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THE ESSEX
AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
OCTOBER 2006 NEWSLETTER
The end of the year is
coming, the putting to bed of your gardens, or as in my case, since I
have not had much time
this fall and most of my work will be in the spring, I'll look forward
to next year. This is
a great part of gardening, the dreaming stage, picturing what an area
will look like with
new plants and new designs. This is what keeps gardeners young, always
looking forward.
I want to thank the
volunteers who helped me plant 3,000 tulips in one day a couple weeks
ago, as I had to head
off to help with my new little family in Mississauga the next day. Come
spring of 2007 the
flower beds of main street Essex will be very
colourful
with a variety of
mid season flowering
tulips of various heights bought from Home Hardware. The new beds
of the Library, Town
clock, Newman gazebo, DPM Insurance and the 4 pots in the parking lot
of the Town hall, will
give added colour.
The tulips that we removed after flowering this
spring were replanted
by the students of the following schools: Essex High, Sunparlor, Holy
Name and St Francis in
Windsor. Its good to know that those tulips will continue their life in
an area that will be
enjoyed by many students and teachers. There were a few tulips left and
these made their way
to McGregor {as we are Essex and District Horticulture}. They were
planted by Richard
Meloche and his wife. In the spring their town bought planters and these
were planted and
maintained by volunteers. So spring will be brightened by a
colourful
show
of tulips in downtown
McGregor and the entrances to the Chrysler Greenway and the athletic
park.
I'm stepping down as
president of the Horticultural club as I need a break. I would like to
continue working with
the planning of the gardens as this is my passion. Next month is our
election of officers
along with our banquet. The election has in the past been a painless
experience as usually
it is worked out ahead of time, so if someone comes up to you and asks
you to work on the
board, think about it. What it means is that we need to have at least 5
directors who take a 2
year term to help direct us in our yearly functions. It means a meeting
to brain storm the 2nd
Tues of the month and helping out with some of the functions during
the year.
I have worked with a great
group of people and enjoyed it.
Thank you....Kathy Hudak
Hello
Fellow Gardeners:
^TOP^
Where has the Summer gone?
I know I missed most of the Spring, but it seems that Summer
just flew by! I
enjoyed being part of Essex In Blooms and also accompanying the Judges for
Communities In Bloom.
I really noticed a difference in Essex this year when I drove the
Judges around for
their tour. I also found out that the Bed and Breakfast on Alice St., where
the Judges stayed is
very nice. I was not able to go to the Awards ceremony in Owen Sound
but Doug Sweet our
Director Of Parks and Rec emailed all the info to Kathy and me. It was
nice to hear we
received Four Blooms this year.
Although I did not take part
in planting the downtown beds in the Spring, I have to say that I
heard great reviews.
Most people liked the cleome. I was so glad to be able to help pull out
the Annuals and plant
the tulips. We had a great day!
Fall is a beautiful time of
year. I am going back to Ottawa this week. Hopefully I will get a
chance to get out and enjoy
some of the Autumn beauty.
I will not be here for our
November Pot Luck Meeting. I would like to wish everyone a Happy
and Safe Holiday
Season.
Teresa Vermeulen
NEW
GARDEN BEDS
^TOP^
Have you closed your 2006
Gardening year?
Just a minute; are you
planning to create one or two new flower beds in 2007?
Don’t wait till 2007; do it
now, this year.
Decide the size of bed you
need; select the location for that new bed; mark where the four
corners will be and
start now. First cover the grass with ten layers of black and white
newsprint. Next cover
the newsprint with a couple of inches of garden soil; this will keep the
paper in place. If
the soil is not already damp, moisten it a little and then carry on. Next
add
a mixed layer of
leaves or kitchen compost or grass clippings or tea leaves, coffee grounds
etc.;
neighbouring
restaurants may be able to help out. Next, cover this with a thin layer of
soil or compost.
Now you are ready to seed a
cover crop. Such a cover crop will improve the richness of the
soil as well as the
texture. Try rye grass or clover or fava beans or mustard. Try a local feed
store for your cover
crop seed. So in the spring of 2007 no hard digging to prepare a new
bed will be necessary.
