|
Essex &
District Horticultural Society Newsletter
April 25th,
2007
Hello All,
April is nearing its end
for 2007, and indeed its been a very mixed up month. I sure hope May is
going to reward us with a beautiful Springtime as it will take us into a
gardener’s busiest season. It is good to see all the new growth coming on
strong now and unfortunately we can see some of the losses stemming from our
unpredictable weather, but for the most part our plants are incredible
fighters, and they surprise us constantly. After enduring the coldest ,
wintery weather for April, for the last few weeks, I am writing this on
April 18, and today I can look out and see dwarf purple irises , white
arabis , grape hyacinths, lots of daffodils , and a few brave tulips near
the foundation of the house bursting forth in bloom. One lonely little
pasque flower nods in the wind. It is an exciting time in the garden.
I want to remind you of a
few very important items. One is our Plant and Bake sale taking place at the
Train Station on Saturday May 5 during the Garden Delights day. We need lots
and lots of plants and lots and lots of baking. Please bring all you can and
get them there early that morning, preferably between 8 and
8:30. If earlier, that is fine too, just drop them off
at the back of the Station with a note. Please label your plants if you know
the name. Pot them up if you can. As you are cleaning out the extras in your
garden all this month, please remember us. We can use seedlings, trees,
shrubs, annuals, perennials, houseplants, bulbs, or rhizomes. We have been
graced in the past with donations of asparagus and rhubarb. Check out your
gardens and please help us out. We are also having a bake sale at the same
time, so we also are asking for baking donations. The bake sale will be
inside the Station. We need some volunteers to help out - even if for only 2
hours, that would be wonderful. Everyone in our club benefits from the funds
we raise this way, so we are really counting on your support. Don’t forget
to come and shop, too - we need to sell all those donated items. Come early
for the best selection. Thank you.
I
got a call last week from Ginnie Thomas, wife of our Past President, Neil
Thomas. She is requesting our help. Neil started Plant a Row for the Hungry
in Essex County before he passed away. It is a simple solution to the
desperate problems our food banks are having. We all know that anyone with a
garden has surplus vegetables, be it tomatoes, zucchini, or cucumbers; The
idea is for each person to plant just one extra row, and take the surplus to
the food bank in your area. Please consider doing this. The Essex Food Bank
serves Essex area and Belle River. Amherstburg also has one and there are 2
in Windsor.
Your neighbour may be in need and you don’t even know it . We all know the
Windsor
area has been dealt the hardest blows in the loss of jobs. The students at
St Clair have been raising extra tomato plants for this. They will be
available May 5 and every Wed, Thurs and Friday till the end of the month if
you wish to sign up. Remember though, you do not need to sign up to
participate in this - just drop off your extras at the food bank... it’s a
very simple solution.
Looking forward to our
April showers bringing lots of May flowers and to seeing you here next
month, same time and same place.
Sandy
^TOP^
Raised-Bed Know-How Using Salvage for a Raised Bed
If you redo a sidewalk or driveway, it can be inconvenient-and costly- to
dispose of the broken concrete. Fortunately, chunks of the concrete make
perfect building blocks for a surprisingly natural-looking raised bed or low
terrace. Stack the pieces, fitting the irregular shapes together as best
you can. Keep the height at no more than 12 to 18 inches so the wall is
stable. Fill or backfill with soil and add planting material. Place
trailing plants such as ivies, petunias, and ground cover roses along the
edge to camouflage and soften the concrete appearance. Make a Splash with
a Raised Bed Don’t toss out that rigid kiddy pool once the family has
outgrown it or merely because it's sprung a leak. Instead, turn it into an
attractive raised bed - an outstanding solution for problem planting areas,
such as clay, hardpan, rocky, or root-laden soils. Use a utility knife to
slash holes in the bottom for drainage. Position the pool where you want it,
then fill it with a blend of topsoil and compost. Mound more soil or stack
stones around the edge to hide it and then finish with stones that slightly
overlap the edge to hide it completely.................These great ideas
were found and submitted by Tim O’Hagan
GARDENING IS
KID’S STUFF
by Carol Anne Taylor
Spring is a very special season for children. It is a time for new and
exciting discoveries. All it really takes is a packet of seeds and a little
direction from parents. They can carefully dig around already established
plants with little trowels and forks and love watching it all grow. When
choosing which flowers and vegetables to grow, choose the larger seeds as
this will make it easier for children to handle at sowing time.
