It should come as no surprise to all you gardeners that we have a ton of news to share at this time. After all, spring is in the air, and thoughts are turning lightly to turning soil and planting seeds! Where to start, where to start….How about with our April meeting?
April meeting focuses on lifting and separating
At the monthly meeting on April 7, we were delighted to host Algoma Master Gardener Susan Milne, who told us all about how to divide and propagate plants. The highlight was definitely the part about creating new plants via layering. To propagate via layering you can pull a stem of the plant gently to the ground and heap soil over part of it; stick the shoot tip of a stem into the ground; or wrap soil around part of a stem above the ground using plastic (air layering; for a video demonstration click here). Roots will develop in the area of the stem covered with soil, and you will be able to snip the stem et voila! You will have a new plant to pot up or put elsewhere in your garden. More details and diagrams of layering | list of plants and propagation methods
Another great tip from Susan: Don’t bother with root hormone. She doesn’t think it’s effective and advises us to spend our money on more plants instead!
The next monthly meeting will be at United Baptist Church at 7 pm on May 5. June Alliston and Suzanne Hanna will talk about vertical gardening ABCs (how to stake, trellis and support your plants for their health and to maximize space).
Hort Society brings bugs, seedlings, poppies, invasive plant display, and more to Common Grounds at Station Mall
SSM Horticultural Society members Veronica Bahun and Mollie McQuarrie discuss transplanting seedlings at Common Grounds 2014. Photo: Halina Peltonen.
Common Grounds is a wonderful annual event organized by local creative genius Halina Peltonen, who is not only a Hort Society member but also heavily involved in the local arts community. The most recent Common Grounds was held April 5 at Station Mall, and the Hort Society was there in force. Here’s what we brought to the community at Common Grounds:
- A microscope with an array of intriguing insects for people to view, including the invasive Asian long-horned beetle, emerald ash borer, and mountain pine beetle (all dead of course).
- A demonstration of transplanting herb seedlings, as well as a homemade light system for seed starting.
- Fun colouring sheets of butterflies and other beneficial garden bugs for kids to colour, as well as a craft table at which kids could make a red poppy necklace or pin, and parents could pick up information about how to get free poppy seeds (see related story below).
- A Grow Me Instead display, featuring invasive plants to avoid and recommended alternatives. Example: Instead of Himalyan balsam, plant Joe Pye weed!
- Information about our society, our annual plant sale (see related article below), and much more.
MARK YOUR CALE
NDAR: Hort Society Plant Sale to take place on May 24
This is a great event, one you won’t want to miss! It’s a lot of fun, you’ll find great plant bargains, and you get to talk to scads of other gardeners.
We are looking for volunteers to help out with the event as well as donations of plants and gardening magazines. If you can help, please email us at [email protected].
OHA District 13 Annual General Meeting to take place in Walford on May 10
Our society is part of a larger organization known as District 13. If you’d like to travel to scenic Walford, Ont., and get together with gardeners from here to French River, consider attending the OHA District 13 Annual General Meeting on May 10. If you would like to carpool or for more information, contact Suzanne Hanna, [email protected], (705)759-2893. It’s best to talk to her asap as this meeting is coming up quickly and she needs a head count.
Looking for an even bigger adventure?
How about the OHA Convention in Cornwall?
The next level up from our district is the Ontario Horticultural Association, and this group holds an awesome meeting each July. This year’s convention will be in beautiful and historic Cornwall, Ont. on July 18-20. One of the special highlights will be a trip to the spectacular Montreal Botanic Gardens, one of the world’s greatest. More information.
P.S. Check out the latest issue of The Trillium (OHA newsletter) here!
The great, patriotic poppy seed give away
Veterans groups are encouraging municipalities and gardeners to plant 100 poppies to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.
To that end, the SSM Horticultural Society has ordered many thousands of Flanders red poppy seeds and will be giving them away to local gardeners. If you’d like to get 100 poppy seeds (give or take a few), email us at [email protected]. We expect the seeds to be in by Easter.
Action alert! Help save the monarch butterfly!
The monarch butterfly is in serious trouble, and scientists believe that reduced milkweed populations are a major contributing factor, as monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed, and their caterpillars eat only milkweed. The Province of Ontario is proposing to de-list milkweed as a noxious weed. If you’d like to support this proposal, visit the Environmental Registry to comment. To help protect monarch populations, consider planting milkweed in your garden this spring.
You’re invited…to the Sudbury Gardening Festival!
Here’s your video invitation to this event, which takes place on May 31 in Sudbury (details at the end). Or visit the Sudbury Gardening Festival website.