Just turn under the cover crop, the soil will be fluffy and ready to
receive the new
planting! What a great way to begin gardening in 2007. You have just
learned and put into
place two soil building techniques. –– LAYERING and COVER
CROPPING.
Evelyn Kogel
VERTICAL GARDENS
^TOP^
My attention was drawn to a
very interesting article in Business Week online this month.
It concerns growing
beautiful scapes indoors or outdoors, vertically up walls, across walls and
sometimes in midair,
using no dirt. Instead, these plants are grown
hydroponically,
(no soil),
using felt-like
pockets which are actually non biodegradable products which are attached to
a
rigid support system
and attached to the walls. Because of the nature of these pockets, they
will not rot and the
supporting structure is thought to be able to last up to 30 years. The
support system
includes layers of plastic, metal and air, providing temperature control and
air
circulation.
Called Plant Walls, the idea
has been spreading like wildfire in Europe, Asia and South
America. Well known
architects are clamoring to have these gardens installed on their
newest creations. The
first one was shown in 1994 at the International Garden Festival in
Chaumont-sur-Loire,
France. The brainchild of French botanist Patrick Blanc, they now grace
walls of museums,
luxury hotels and high class boutiques. He plans to use them in the future
in train stations,
parking lots, underneath bridges and in housing projects, most notably the
Paris housing projects
where young people rioted for many weeks a year ago. Blanc hopes
the greenery will
provide people “an excuse for positive social activity and interaction with
each other and
nature.” Blanc believes that city dwellers need more green space and
because
of the lack of any
space in crowded cities the best way to go is up. Each wall Blanc creates
is
different, depending
on location, climate and the property owner’s desires. Taking about 5
weeks to create, the
cost is around $60. /square foot.
Lynn Imeson
KNOWING
YOUR ROOTS
^TOP^
When we purchased our
century home in June of 1994, it was in much need of Tender Loving
Care. People thought
we were crazy but we had a vision for this old homestead. It stood
beside a dense wood
lot and there wasn't much of a garden. The yard was dotted with yellow
irises and orange
daylilies. Personally, I was sold on it because of the tree-lined driveway
and
the wild yellow and
pink roses giving this home its only splash of
colour.
Three months later,
the house had
undergone major renovations. The yard looked like a bomb had hit. We did
bring some plants from
our other residence but with the business of the construction, I recall
plunking them in a
small patch and walking away. I attended my first Horticultural meeting
that September and
immediately received the good fortune of the seed and plant exchange.
The generosity of
members supplied me with bushels of starts to help fill the yard. Indeed,
the rewards bloomed
the following spring and with the April plant and seed exchange, I
received a mystery
Forsythia, Dahlia corms and from the late John Moore, a small High bush
Cranberry. From time
to time, I think of him and his wife Betty and their inviting the Youth
Gardeners Club to
their home. It was so enjoyable. Expecting our son, Vincent, was certainly
very exciting, but my
gardening days were put on hold and the shovels and other implements
stayed in the shed
another few seasons. The following spring, plant line-ups of sedum,
cranesbill geranium
and purple iris started to take shape. It was so nice to get back into
gardening again. My
Aunt Audrey stopped by one day with a pot each of lemon balm,
lavender, hyssop and
mint. It was a great start for my herb garden. She passed away the
following year but
these plants are souvenirs of her gentle way. Legacies from my family's
gardens are traditions
that live on. Sharing these means the tradition continues. My Pepe
had a
favourite
rose bush of tiny pink clusters called the "Seven Sisters". My rose bush is
patiently waiting for
an arbour
but has thrived well with my no-nonsense style of gardening.