Flowers with large seeds
include marigolds (calendulas), cosmos, nasturtiums, zinnias, hollyhocks,
lavatera, sunflowers and morning glories. Vegetables include all varieties
of beans, peas, corn, squash, cucumber and pumpkin. Annual herb seeds such
as dill and borage are large enough for handling and easy to grow. The aroma
of lemon balm, lemon verbena, mints and fennel bring out the senses and
taste-tests with mom and dad’s assistance. Fruits such as strawberries and
rhubarb provide instant results (rhubarb leaves are poisonous so please warn
children not to eat them).
The name of the game is
fun in the garden——ways to develop imagination, strength and co-ordination.
Building a teepee of long branches or poles and planting climbing beans
provides a nutritious snack as well as framing a canopy for a great play
area. Many times I have cooked a small handful of beans or peas for supper
to see the delight in my children’s eyes for their gardening
accomplishments. Planted and tended to with their great efforts, I cherish
the memories of their smiling faces and the pride in their gift to the
table.
If
possible, a small growing area for each child is recommended. It will help
them learn to appreciate their responsibility for their own little garden.
Watering and weeding chores to age appropriate level are encouraged but do
be careful of a two-year-old in charge of the hose. Believe me, I know that!
In a natural environment,
children can’t resist a yellow dotted field of dandelions. To many adults,
it is a ruination of the perfect lawn but to a child, it is a carpet of
never-ending blooms. It is a bouquet of love brought into the home. Making
wishes and watching dandelion seeds sail through the air are a treasure of
the heart. Watching them deliberately smelling the flowers and tickling
their noses create long-lasting memories especially if caught in a photo or
video.
Alyssums or thyme are
great seeds to plant between broken cement and old sidewalks. Our older
children remember this from our Walkerville residence and the younger ones
experience it around the old barn foundation. The scent is awesome too! When
a pumpkin is at its young stage, have the children carve their names in it.
They’ll watch their name get bigger and bigger everyday and what better
moment is that!!
Children give their full
effort from turning the soil to seeing how much their plants have grown. The
seeds suggested give instant gratification because the germination period is
faster than others. Springtime is a wonderful season to get outdoors and
enjoy what life has to offer. The days are pleasurable from start to finish
filled with smiles shining with bright moments
^TOP^
IN
PRAISE OF SUNFLOWERS
What a joy to look upon a sunflower in full growth smiling
back at you!
A Sunflower world; you can establish a SUNFLOWER WORLD in
your backyard.
Sunflower remains have been found in archaeological sites
as early as 3,000 B.C. So, yes it is a Native Plant. Sunflowers are of the
genus HELIANTHUS, coming from the Greek words helios –– sun and annuus ––
flower.
The sunflower head contains two types of flowers; the ray
flowers and the disc flowers. The ray flowers on the outer edge of the disk
lure insects to the flower center. The height of sunflowers range from 3 to
12 feet and some even rise to 18 feet. Most hybrids reach 5 to 6 feet. We
enjoy the sunflowers in our gardens mostly for the flower’s sake. We also
should know that the sunflower ranks second among all oil seed crops in the
world as an important source of edible vegetable oil.
Growing sunflowers is easy for they will grow in almost
any type of soil and they have few pests but they must have lots of direct
sun with little or no shade. They will grow in just about any type of soil.
How to start? Use a rake handle to make a straight line in
the soil. Sow seeds 6 inches apart and cover with a little soil. Germination
will take from
5 to 10 days. The seeds and young seedlings can take a
very, very light frost. Thin the sunflowers to stand 2 to 2 ½½ feet apart.
Now you must wait and water. Sunflowers thrive on hot dry weather and they
do tolerate drought - BUT –– they benefit from large quantities of water.
And they absolutely respond joyously to DEEP soakings of water. You might
have to support the plant as the seed heads become heavier and heavier and
heavier Always maintain clean garden practices; they are the best prevention
against disease and insect invasions.
If you have children or grandchildren share your interest
with them. It can be their first introduction into the world of plants and
gardening. The sunflower seeds were just designed for them---large seeds for
little fingers. All children love to put seeds in the ground and watch the
plant grow and they love to water their plant. The plants grow quickly -
first to their ankles, then to their knees and onward and upward. Bring the
camera out to get a record of the fun.
