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The Essex Thymes
The
November 28th, 2007 edition of The Essex & District Horticultural
Society
Newsletter
Please remember to lug
a mug to our meetings. This will decrease our contribution to the
landfills.
From President Sandy
Ellenor:
Greetings Everyone:
Well, the
Christmas season is upon us and I hope you are all able to really take some
time out to enjoy
all the things we love about this special time of year. Every year it
seems to get more
and more hectic as we all are busier and busier but it is so important
to be able to sit
back and enjoy at least some of our tradition. It seems to have just
sneaked up on us
this year but I know the mild weather we’ve had this fall played a big
part in that. It
just didn’t seem like winter was that close. What an incredible fall we
had. I am
writing this on November 22 and until last night I could walk outside and
pick a
fresh rose, a mum
or a pink yarrow. Last night was such a hard rain, it pretty well
finished most
things off, but I bet if I really looked, I could still find some blooms. I
finally
put my hose away
yesterday.
Eight of us
attended our District 11 meeting in Belle River October 27th.
Belle River did
such an awesome
job! Everything was so well organized and beautifully set up.
The
meeting was
flawless to our eyes. I heard it took over 500 volunteer hours preparing
for
it, but it really
paid off. We enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Belle River.
As you know, we do not
meet in December, but will be back to normal in January, so
mark your
calendar for the 4th Wednesday in 2008, January 23rd.
I wish you and your
families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.
See you next
year!
Sandy
From Secretary Teresa Vermeulen:
^TOP^
Hello Fellow Gardeners,
Another year is coming
to an end and I hope you all had a great gardening season. I am
very thankful for
the rainy days lately and hoping that we see more of them.
I attended St. Clair
College to hear Dr. Armitage speak on Native Plants for our gardens.
Next year I am
going to try to buy more that are drought and heat tolerant. No matter
how much I
watered this summer my plants didn’t look good until it rained in August.
Belle River did a
wonderful job hosting the Annual District Meeting. The room was
beautiful, the
food – delicious, and there were fantastic door prizes and raffle prizes.
Pat
Bastien put on a
great slide show. It was very entertaining.
I will be away for
awhile and Lynn has offered to take minutes for our meetings. If
anyone is
thinking of joining the executive-YOU SHOULD-you will not be sorry. It is
only
one extra meeting
a month and we do have a good time and usually go for coffee
afterwards to
catch up on everybody’s news. Just let Tim know if you are interested in
running for the
job.
I would like to wish
everyone a Merry Christmas and Good Health, Happiness and
Prosperity in
2008!
Please be safe; Take
care, Teresa
^TOP^
Volunteer Hours: Does anyone have volunteer hours to give Teresa
Vermeulen? She
must have these
immediately in order to send her report to the OHA.
As Teresa mentioned,
Dr. Allan Armitage spoke to a large group at St.Clair College on
November 16th.
even of us from this
society arrived there together and we werehappy to
see 3
more members in the crowd. Perhaps there were more. Dr. Armitage isvery
knowledgeable and quite a humourous and engaging speaker…Lynn
From
Tim O’Hagan – Legion Daffodils 2008 Report:
The spring flowers were
recently planted with assistance from member Norma O’Hagan
and Lynn Imeson.
Many thanks to those who contributed financially in memory of family
and friends
touched by cancer.
( When the tulip and
daffodil blooms burst forth in the Spring at the Essex Legion beds
and at the
Cenotaph next to the municipal building it will be due to the hard work of
Tim
and Norma
O’Hagan who are always planning ahead for these beds and check on and
work in them
many times a year. They initiated the planting of the hundreds of bulbs
early in
November. Legion member(s) helped them by removing the annuals and
working up the
soil ahead of time. )
Communities in Bloom
Report from Tim O’Hagan
This year saw all four
wards participate and we collected an amazing 4 of 5 blooms. The
judges were impressed
with our flowers, and the neatness and cleanliness of the beds.
We as a group of
volunteers can be proud of these efforts…Tim
^TOP^
Hardworking
member of our community:
Hedi Lee, one of our
society members, and daughter of member Evelyn Kogel, created
the first
Community Garden in Essex in 2006. It is at Maplewood Apartments. This
year
they won the BIA
award for best Community Garden. As well, two residents from the
apartments won
awards for Best Balcony and Best Apartment Garden. Hedi put in a
proposal to
Windsor Essex County Housing Corporation to head a pilot project at
Maplewood
Apartments. A greenhouse was put up in May and Ingratta Cement donated
and installed a
cement floor. They are hoping to utilize this greenhouse for a seed
program in early
Spring. Hedi is putting together another proposal for heat. In October
they hosted a tea
for a Windsor Essex County Senior Apartment Complex from Windsor
to show them this
project, hoping they will start one of their own. In addition, Hedi is
now working on a
proposal for a Compost Project. She has been testing/using bio-
degradable kitchen
waste bags and she would like to strike a committee to research these
bags for future
use in the apartment buildings.
Youth:
To view the Youth
Newsletter on the OHA website, go to
www.gardenontario.org. Click
on OHA in Action
at the top, click on Youth on the left hand side. Then click on Fall
(October) 2007
Edition. Past newsletters are also available on this same page.
Of interest from
another Horticultural Society in the County:
Fort Malden’s
(Amherstburg) organic program;
As of September, 2007,
their meetings begin with a 15 minute tutorial on organic
gardening
presented by Nick Mancinone, their vice president. This summer they held
their first
organic gardening contest and awarded $100.00, $50.00 and $25.00 prizes
respectively to
their three top placed winners who successfully gardened without the use
of chemicals.
^TOP^
Coming Events:
November 28, 2007 E &
D HS Annual Election of Officers and Pot Luck Dinner
Set up beginning at
5:00 with dinner at 6:00 pm. Please bring your own (Christmas) place
setting,
including cutlery, napkins and cups/glasses. Speaker: Christine Martin
from
Cindy’s Gardens
speaking and demonstrating Green Christmas Arrangements – also
demonstrating
making a bird seed wreath.
January 8, 2008
Executive Meeting, E &
DHS , Kinsmen Field House, 7:30 pm
January 23, 2008
Executive Meeting, E &
DHS, Kinsmen Field House, 7:30pm
Speaker: Our Vice
President, Kathy Hudak will show Essex in Blooms pictures
February 28 – March 2,
2008
Stratford Garden Show:
Theme: “Down to Earth” Tickets: $8:00 per person, available
at the door.
*****New location:
Stratford Rotary Complex, 353 McCarthy Road, Stratford, ON
Thurs. Feb. 18, 2008
Noon to 5:00pm Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 10:00am to 8:00pm
Saturday, March 1,
2008 10:00am to 6:00pm Sunday, March 2, 2008 10:00am
to 5:00pm
For further
information, go to
www.stratfordgardenfestival.com or contact The Lung
Association at
519-271-7500 or e-mail
dherman@on.lung.ca .
March 12 – 16, 2008
Canada Blooms:
The Toronto Flower and Garden Show presents Flower Power, at the
Metro Toronto
Convention Centre, South Building. Canada’s largest horticultural
exhibition
was founded by
Landscape Ontario and The Garden Club of Toronto in 1996.
^TOP^ |
