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ESSEX HORTICULTURE ASSOCIATION
APRIL 2006 NEWSLETTER
Spring I am sure is around the
corner somewhere.. At least the bulbs are trying to start but Snow Drops still remain
to let me know that it is still cool enough for them.
The Donald Klink Fund is a $500 bursary for any High School
student going into Horticulture. We are having a draw
and selling tickets to support this Fund. See Bonnie to
purchase a ticket. I received the application form for
the Bursary and was able to drop it off at the High School and
the bursary was to be publicized over the P.A. system
the next day. With any luck we may have a winner of this
bursary from our area. We assured the Guidance
Councillor that this is a yearly bursary. In order to cut down on the
amount of Styrofoam going into the landfill we are
encouraging you to "Lug a Mug" to our Garden Club meetings.
Also on the subject of name tags, if you don't have
one already please make one out and wear it proudly, as it's
always great to put a name to a face when we meet
again.
This year is the 100th Anniversary of the Ontario Horticultural Association and in celebrating with them we have
purchased their Centennial Celebration Tulip. It’s a
dark red tulip that is planted in the Essex beds. There will be
signs on the beds indicating the 100th
Anniversary of the Ontario Horticulture Association. Two of those main beds
will have a special notation; the bulbs there have been
placed by Doris Parr in memory of her husband, George.
Save up for the OHA Convention be held in August in
Ottawa – August 11th, 12th and 13th. It will be a great
Convention in a great city. We have been working on an
ADOPT-A-BED Program to run for 16 weeks. All the beds
will be planted May 23rd and May 24th.
Weeding begins 1 – 2 weeks after planting and for the months of June, July
and August we suggest weeding 3 x a month or when
needed. It should especially be weeded just before a town
event, such as the Fun Fest and the Fire Fighters
Competition. If you happen to go on vacation for several weeks,
just let me know and I’ll make sure it’s in tip-top
condition when you come back. The idea behind this is to use
many hands to make light work and for you to have fun
while you beautify your community. It’s surprising who you
start up a conversation with when you work on Main
Street. And we are in Community in Blooms again this year,
with the schools being in Schools in Bloom. Everyone
is Blooming this year!!!!
Don't forget to Plant a Tree when ARBOUR WEEK comes along. With instructions from ERCA, Holy Name, Sun
Parlor and Essex District High will be planting 5 trees
each donated by our Garden Club.
WE ARE MOVING INTO THE TECHNO WORLD. With great help from Stacey and Dan Hildenbrand you can pick up
all of our recent info on our Web Site …..OUR WEB
ADDRESS IS COMING.
and here it is http://users.xplornet.com/~skippysr/EDHS/index.htm
SOMETHING NEW…..
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We will be sending around a Book so you can enter your
opinions and comments, so we can
share them with each other.
Make sure you get your FREE ticket for a $25 gift certificate
for a RHODO or azalea at the Fort Malden Garden Tour or
other prizes of the new Centennial OHA stamps. Thanks to Pat.
Yours in gardening ....Kathy Hudak
ANNUALS THE JOY OF GARDENING
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Use annual’s bright and cheery colours as fillers around your
shrubs and perennials. Adopt a NO-BARE-EARTH
POLICY and fill the spaces with annuals. Here are a
few suggestions you might like to try……….
Tall CLEOME or Spider Plant. Tall VERBENA BONARIENSIS
NICOTIANA with its super scent LAVATERA with its
bright pink flowers ZINNIA of all colours
CALENDULA COSMOS NIGELLA HELIOTROPE ANCHUSA ASTER
DAHLIA GOMPHRENA DAHLIA SUNFLOWER MARIGOLD
PHLOXPOPPY
RUDBECKIA LARKSPUR SALVIA SCABIOSA
The list is endless. Some will be self-sobers and you will
have surprises next spring.
GARDENING AT ST.FRANCIS SCHOOL
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Hope you all enjoyed Nancy Knowle’s stories about her
students’ enjoyment of gardening, as much as I did. If you
missed it, Nancy is a teacher at St Francis School,
Detroit Street, in the west end of Windsor. This school is located in
a section of the city near the bridge and the majority
of kids come from lower income and single parent families.
Nancy told us about their 400 or so foot garden where
the kids have planted bulbs, trees, shrubs, veggies and
perennials as well as annuals. She told us how the kids
have really taken to the garden and how they come to help
out in the garden cheerfully. An interesting
observation was that the worst behaved kids in the class room were as
good as gold out working in the garden. No tantrums, no
fighting. We all know the benefits of gardening, but its
great when it is observed by others in such a positive
way. Another environmental program those kids are involved
in is “Project Pile It”. St Francis is one of 9 schools
in Windsor that are participating in this project and it is intended
to teach kids that waste equals food. This project is
an environmental recycling program started by the
Environmental Performance Foundation of Canada and is
funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Thru this
program the kids were introduced to Vermicomposting.