The Rose of Sharon's
had their start at Meme and Pepe's too, but mine came from my parents
to our old residence,
then to our present home. My mom had rose hedges, crimson in
colour,
which she purchased in
1952. I have one that I dug from their yard. It grows against the
grey shed and it was
stunning this year. A blue spruce seedling given to us from my dad
grows stately in our
backyard. A white peony bush from my father-in-law baubles over the
edge of the garden. A
cutting of a pink rose climber is a sweet reminder of Dan's meme and
it's doing well. My
godmother recently gave me the plump succulent, Hens and Chicks which I
have to hurry and
plant. Thankfully, I have been blessed with the love of gardening. My love
of roses and
delphiniums are constant reminders of my English grandmother and my own
beautiful mom. My
great-grandmere and meme had a love of the Cosmos flower which is my
favourite
too; true simplicity and graceful. Tulips and lily-of-the-valley grow at the
edge of
our wood lot. Elderly
neighbours tell us the previous
owners had a flower garden there at
one time and a small
orchard of apple, cherry, plum and quince trees. That was over 60 years
ago! One plum tree
struggles in the darkness of the forest and we
savour
the sweetness of its
fruit. Traditions
live on in my hand-me-down garden. A tapestry of flowers, shrubs and trees
are woven throughout
my garden's heritage. There is a deeper value with each shared plant
from family and
friends than to purchase them. Memories grow and I truly enjoy tending a
legacy.
Carol Anne Taylor
VOLUNTEER FORMS
^TOP^
The Ontario Association of
Agricultural Societies, Ontario Agri-Food Educators and 4-H
Ontario initiated a
workshop to give directors of societies the tools, knowledge and support
for rural volunteers.
Workshop facilitator, Wendy Hay, commented at the March 4th meeting
that the Ontario
Horticultural Association had members attend this course of study to develop
marketing skills to
recruit volunteers. This evening, a volunteer application form will be
delivered to you for
two reasons - to create and maintain a safe environment and to ensure an
appropriate match
between volunteer and the tasks of the Essex and District Horticultural
Society. Please take a
moment and fill out the form. Your volunteerism is an enormous
contribution to the
well being of our society and community.
Thank you. Carol Anne
Taylor
Reminders:
^TOP^
An
environmental concern:
Every month at our
meetings we contribute Styrofoam cups to the garbage. We want to
change. When you come
to a meeting...don't come alone...LUG A MUG ... with thanks from
the executive.
Our meetings
are held January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October &
November at the Essex
Kinsmen Field House at 7:30 pm. Bring a friend!
COMING EVENTS
^TOP^
All of October
Hawk
Migration - Holiday Beach
October 25
Essex Hort General Meeting, Kinsmen Field House 7:30 pm
Guest Speaker is a
representative from ERCA speaking on Planting Trees in
Essex Co.
Silent Auction
October 28
District 11 Ontario Horticultural Association annual fall meeting, hosted by
Ambassador
Horticultural Society, $18.00/plate, at the Teutonia Club, 55
Edinborough
Street, Windsor
All tickets were advance
reservation only; however if you are interested in going,
check to see if there
have been cancellations by calling
Karen Batke at 733 -
4845
November 12 - December 10
Mary Celestino, artist and
author of Wildflowers of the Canadian Erie Islands, has
an art exhibit of
nature paintings, “Where Lands Divide and Waters Flow”,
depicting some of the
most remote areas of Essex County.
Windsor Art Gallery
Reception and talk by the
artist, Sunday, November 12, 2 - 4 pm
November 14
Essex Hort
Society Executive Meeting, Kinsmen Field House,
7:30pm
November 22
Annual Potluck
Dinner with Election of Officers, Kinsmen Field House, 6 pm
Please
bring a dish of food to share and don’t forget to bring your own place
settings
Youth Gardeners Club
2006-2007
All dates are
still on the third Wednesday of the month, 6: - 7:30pm
(unless there are unforeseen circumstances )
Wednesday November 15th:
Making stain glass dough and winter wreath *
Holiday Party*
Wednesday January 17th:
Glass etching a winter scene and making a bird feeder
Wednesday February 21st:
To Be Announced
Wednesday March 21st:
Making our own wind stocks and bird houses
Wednesday April 18th:
Flower drink holders and sidewalk chalk
Wednesday May 16th:
To Be Announced
Wednesday June 20th:
Bring in a white T-shirt along with a handful of medium to large
leaves plus plastic jell-o making
*Pizza party for summer*
Above topics subject to change depending on availability of materials or
if a more interesting topic arises.
Snack Schedule:
Pot Luck *everyone * November
Deb
(Gavin and Eliza) Jan.
We still need
volunteers for February, March, April and May
^TOP^ |
