Feb 2013 happy Groundhog Day! Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow today so we’re going to have an early spring. How exciting! I can’t wait for this cold and snow to be over. I am not a winter person, having never been into outdoor sports such as skiing, or skating. I love the anticipation of a new spring garden so the sooner it’s gone the better. I can’t wait to see the first crocuses and daffodils that peek up when the days start to get warmer. If you have a perennial garden as I do you know that each year brings surprises as to what is going to appear in your garden. So I guess it’s good that we do have winter in order to have a reprieve from our gardens and have that special feeling that you get when our favourite plants decide to return. The old faithfuls come back every year, but occasionally something will appear that is a mystery. Occasionally it’s a weed, but I won’t pull it out until it flowers and I know for sure.
We have a very busy year ahead of us as President Lori Maracle and Vice-President Debbie Thomas explained at the general meeting last month. We are planning another bus trip to Canada Blooms again this year. Last year’s trip was a huge success and everyone had such a good time, on the bus and at the show. The show runs from March 15-25th at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. It coincides with the Toronto Home Show again this year so there will be lots to see throughout the day. The exact date hasn’t been booked yet so we will update you as soon as we have it confirmed. We are also going to plan a bus trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto. This year it runs from November 1-10th and because of huge crowds on the weekends we will likely be going on a weekday. Again, once the date has been confirmed we will let you know.
The Dunnville Home & Garden Show will be held again this year in April and we will be attending. Our booth garnered a lot of attention last year, and our volunteers who manned it signed up a number of new members and raised money by holding a couple of raffles. If you have some time that you could donate we could use volunteers again this year to help out. Please let Lori Maracle know if you are interested.
We will be holding many of our regular activities again, such as our May plant sale, and our Garden Walks. We will also be participating in the Mudcat Parade again. Pam Blanchard did such an amazing job of organizing our entry last year and we can hardly wait to see what she has planned for this year.
We are going to try a few new things this year with our “information packages” that you get at each meeting. Minutes from the previous month, the newsletter and upcoming events will be emailed out to as many members as possible so you will have a chance to read it before the meeting. Hopefully this will help to speed things up with voting on the minutes and with keeping our printing costs down. Please make sure that we have your current email address and needless to say you can rest assured that any personal information that you provide to us is kept strictly confidential. If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. If you have access to the internet you must visit our website. There’s a plethora of garden related information and links to other websites and catalogues. Visit www.dunnvillehortsoc.gardenontario.org. Our mandate, our upcoming projects and contact information is all listed here. There are photos of past Trillium award winners and many of our other functions, as well as newsletter and minutes archives.
Our guest speakers for February are “Davey Tree Experts” Shawn Nixon and Chris Paribello. They are both arborists and are going to explain the fine points of pruning. Most trees require pruning during dormancy so this is a well-timed lecture and will give the much needed guidance to trim our trees and shrubs in the early spring.
Garden Tip of the Month: Start parsley indoors now. You may think you have successfully wintered over the plant, but it is a biennial and will soon go to seed. You can start some perennials now, including delphinium, and carnation. Start some annuals, especially those that have slow growth, including marigolds, impatiens, pansies, snapdragons, and petunias. Don’t forget winter birds! Put out water, seeds, and suet. Keep your feeders clean and squirrel free if at all possible. See you at the meeting.
Sue Mazi, DHS Corresponding 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