April 2012

Meeting was opened by President Judy Jeffery at 7:10 p.m.

Minutes from March 2012 were read by Sue Mazi. Accepted as read by Pauline Bradford and seconded by Olga Nevils.

Mail: There was no new mail.

Treasurer’s report for March 2012 was read by Kim Christoff. We have 79 memberships to date.

New Business:  Our signs are up on the Optimist Hall!! They look spectacular. There are 3 in total. Please take the time to check them out. There is also a picture on our website. These signs were made possible by a grant from Haldimand County and a donation by John and Marie Pridmore of Mirror Imaging of Dunnville. Thank you to everyone who was involved in obtaining these signs for DHS.

Kim offered up raffle tickets for the Home Show draw if any members were interested in purchasing theirs early in case they couldn’t go to the Home Show. She read out the times that volunteers signed up for. Volunteers were asked to wear our DHS T-shirts and aprons.   We will be handing out seed packets to people who come to our booth. Luna will be our official mascot for the Home Show. Pictures of the Trillium Award winning homes will be framed and displayed at our booth.

Debbie announced that our Garden Walk on Thursday June 21st will be at the home of Master Gardener Beth Powell in Canfield.   Ms. Powell will be graciously opening up her garden to us, so we will be going there rather than having a regular General Meeting at the Optimist Hall. Her address is 440 Concession 1 North, Canfield, Ontario. 905-772-3088. Please remember that there are 2 Concession 1s in Canfield. They both run parallel to #3 highway, one north and one south. So from Highway #3 you will turn towards Hamilton on Highway #56 and turn right onto Concession 1 North. You can call for directions or check Mapquest. We will also have directions posted on our website as well. Please check dunnvillehortsoc.gardenontario.org closer to June for more information. Ms. Powell will also be holding a plant sale on Saturday May 5th from 8 am until she sells out. If there are any plants left unsold Ms Powell has promised to donate them to us for our plant sale the following weekend.

We sang Happy Birthday to Debbie’s mom, Dorothy Minor and shared in a delicious birthday cake. Many happy returns Dorothy!

Refreshment Break: a quick break was taken for refreshments. Maura did a wonderful job as usual. Thanks to all that helped her.

Plant Sale: Don’t forget our annual plant sale coming up on May 12th. Don Davis addressed the group regarding the sale. We need plants donated. They must be in pots and they must be labeled. Please label them with their common name and sun requirements. We will be meeting at 6 p.m. at the Optimist Hall for deliveries the night before. The sale starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday and will run until 12 – 1 p.m. A request was also made to anyone who has a table that we can use, and we need volunteers to help.

Dunnville Flower Beds: We need volunteers to help with the flowerbeds in town. Please remember that this qualifies for community service if you know any high school students who would like to help. We need help with cultivating and mulching before planting day and of course planting on planting day. There will be designated days for prepping. Lori Maracle is spearheading this project so if you would like to help or have any questions please see her. A co-ordinator and 3 helpers are needed for each flowerbed. There is a list of the town’s flowerbeds on our website under “Mandate”.   McDonald’s has donated free meals for everyone who helps.

Volunteers will be provided with our DHS T-shirts, which you can keep.

Construction students at Dunnville Secondary School are making new numbers for the Floral Clock. We are planning a photo-op with the Dunnville Chronicle on the day that they are mounted on the clock, and hoping that the students will plant the flowers around it.

Guest Speaker: Allan Arthur from St. William’s Nursery and Ecology Centre spoke about ecology, companion planting and biodiversity. Thank you so much to Mr. Arthur for sharing his knowledge about how urban and highway development affects our planet and what his organization does to help. His knowledge about companion planting and native plants species was enlightening also.

Next month will be our annual Rose Draw. You must be at the meeting and be signed in to win one.

Ways & Means: Thanks again to Betty and her team for a job well done. $56.25 was raised.

Meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:15 p.m.