April showers bring May flowers…..soon I hope, soon!
It’s still cold out, but the weatherman is promising warmer weather tomorrow. I can finally see my garden again now that the snow has receded. I can also see the work that needs to be done. I’m sure all of you are itching to get outside and get ‘er done! It’s the time of year that we all live for: when we can get back outside and get active. Nothing better for the body, mind and soul!

March’s general meeting was a great evening for all. Thank you so much to Lester Fretz who worked his magic and taught us everything we need to know about propagating plants. Unfortunately I missed the meeting but I’m going to get a chance to make up for it by attending District 9’s Spring Forum at Ball’s Falls. Each year a different society hosts District 9’s AGM-this year it’s the Lincoln Garden Club’s turn. We hosted it 2 years ago and had a great time. Lester will be a guest speaker there so mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25^th and plan on attending.

We are going to have a booth at the Dunnville Lions’ Home and Garden show this year-yay!! It’s being held at the Dunnville Memorial Arena and Community Lifespan Centre on April 17^th and 18^th. We need volunteers to man the booth on both days so please let the executive know at the upcoming general meeting if you haven’t signed up already.

Guest speaker for the April general meeting will be Jack Kent of the Potting Shed in Dunnville. He’ll be talking to us about “All Things Lily”. I know it’s going to be a great evening…I love lilies and it’ll be exciting to see what’s new for 2015. Jack will also be our guest speaker for May with other news and tips to share with us for the upcoming season. May’s meeting is our annual Rose Draw, too, so be sure to attend. You can’t win a rose if you’re not signed in.

Don’t forget to save plant divisions for our plant sale on Saturday, May 9^th. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year so anything that you can donate will be appreciated. It will be held at the Optimist Hall in the parking lot from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The night before we’ll be accepting your donations at the Market located on Market Street (behind the Beer Store) from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Planting Day is Saturday May 23^rd from 8:00 a.m. until noon. This is what we are all about—making the town flowerbeds spectacular! With annuals donated from Konkle’s and many other plants and items donated by local growers our army of volunteers will make Dunnville beautiful again this year. Please plan to help out with a few hours of your time.

This year at the Dunnville Mudcat Festival we’ll be hosting a table at “Community Lane”. Come out and support us and volunteer for a shift. It takes place on Saturday June 13^th from 8:30 am to 6:00 p.m. The entire festival runs from the 11^th to the 13^th with lots to see and do.

Garden Tip of the Month: Be patient. Annuals can’t go into the ground until all chance of frost has passed, except for maybe pansies which don’t seem to mind a cold snap. You can, however, plant your spring flowering bulbs such as dahlias, gladiolas and lilies. That is if you can get a shovel into the soil and turn it over. My gardens are still frozen. Maybe we should just wait for Jack Kent—I’m sure he’ll give us all kinds of tips on how to grow fabulous bulbs when the ground finally thaws.

See you at the meeting!

Sue Mazi, DHS Secretary.

Essential advice for the gardener: grow peas of mind, lettuce be thankful, squash selfishness, turnip to help thy neighbor, and always make thyme for loved ones. ~Author Unknown