SHS February 2020 Newsletter FINAL · Propagate plants in wall vases. Arrange wall planters in your...
Transcript of SHS February 2020 Newsletter FINAL · Propagate plants in wall vases. Arrange wall planters in your...
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
NEXTMEETING:February11,2020
StreetsvilleUnitedChurch
274QueenStreetSouth
Doorsopen6:45p.m.Meetingstarts7:30p.m.
ThePresidentsMessage
A winter delight is watching birds gather at the gardenfeeders.Although still in the depths of winter, throatfeathers of the yellow finches at my feeder are becomingmoregolden,asuresignofwarmerweather!Cardinalsandjuncospickuptheseedremnantsoffthegroundandtheoddblue jay joins in. A friend has a squirrel proof (baffleprotected) platform feeder in heryardwhich she stockswithpeanuts;thebluejayscallouttoletherknowwhen the nuts are gone, and theywantarefill!
Bird feeders are a great way toobservebirdbehavioursandprovide
excellentnaturephotoopportunities.OurFebruaryspeaker,DaveTaylor,willgiveusinsightintohowtocreateoptimalbirdphotographs.
PerhapsthiswillinspiresomeofourmemberstoenterourMarchPhotoContest.Categoriesandrulesarelistedbelow.Ó JanetShaw,Co-President
IndexPresident’sMessage 1
PhotoContest 2
SpeakeroftheMonth 2
VolunteersNeededPlantPortraitGardeningTrendsWinterJobs
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GardeningTrends 7
UpcomingEvents 10SHSFundraiser 10
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
MarchMeetingPhotoContest
WewillbeholdingourthirdannualmemberjudgedphotocontestattheMarchmeeting.Thetopicis“FavouriteFlowerPhoto”.Therewillbe2categories,colour;andblackandwhite.TheRulesare:
• Thephotosmusthavebeentakenbythepersonenteringthephotos.• Youmayenteramaximumof2,4X6picturespercategory.Thereisnotimerestrictionasto
whenthephotosweretaken• TheymaynothavebeenenteredinanypreviousSHSorOHAphotocontests• Putyournameonthebackofyourphotos• Pleasesubmityourphotosbefore7.15pm
Speakerofthemonth"BirdsandBlooms;PhotographingBirdsNearandFar"
Dave Taylor is a wildlife photographer and the author of more than 40 books and several magazinearticlesonwildlifeandecology.Asahighlyregardedwildlifephotographer,Davealsofocuseshiseffortsonproducingeducationalvideosandmaterialaboutwildlifeforschoolcurriculums.Davehastravelledthroughouttheworldcapturingnaturewithhiscamera.HefrequentlyvisitsTanzaniawhere he guides wildlife safaris and wherehis Tanzanian drivers have given him the nickname "TheProfessor".After teaching science and geography for more than 30 years and teaching nature photography andwriting formore than25years,Dave is currently theEducationalProgramDirector/Consultant for TheRiverwood Conservancy, a non-profit group that provides for all ages at Riverwood in Mississauga,Ontario,Canada.Inthepast,hehasworkedwithTheWildBirdClinic(ProjectEyes)andhasmetwithavarietyoforganizationsonoutdooreducationprogrammingandwildlifeissues.
Heisalsoanavidpublicspeakerwhofrequentlyspeakstolocalnaturalistclubsandotherorganizationsthathaveakeeninterestfornature.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
VOLUNTEEROPPORTUNITY
FlowerShowVolunteersNeeded
ThoseofyouwhoattendedtheAGMwillrecallthatAnitaandAlexKinghavevolunteeredtorunthe4annualflowersshowsfor2020.
Flowershowjudgingstartsat7:15pmandasaruleisfinishedbeforespeakerspresentat8pm,soyouwillnotbemissingthespeaker'spresentations.
Itwouldbemosthelpfuliftheyhadacoupleofclerkstohelpwiththesetup,takedown,andassistanceduringjudging.Clerkingisagreatwaytolearnmoreaboutflowershowrequirements,andmuchcanbelearnedfromjudge'scomments.Iknowwehaveseveralmembersnewtoparticipatinginflowershows;thiswouldbeagreatopportunitytolearnmoreandbeinvolvedinyoursociety.
PleaseseeJanetShawformoreinformation.PlantSaleWantsandWishes
Yes,it’searly,wehaveafavourtoask.Asmanyofyouknowifwecangetthem,weusecutupoldvenetianblindsforourplantlabels.Bothplasticandmetalareokay.
Ifyoufindsomethingliketheblindinthispictureonthesideoftheroad,orhidinginyourbasementorgaragewewillbereallythrilledtohavethem!
Ó ThanksMonicaandCarol
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
PLANTPORTRAIT:IRIS
Beardedirisesareoneofthemostlovedgardenplants;theyareavailableinanincrediblerangeofcolours,insizesrangingfrom20cmtomorethan100cm.