Have
you been watching the birds as the seeds develop? If the birds are visiting
the seed heads you had better cover the head with cheesecloth to protect the
seeds. The seed heads will be ready to harvest when the back is brown and
dry and no traces of green remain. Remove the seed head with 1 or 2 feet of
stem attached. Catch the falling seeds in a paper bag and put in a warm dry
place to cure. When the backs are brown and papery the seeds will fall right
out. Store in air tight containers in the fridge. This will help to retain
the most vitamins and food flavor. Eat raw or toasted
Sunflowers are high in minerals, vitamins and essential
acids. They are also high in calories. Amazingly the amount of protein in
the seed is 24%; the same as beef. It’s believed that the great proportion
of nutrients in the seed improve cardiovascular health.
Evelyn Kogel
^TOP^
Vinegar for weed control
Kathy Hudak has passed on this information for us.
Country Depot in
Harrow (519 - 738 - 2223)
is selling 10 liter tubs of vinegar for $75/tub.
If many tubs are ordered by a group, there may be a better
price.
Thanks to all the contributors to this month’s
newsletter. It is wonderful that so many people have sent in such
interesting columns.
Lynn
Please continue to LUG
A MUG to our meetings to save on supplies and also to keep that much
more junk from ending up in our garbage and therefore in our
landfills.
Remember our other local societies in the County:
Belle River meets the 3rd
Wednesday of the month at the K of C in Emeryville;
Kingsville meets the 3rd
Monday of the month at the Lions Club Hall;
Fort Malden meets the 4th
Tuesday of the month at the Community building next to the arena in
Amherstburg. And remember that our meetings are the 4th
Wednesday of the month, not necessarily the last Wednesday of the
month.
All meetings start at
7:30 pm.
^TOP^
COMING EVENTS
April 25 General meeting. Maria Pap from
Flora
Gardens;
plant and seed exchange
April 28 Fort Malden Rhodo sale 3400 Cty Rd 10
(Middle Sd. Rd) Amherstburg 10am - 3pm
Remember also the raffle ticket sale
for a Rhodo. Winning ticket will be drawn on May 27th
after the
Fort
Malden Garden Tour and Fair
May 5
Garden Delights and The Essex & District Horticultural Society Plant and
Bake Sale at the
Essex Train
Station 9 am to 3 pm Remember to bring your baking and extra plants
Please try to get everything to the
Station between 8 -
8:30 am. If helps us greatly
if the plants are marked with their
name and price.
May 8 Board Meeting
May 16 Youth Gardeners Club working on T shirt
May 23 General meeting - speaker Arlene Welsh on
Sunny Perennials
May 26-27
Fort Malden Garden Tour
and Garden Fair Weekend
Fort Malden Rhodo Sale (see notes for
April 28)
June 2 Bus Trip to
London Leaves at 7 am SHARP from the Bargain Shop Parking Lot on
Wilson St
June 12 Board Meeting
June 20 Youth Gardeners Club local artist(s)
painting nature scenes
June 27 General Meeting - St. Clair Gardens,
2736 Cty Rd 46, Ruscom
area
Be at grounds before
6:30 pm with lawn chairs.
Meeting starts at 6:30.
St. Clair Gardens features 2 acres
including a huge pond; 400 varieties of hosta; butterfly
gardens, grasses,
lilies, alpines, flowering shrubs and hypertufa troughs
Owners - Dennis & Mary Hirt
Special Guest - Shauna Dobbie from
the Ontario
Gardener Magazine
July 14 Flower show during Fun Fest at the air
conditioned United Church Auditorium
August 10th - August 12th -
Annual OHA Convention in District 8 -
Owen Sound -
For details - see Sandy Ellenor or
log on to www.gardenontario.org
Sept 11 Board meeting
Sept 19 Youth Gardeners Club
Sept 26 General Meeting - speakers Marjan and
Craig Willett from Wheatley Woods Nursery Plants
On Native Plants - We will also have
our fall Plant and Seed Exchange
Oct 9 Board meeting
Oct 17 Youth Gardener Club
Oct 24 General meeting - Speaker - Jay
Terryberry from St. Clair College - also our Silent Auction
Oct 28 District 11 Annual Meeting hosted by
Belle River -
Emeryville K of C - 9 am Speakers TBA
Nov 13 Board meeting
Nov 28 Annual Dinner with Elections of Officers
6pm - Pot Luck -
bring your own (Christmas)
place setting
Christine Martin - Cindy’s Gardens
speaking and demonstrating Green Christmas
Arrangements - also demonstrating
making a bird seed wreath
^TOP^
|
