few other festive pieces. So
simple and so fast!!!!
Festive Bird Feeder – Use a 2
litre plastic pop bottle, a plastic funnel, a length of twine and plastic
or silk winter decorations, along with items such as brass bells.
Punch holes near the bottom of
the bottle. These holes have
to be large enough for the birds to be able to get their beaks into; Pour
a few inches of fine bird seed into the bottle; sunflower seeds are
probably too large, put a hole in the lid of the bottle, replace the lid,
running a knotted twine through the lid and through an upside down plastic
funnel. Tie/glue the
Christmas/Winter decorations in a pleasing fashion to one side of the
funnel. Tie the other end of the twine onto a branch and enjoy the birds!
To contact Master Gardeners with questions: essexwindsor@mastergardeners.fastmail.fm
There will once again be “Cement Workshops” offered at
the home of Lynn Imeson, in the Cottam area, starting around the middle of
March, 2009. We will be
making Hyper Tufa troughs in a heated shop.
Later on there will again be workshops offered on stepping stones
and curved decorative garden stones.
Since we use rhubarb or hosta leaves for these workshops we will
not start them until late April – early May and they will probably run
most of the Spring and Summer. Weather
permitting, these later workshops will be held outdoors under trees.
Contact Lynn if you wish to be
put on her list;
phone 519 839 4751
e-mail lynneal@gosfieldtel.com
^TOP^
Upcoming
Events 2009
January
13th 2009
Director’s Meeting – Kinsmen Field House 7:30 pm
January
28th, 2009
General Meeting – Kinsmen Field House 7:30 pm
Speakers – Al and Juliette St. Pierre on Orchids
For
meeting dates, times and places of other local Horticultural Societies
please refer to January through September newsletters.
A
recipe for Bird Feed, guaranteed to attract woodpeckers and nut hatches.
Evelyn Kogel found this in a bird magazine a few years
ago. We repeat the suet
recipe every year so that new members may have access to it.
No
melt, all Season Peanut Butter Suet Recipe
1
cup crunch peanut butter, 2 cups quick cook oats, 2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup
lard ( no substitution),
1
cup white flour
Melt
lard and peanut butter. Stir
in remaining ingredients. Pour
into freezer containers about 1 ½ “ thick.
Allow to cool; cut into squares; store in freezer.
Put squares into mesh bags and hang form tree branches or place
them directly into purchased hanging suet baskets.
Evelyn did hers a little differently.
Without melting anything, she mixed everything together.
She took 5” long evergreen cones and molded the mixture around
the cone and pushed as much of the mixture as possible in between the
scales. She suspended these cones from tree branches.
She mentioned that the trick was to suspend the cones in the midst
of thin branches so that the bigger birds such as blue jays and cardinals
could not easily access the cones. Shortly
afterward she had nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, tree
sparrow, house sparrows, downy woodpeckers, red bellied woodpeckers, doves
and gold finches eating from the cones.
A few days later she also spotted red winged blackbirds, grackles,
cowbirds and a starling eating the mixture.
^TOP^
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