Irisesarehardy,reliable,easytogrow,deer-resistantanddrought-tolerant.Theyalsoattractbutterflies,hummingbirdsandmakelovelycutflowerbouquets.
TheyarecompletelyhardyinsouthernOntario.Theyrequirewell-drainedsoilandasunnylocation(6-7hoursplusofdirectsunlightperday).Diseaseiscommoninshadedlocationsorwhenthesoilispoorlydrainedandremainsdamp.
Howtoplant-beardedirisesgrowfromrhizomes,abulblikestructurethatlookslikeastrangecarrot.Eachsectionwillonlybloomonce,anewsectiongrowsfromtheendofthepreviouspart.Astimegoeson,thecentreoftheclumpwillhavenofloweringstalks.Theoldrhizomesmustberemoved.
Whentodivideirises-Overcrowdedrhizomeslikethoseinthepicturebelowproducefewerflowers,everythreetofiveyears,itisnecessarytodividebyremovingandreplantingthesmallrhizomes.Diseaseisalsomorelikelybecausethecrowdedrhizomesrestrictdrainage.
Thebesttimetotransplantirisisinthesummer,aftertheirishavefinishedblooming.Theycanbedividedinthespring;thisworksbetterwithlargeovergrownclumpsbecausethereislessplantmaterialtodigup.Howtodivideirises-lifttheclumpoutofthegroundwithaspadeorfork.Ifpossible,liftthewholemassoutwhole,butifyoucan'tdothis,carefullybreaktheclumpintosmallerpartsandthenliftthemout.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
Shaketheclumptoremoveanyloosesoil.Usingyourhandsorahandforksplittheclumpintomanageablepieces.Agoodrhizomewillbeaboutasthickasyourthumb,havehealthyroots,andhaveoneortwoleaffans.Large,oldrhizomesthathavenoleaffanscanbediscarded.
Checkallofthedividedirisrhizomesforirisborersanddisease.Theirisrhizomesshouldbefirmandnotsoft.Removeanydiseased,black,dry,mushyorhollowrhizomesanddiscardinthetrash.Youcanuseaserratedbreadknifetocutsmallerportionsofrhizome4to6incheslong.
Ifanyrhizomesarediseased,washyourcuttingtoolwithdilutebleachorrubbingalcoholafterremovingthediseasedparts-picturesbelow.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
Detachthenewyoungrhizomesfromtheclumpandneatlytrimofftheirends.Trimanylongrootsbyone-third,cutthelongleavestoabout6inchesinlength.Thenreplanttherhizomesabout6inchesapart.Thisworksbestwhentherhizomesarereplantedthesameday.
Winter:JobstoDobyPaulZammitoftheTorontoBotanicalGardens1. Evaluatetheplacement,formandframeworkofevergreens,treesandshrubs,ornamentsandstructures.
Makenotesforchangesandadditions.
2. Carefullytietwinetodamagedorcrossingtreeandshrubbranches.Usetheseflagstopruneouttheselectedlimbsduringtheappropriateseason.
3. Catchupongardeningliteratureandreviewseedcatalogues.
4. Startanindoorvermiculturebintoproducecompostallwinter.
5. Afterawetsnowfall,checkevergreens,especiallythosearoundthehousethatmaybeaffectedbysnowslidingofftheroof,andgentlybrushheavysnowsfrombranches.
6. Stockuponseed-startingsupplies;cleanplantstands;createacalendarofwhentostartseeds.
7. Cleangardentoolsthatweremissedattheendoffall.
8. Monitorindoorplantsforinsectsanddisease.
9. Topupbirdfeedersregularly.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
GARDENINGTRENDS2020
1.GardeningVertically
Oneofthebestandeasiestwaystoaddgreentoasmallspaceisthroughverticalgardening.MountastaghornfernandhangitasafocalpointPropagateplantsinwallvases.Arrangewallplantersinyourkitchenforgrowingherbsormicrogreens.Buildaplanterwallonyourfenceandcreateyourownverticaljunglewithalivingwallkit.Elevateplantersonyourporchorbalconyandfillafewwallplanterswithtrailingplantsforawaterfallofgreenery.