The kids at St Francis received a pound of African red
wriggler worms to start them off in 2002. A
spokesperson said that kids were actually fighting to get on this team
and work with the worm farm they were creating. Kids
volunteered to gather garbage from the classrooms for the
compost. Every Friday afternoon about 30 kids show up
to stir the compost pile and see if there is any food left .
The kids collect about 15-25 lbs of food a week and
this has taught the kids that this waste should not be going to
the landfill but can be used to bring goodness to
people. .They use all the compost in their gardens at the school.
And their gardens are a great success. They nurture the
plants throughout the season and volunteers water in the
summer months so the plants do not die. The kids have
learned a healthy respect for plants and the beauty of a
garden. We are lucky to have a knowledgeable member in
our club who volunteered her time to teach our kids
garden club last year all about vermiculture. Lynn
Imeson brought in worms and their bedding and showed the kids
how to take care of them and let the worms do their
remarkable work in return for a nice warm home and some
good food. As we are all aware, those early years are
the time when we can set kids on the right road to having a life
long appreciation of the soil, the earth and to saving
our environment. Thank you Lynn for teaching our kids about
our friends the worms and thank you Nancy Knowles for
getting the St Francis kids on the way to a great future and
thanks for informing us about a success you should
really be proud of.
Sandy Ellenor
ON PLANTING A RASPBERRY PATCH
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Purchasing
certified disease-free plants will help you avoid disease problems in the future..
Select a growing site that has full sun and well
drained soil.
Don’t plant them where you have recently grown eggplant,
peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, or strawberries. All of
these plants are hosts to raspberry diseases.
Your site should be 2 feet wide and long enough to
accommodate the number of canes you wish to grow.
Raspberries prefer a soil that is rich in organic matter.
Incorporate into the soil, peat moss, compost, or rotted
Sawdust. It’s important for
the plants to have some nitrogen so add some high nitrogen fertilizer over the bed.
Mix the soil ingredients well. You can put a simple trellis
in place before you start to plant. You need two posts, four
X four, Sink into the ground at each end of the bed.
String one wire between the posts five feet from the ground and
the second one two feet from the ground. Soak the
roots for a couple of hours before planting. Now plant your
roots two to three feet apart down the row. Cut the
canes back to ground level to encourage new canes to develop.
MY GRANDMOTHER’S APRON
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My love for vintage linens was rekindled this week when I
decided to organize some closets and drawers. Floral and
embroidered tablecloths and hand-crocheted doilies seem
too lovely to be hidden away. What caught my attention
even more was my Grandmother's apron. It brought back
memories of Sunday afternoon visits as she greeted us
wearing a beautifully designed half-apron, protecting
the dress underneath. From their garden, her apron carried to
the kitchen, a huge bunch of carrots or whatever
vegetable for the upcoming meal. When I was about five years old,
I got a bee sting on my hand while picking corn. Not
only did she remove the stinger, she dried my tears with the
corner of her apron.
I had my very own
child-sized apron lovingly made by my Aunt Babs. I received it in the mail and remember how
happy I was to have
one of my own. I still have it and my three daughters have all tried on this old-fashioned
symbol
representing the toils of women in an era gone by. This takes me back to the mid 1960's, a time when the
popularity of aprons
was phasing out. The oldest aprons date back to the Victorian era and they were highly
fashionable
and ornately embellished. From 1880 to 1940, cotton sacks which held flour were fashioned into aprons
for everyday use.
During the Depression Era, there was a short supply of fabric, so half-aprons were made simply
and adorned with
beautiful embroidery. .Some with a liberated viewpoint would applaud the idea to keep this bit of
history in the closet.
Others may wear an apron periodically or on special occasions such as Thanksgiving, Christmas
and Easter. I have
mine on display now in my kitchen to remind me of my dear Grandmother and her love of
gardening, cooking,
and joy of life.
Happy Mother's Day. Spend your day doing all the
special things you enjoy.
Carol Anne Taylor
FLORA GARDENS CELEBRATE 50 YEARS
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GARDENS HOLD SPECIAL MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
There are many things that happen in our lives that we carry
with us as special memories .For me, one such occasion
was my first visit to Flora Gardens in Oldcastle when I
was nine or ten years old. My grandfather had a keen interest
in gardening and I was with him when he stopped for a
visit with the owner, Stephen Pap. Before we left, Mr. Pap
showed me some coleus plants that he had started and
said that I could pick one out to take home. I still remember
having that plant on the window sill in my room. Flora
Gardens, located on Hwy 3 just east of Walker Road, is
celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The
business, which grows 95% of the plants that they sell, is now run by
Stephen’s daughter, Maria. Maria was not surprised
when I recounted the story of her father giving me that first
plant. She mentioned that when her father was in the
hospital, one of the nurses recognized him and recalled that
she too had been given a plant as a young girl. In
fact, over the years, Stephen had made a game out of giving
plants to children who would say his name. Maria
wonders if part of these small tokens of kindness originated as a
result of Stephen’s own separation from his family.
