June 2012. Happy summer everyone! I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather. As I am writing this I have just finished watering, weeding, cleaning the fishpond filters and pump, brought all my houseplants outside (yay!) and now I am pooped. Too bad we couldn’t spread all this work out over the entire year.

The DHS plant sale on May 12th was a huge success. I do believe that this was our best sale yet. We raised $1850.00 and had a great time doing it. The weather was totally on our side this year. Don Davis organized the plant sale for the first time and was adamant that he would not tolerate bad weather. Good job Don! Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped with sorting, pricing and selling the plants. Nowhere else can you get such good plant stock at such great prices.

Directors Rob and Lori Maracle worked very hard during the month of May to get all the town flowerbeds in shape for planting day on the 26th. Lori organized an army of volunteers to plant the flowers and they will be weeding the flowerbeds during the season. Planting day went very well with 22 people in all showing up to help out. Wearing our DHS t-shirts, we received a lot of recognition from the public and lots of very positive comments and thank yous from people walking and driving by. Thank you so much to everyone who pitched in. I would also like to extend a big thank you to Konkle Farm and Greenhouses for donating the flowers, Turkstra Lumber for donating the mulch and McDonald’s for feeding all of our hungry workers when planting was finished.

The Dunnville Mudcat Festival will soon be here with this year‘s theme being Emergency Service Personnel. Running from June 6th to June 10 there is something for everyone. We will be participating in the parade again this year, which takes place Saturday June 9th. If you would like to join us be at the intersection of George and Cross Street by 9:00 a.m. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. sharp. Look for our red hay wagon pulled by a black pickup truck. Please wear your green DHS t-shirts and DHS aprons if you have them. If you don’t have a t-shirt we will give you one the morning of the parade. We will be handing out seed packets so we need lots of people to walk the length of the parade. Our “experienced” members will be riding the float, but I’m sure we can squeeze you in for a while if you get tired. We also need help with decorating the hay wagon the night before. If you would like to participate by helping with preparing the float, or being in the parade, please contact any member of the executive. Phone numbers are listed on our website at www.dunnvillehortsoc.gardenontario.org.

Our Annual Garden Walk will be held in lieu of the general meeting in June. The Optimist Hall was previously booked so we decided to move the walk up to June instead of the usual July. The garden walk this year is at the home of Master Gardener Beth Powell on the evening of June 21st at 7:00 p.m. This walk is for DHS members only and I understand that her garden is a “must see”. Ms. Powell’s property is located at 440 Concession 1 North, Canfield, Ontario N1A 1C0. Please remember that there are 2 Concession 1s in Canfield. They both run parallel to #3 highway, one north and one south. So from #3 highway you will turn towards Hamilton on #56 Highway and turn right onto Concession 1 North. You can call one of the executives or check our website (or Mapquest) for directions. If you would like to carpool, please meet at the condo river front parking lot (next to the bridge) at 6:30 p.m. We will be leaving at 6:45 p.m. sharp. After the garden walk we will be going to Judy’s place for potluck. Please see Judy regarding what she would like you to bring.

The Dunnville Floral Clock has had a much-needed facelift. When approached by the Horticulture Society to help, students in the Specialist High Skills Major class were thrilled to help out by constructing new Roman numerals and a Canadian Flag to adorn the face of the clock. Students from DSS’s Trailblazers environmental class will be planting the flowerbed around it and will maintain it this summer. It’s wonderful to see the students get involved in their community. We at the DHS are so proud of them and we appreciate the time they have spent doing this work. Please take time to stop by and have a look at the clock, which looks amazing, and watch the Dunnville Chronicle for an upcoming story and photos.

The annual Trillium Award is a widely recognized competition, which encourages property owners to develop their gardens and hone their skills. This is an important event that the Society is proud to offer to the residents of Dunnville. Nominations, which are accepted from June 16th to June 30th, may be made by any person who considers a property to be an asset to the community. Judging will begin the first week of July. Any property located within the defined limits of the town of Dunnville, as set out by The Dunnville Horticultural Society is eligible for nomination. A map of the boundaries can be found on our website. Garden centres and most businesses in the area will have nomination forms.

Our Rose and Flower show on Saturday June 16th is an annual event that shows off the club to all the people who come to the event and enjoy the beautiful flowers. It also gives our members a creative outlet with 45 categories in total in which roses and flowers (annuals and perennials) can be entered. There are no entry fees and there is prize money available. This year the show will be held at the Dunnville Optimist Hall. Please contact President Judy Jeffery at (905) 701-4656 for more information.

Garden tip of the month: June is a great time to plant! You can safely plant trees, shrubs and flowers now that there is no chance of frost. I have moved all my houseplants outside and they usually stay out until frost. Check all plants, especially newly planted ones, for water on a regular basis. Water deeply and thoroughly as needed. Now is a good time to fertilize annuals, perennials and flowering shrubs and trees with a slow-release plant food that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (a.k.a. potash). These are the three major nutrients you will find in most packaged fertilizers, as well as iron, calcium and other nutrients essential for plant growth and development. Evergreens (Hollies, Boxwoods and Yews) and deciduous trees (Maples, Oaks and Ash) will benefit from a good feeding with tree & shrub food. Last but not least, don’t forget to take the time to enjoy your garden. Summer goes by fast enough as it is, so be sure to take the time to stop and smell the roses!

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