2.TurningtoTechforHouseplantHelp
Ifyourindoorspacedoesn’tgetenoughlight,tryaddingsomegrowlights.Todecideifyourlightisenough?There’sanappforthat!WiththePlantLightMeter,simplypointyourphonecameratowardsthelightsourcetoseehowmuchlightisavailable.Ifyouneedhelprememberingtowater(you’renottheonlyone!),giveself-wateringpotsatry.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February20203.CompostingforaMoreSustainableGardenThoughsustainablegardeningisn’tnew,wearehappytoseethatit’samovementthatcontinuestogaintraction.Overthelastfewyearswe’veseengardenersswitchingtonaturalmethodsofpestcontrolandtakingstepstosupportlocalpollinators.Onemorewaytogardensustainablyisthroughcomposting.4.AddingWaterforYourselfandtheBirds“Thepresenceandsoundofwaterinthegardenissparkly,restorative,refreshing,andrelaxing”.Moreandmoregardenersareturningtheirgardensintoretreatsforrelaxation,andincludingafountainispartoftheplan.Ifafountainisn’tyourthing,consideraddingabirdbath.Birdsneedcleanwatertobatheanddrink,soplacingabirdbathinyourgardenandcleaningthewaterregularlywillmakeahugedifferenceforbirdsinyourarea.5.KeepingitLowMaintenanceYoucanenhancethebeautyandecologyofyourlandbychoosingtoplantnativetrees,plants,shrubsandgrass(plantsthatoccurnaturallywithinaspecificregion)onyourproperty.Thesespeciesrequirelessmaintenance,increasebiodiversity,providefoodandshelterforlocalwildlifeandspeciesatrisk,preventerosionandarewelladaptedtolocalsoilconditionssorequirelessmaintenance.Examples:Black-eyedSusan(RudbeckiaHirta),foxglovebeardtongue(penstemondigitalis),Heart-leafFoamflower,(Tiarellacordifolia),Foracompleteselectionofnativeplants:https://cvc.ca/your-land-water/countryside-stewardship/stewardship-resource-centre/home-and-garden/selecting-native-plants/(copy/pastetheaddressintoyourbrowserifthelinkdoesn’ttakeyouthere)
6.IncludingPlantsthatPerformDoubleDutyScent.There’snothingquitelikewalkingthroughabeautifulgardenandencounteringplantswithdelightfulfragrance—it’satreatforthesenses.Food.blueberries,dewberries,thornlessblackberries,andraspberries.—easyaccesstodeliciousfruit!“Theseshrubsarefairlycarefreeandgreatfuntogrow,Coolingeffects.Doyouhaveasouth-facingroominyourhousethatgetsunbearablyhot?Plantscanhelp!Byinstallinganexpandabletrellisonthewalldirectlyoutsideoftheroomandplantingaquick-growingvinesuchaspassionfloweratitsbase,theplantwilleventuallyblockthesunfromheatingthewall.Mosquitorepellentplants,planttheminorneartheplaceswhereyouspendthemosttime.
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
8.BringingtheFoodieExperience
Growingyourownfoodiscontinuingtoincreaseinpopularityaspeoplebecomemoreconcernedthaneverwithwhattheyeatandhowit'sgrown.Andit’snosecretthatthebestwaytobesureyouaregettingtop-qualityproduceistogrowityourself.
It'sexcitingtoseevegetablegardeningmergewiththeoutdoorentertainingtrend:Hoststakedinnerguestsouttothegardentopickfreshingredientsandthenmakeamealtogether.Itcanbeassimpleassprinklingfreshbasilandotherveggiesontopofapizzabeforebarbequingitorpickingsomefreshsprigsofmintforamojito.
9.ImmersingYourselfinBeauty
Moreandmorepeoplearerealizingtherestorativeeffectsofbeinginnature(infact,didyouknowthatsomedoctorsareprescribingtimeoutdoorstotheirpatientsaswaytohelpwithchronicdiseaseandincreasehealthandhappiness?).Takingatriptoabotanicalgardenorarboretumisagreatwaytoimmerseyourselfinthebeautyofplantsandtakeatimeoutfromthestressesoftherealworld.Plus,whenyouvisitlocalgardens,you’llgetlotsofgreatideasforplantstoaddtoyourowngarden.Ifyou’relookingforagarden,visittheRoyalBotanicalGardenhaslotstosee.
Source:https://www.gardendesign.com/trends/2020.html
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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society
Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020
UPCOMINGEVENTSINTHEAREA
OrchidSocietyoftheRoyalBotanicalGardens39thAnnualSpringShowandSaleRBG,680PlainsRoadW.,Burlington,ONhttp://www.osrbg.ca SaturdayFebruary29,2020Noon-5pm
SundayMarch1,202010am-5pm
SeedySaturdayHostedbyChinguacousyGardenClubandHorticulturalSocietyandBramptonHorticulturalSocietyCenturyGardens,340VoddenSTE,Brampton.ONL6V2N2SaturdayFebruary29,20209am-3pm
CanadaBloomsEnercareCentre,Toronto
March13-22
SHS-OHAFundraiser
Please remember the fundraiser!! There are some lovely andinterestingseedcombinationsavailableinthiscatalogsopleasetake a fewminutes to review the options. Priced at $10 and$15, these also make an excellent gift idea for any upcomingspecial occasions. Cut flowers, perennials, butterfly attractors,theEnglishcountrygarden,theherbgarden–somanychoices,justtonameafew!!!
Rememberthattheorderformsandmoneyneedtobereturnedat the February meeting as we must get them back the OHAteam.
You can return any unused order forms, flyers, and envelopesthatcouldbereusedinthefuture.
Thankseveryoneforyoursupport!!