Near the end of World War II, Stephen, who operated a
greenhouse business in Hungary, worked to obtain seed
and organize greenhouse growers to grow vegetables to
help with the food shortage. This work eventually led
to him becoming involved in politics as a member of the
National Peasant Party. As the communists
strengthened their hold, Stephen was warned that he could be facing
reprisals for his political views and he decided to
leave the country. Stephen attended a flower
show in Holland and then did not return to his family in Hungary. Maria and her twin brother were born 3 months
later. The greenhouse business that Stephen and his
wife owned was taken over by the communist government.
Maria’s mother, who was also a horticulturalist,
continued to work at the establishment for a few years after it was
nationalized. Stephen lived in Europe for some time,
then immigrated to Canada where he was offered a job with a
landscaping company in Toronto. In July of 1956, he
built his first greenhouse in Oldcastle. It is still in use today.
The business was named after his oldest daughter,
Flora. In 1968, Maria came to Canada to visit her father for a
year. While she was here, her mother died of leukemia
in Hungary and she made the decision to stay. She
continued to work at Flora Gardens while pursuing a
career in mathematics at the University of Windsor. Eventually,
the greenhouse business became her primary career.
Maria’s two brothers and her sister still live in Hungary. All
have had the opportunity to visit Maria at Flora
Gardens. I don’t know if my grandfather knew of the circumstances
which brought Stephen Pap to Oldcastle. I know that he
found a friendly and knowledgeable person who shared his
interest in growing plants. Maria and all of the
staff at Flora Gardens carry on with that tradition.. All of you who
received a plant from Stephen can visit Maria this
season and help her celebrate 50 years of growing plants and
friends.
www.flora
gardens.com
This article was written by JIM FRITH and printed in the
ESSEX VOICE NEWSPAPER and we thank them for
permission to reprint it here.
COMING EVENTS
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APRIL 29 RHODO SALE 3400 MIDDLE SIDE ROAD, AMHERSTBURG
PHONE: 734 7230
APRIL 30 ECFNC SPRING WALK, NEW CEDAR CREEK PARKS NATURE RESERVE
MEET IN THE GREENWAY PARKING LOT ON THE ARNER TOWN LINE 2.00 PM
MAY 6 ESSEX HORT CLUB PLANT & BAKE SALE 9.00 AM – 2.00 PM
ESSEX TRAIN STATION
MAY 9 ESSEX HORT CLUB EXECUTIVE MEETING 7.30 PM KINSMEN FIELDHOUSE
MAY 13 OJIBWAY NATURE CENTRE NATIVE TREE AND PLANT SALE
WILDFLOWERS, TREES, AND SHRUBS 10.00 AM – 2.00 PM
MAY 17 YOUTH GARDENERS MEETING KINSMEN FIELDHOUSE 6.00 – 7.30 PM
MAY 24 ESSEX HORT CLUB MEETING KINSMEN FIELDHOUSE 7.30 PM
SPEAKER: DOUG SWEET , TOWN OF ESSEX PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE
ON COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM, TREE PLANTING, TRAILS AND PARKS
MAY 27, 28 FORT MALDEN GARDEN FAIR AND TOUR
JUNE 17 ESSEX HORT CLUB BUS TRIP
JULY 8 ESSEX HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION FLOWER SHOW
ESSEX UNITED CHURCH PREPARE TO PARTICIPATE IT’S LOTS OF FUN
AUGUST 11, 12, 13 ONTARIO HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
100TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION OTTAWA CROWN PLAZA HOTEL
REMEMBER TO LUG-A-MUG _____________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT’S
BLOOMING IN YOUR GARDEN?
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I am enjoying the scent of a deep purple hyacinth.
Some CROCUS were coming up in the oddest place; DAFFODILS, NARCISSUS, GLORY OF THE SNOW,
PULMONARIA, HELLEBORIS, PURPLE, PINK AND WHITE , DWARF IRIS, FORSYTHIA
TINY YELLOW DAFFODILS, AUBRETIA )just beginning). PASQUE FLOWER TULIPS
In the woodland garden we have lots of SPRING BEAUTY, BLOOD ROOT, DUTCHMEN’S
BRITCHES ,
PURPLE VIOLET, TROUT LILY (DOGTOOTH VIOLET) with their very attractive foliage.
What a privilege to have these flowers to enjoy their colours, their determination to grow, their
zest for life. E.
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