Feb. 2012 Mother Nature really likes to mess with us at times: no snow, lots of rain and a storm on the day of our first meeting at the Dunnville Optimist Hall. The meeting on January 19th was scheduled to be our Annual General Meeting and due to the storm had to be cancelled. The membership will be notified as to when we are going to reschedule this. Please plan to attend, as this is a very important meeting. We will be informing the members of our financial status, and providing an update of our projects for 2012.

Believe it or not, for a short month February is a very busy month! February 2nd is Ground Hog Day, and hopefully Wiarton Willie will not see his shadow so spring will come early. Keep your fingers crossed–I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of this horrible wet non-winter weather. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th and a recent trip to Wal-Mart made that quite evident! February 20th is Family Day in Ontario. A paid day off and a long weekend are always welcomed. And, lastly, this year is a leap year so we have 29 days this month, which will give us an extra day to drain water off our properties! I commute from Dunnville to Brantford daily and it’s amazing how the farmers` fields look like lakes.

Our guest speakers for the year have been confirmed. Please check the “agenda” section of the website for a list of the speakers and the dates. There will also be printed agendas available at the meetings. We have so many wonderful people lined up for this year to share their wisdom. The monthly general meetings are open to all members and guests. You do not have to be a member to attend so come, listen and learn.

On behalf on the executive and directors of the DHS, I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our “web-master” Ian Steel. He does such a wonderful job adding information to and maintaining our website. Please take some time to peruse the entire website. There is information about the history and mandate of the DHS and lots of photos. This month Ian has included an article about the Dunnville Floral Clock and its history in our town. The Dunnville Horticultural Society, along with Thomas Mains Ltd Welding, has donated much time and money over the years refurbishing and maintaining the clock. Thank you to Lori Maracle for her hard work at researching this subject.

Garden tip for February: This is a great time to prune, transplant and fertilize your trees and shrubs as needed. Be sure to check what your specific plants need before tackling these jobs. Check your stored plants such as fuchsias and geraniums, and if they are shrivelled water them lightly. Tender summer flowering bulbs may try to start into growth if they are subjected to heat. They should be kept very dry and stored at 45 degrees F. If they are shrivelling put them into slightly damp peat moss, but keep them cool!

So even though there’s an extra day thrown at us this month, if Wiarton Willie knows knows what’s good for him spring will soon be here.

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