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Annual Report

District 5 2008 "Success Stories"

Aurora Garden & Horticultural Society

After the flower show at our meetings from April to October, one of our floral designers collects plant material donations from the horticultural and design competitions and instantly creates a floral arrangement in an inexpensive container. One of the board members delivers the arrangement to the mayor's office the next morning, along with a tasteful card with our society name and floral emblem. Also, at our Annual Show, the mayor is invited to judge a design class called “The Mayor’s Bouquet.”

Beach Garden & Horticultural Society

To make even better use of our members who are knowledgeable gardeners and growers, we decided to add an "Early Bird Session" to our general meetings. These take place 15 minutes before the meeting and focus on different areas of interest. One session was on growing, reblooming, and repotting orchids, one on digging up and dividing perennials in the spring, one on preparing for the coming gardening season to avoid injury. These "Early Bird Sessions" turned out to be very popular, and have been continued this year.

Another new project in 2008 was a Community Garden in Woodbine Park, planted jointly with local residents, members of the Beaches Lions Club, and City of Toronto Parks staff. This turned out to be a great exercise in reaching out beyond our Society to involve other members of our community. Of course the local media coverage and the garden itself will help to make our Society more visible to our Beach neighbours.

East York Garden Club

Another active year. Our membership increased by almost 20%. We were awarded one of last year's District 5 Special Project grants and added some fabulous shrubs to our public garden. Mother Nature's watery attention produced abundant plant sales. And, our socials and potluck dinners were delicious! An all-round terrific year!

Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society 

The Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society is very proud to have brought in an international speaker, Wilhelm Kordes from Germany, who had been awarded World Rosarian of the Year!  The Toronto Botanical Garden was so impressed they asked if they could share him, and together do an Edwards Lecture.  It was a great success as both parties gained new members and the love of roses was spread! 

Leaside Garden Society 

Under the direction of our Junior Gardener Coordinators, students from local schools plant flowers in community gardens, beautify the gardens of Sunnyview School with bulbs and flowers, do in school planting for Mothers’ Day and take field trips to the Teaching Gardens at Toronto Botanical Garden. All are great ways to instill pride in our community and a love of gardening. 

Lake Simcoe Gardeners

There were several highlights for 2009.  We started off the year with photography competition. Members dished up some awesome desserts for the berry dessert competition. Great entries and turnout for our four flowers shows. Amongst showers, members visited six gardens on the garden tour. Throughout the year, we had great speakers and workshops, and finished off 2009 with an Outstanding Annual dinner meeting.

Markham Garden & Horticultural Society

In 2008 the Markham club hosted its biannual Garden Tour. The tour is self-guided with participants travelling through the surrounding area armed with a map and cameras. Last years tour took place on a quintessential June day. A total of eleven gardens participated and each garden showed diversity and style: from traditional to modern. From ponds and a putting green to a community garden created and maintained by a wonderful group of older adults. The event was well attended and very inspiring. It was enjoyed by both the participants and the hosts. The event was capped off with a delightful tea in one of the host gardens. 

Mount Albert Garden & Horticultural Society

Over the last two and a half years, the Mount Albert Garden and Horticultural Society has been working closely with the East Gwillimbury Public Library, the Friends of the East Gwillimbury Library and the Town of East Gwillimbury to create a community space that can be used and enjoyed by all and support community programming.

Early in 2006 MAGHS members secured a Water for Tomorrow grant from York Region, to create a drought tolerant garden at the Holland Landing library.  By chance the East Gwillimbury Public Library also envisioned a Literacy Garden in the same space.  Through coordination with the library and Town staff, a concept plan for the garden which included several reading ‘pods’ and flower gardens was created by a MAGHS member.  This concept plan planted the seed for the possibilities of the space.

Through discussions with the Library and Town staff it was recognized that the Town would not have the resources to create the garden/community space we had envisioned, therefore, it was agreed that we would form a collaborative group to pursue a Trillium Grant.  In order to apply for the Trillium Grant a landscape architect was retained to prepare professional plans, specifications and a cost estimate.  A Steering Committee (or collaborative group) was assembled to review the designs, specifications and cost estimates.  The final design maintained many features of the original concept and the reworked concept by our sub-committee members.

Our first Trillium grant application in 2008 was denied, however, after consulting with the Trillium grant advisor we decided to apply again.  This spring we learned that we will receive a $75,000 grant to construct the Literacy Garden.  MAGHS members will be responsible for maintaining the gardens once they are installed.  

Newmarket Horticultural Society

We were able to apply for a grant for $1,000 from the York Region Water for Tomorrow program (as a couple of other of our Societies did which are located in York Region) in 2008. We received a grant for $1,000 which was to be used for the purchase and maintainance of plants that use less water. The garden that we maintain at the Newmarket  Community Centre has a large pine tree in the middle of it and the only water it usually receives is from rainfall so we needed to choose wisely. Several of our members went to Humber Nurseries and used the 10% off coupon and purchased plants for the garden. We have put a lot of hours into weeding and cleaning up this garden and The Town of Newmarket graciously donated a truckload of mulch. Needless to say it looked wonderful last year and as we receive a further $500 each year towards this garden we will again be looking to purchase more water tolerant plants this year. Many thanks to our members who have spent many hours looking after this garden.   

North York Horticultural Society

 Thank you to the members extensive volunteer work which included participation at Jump on Spring, Canada Blooms, our annual Plant Sale, The CNE, St. John’s Convalescent home, Meals on Wheels. Not to mention co-ordinating flower shows, retaining judges, speakers, planning  the outing to a Daylily farm, planning the Christmas Party, renting facilities, soliciting, keeping records of our finances, calling and sharing the societies events with other members and the public, all the meanwhile enjoying the society’s offerings.

Riverdale Horticultural Society

Last year, we were able to raise our community profile in two quite different areas. The first one could be copied or adapted by any club. After each flower show, members delivered vases of flowers and arrangements that they did not want to keep to local nursing homes and to neighbours who were ill or lonely. From the grateful thank you cards and telephone calls we received, we know it worked.

The second activity came out of the blue when I received a request for help from Bridgepoint Health, formerly Riverdale Hospital, the half round building seen on your left as you go down the Don Valley Parkway. They needed someone with gardening experience to help a recreationist work with palliative care and dialysis patients on the fourth floor. No-one else volunteered and I thought it was too good an opportunity to miss so I did. I was quite fearful of starting as I had no experience with sick people and not much with seedlings either, but we managed. For one hour a week from May til September, we coaxed those tiny seeds to produce tomatoes, peppers, carrots and watermelon – smaller that what you would ever see in a market, but still watermelon. The patients held a market to sell their produce to the staff and other patients.  If I could show you my photographs of them posing with their harvest, there would be no doubt in anyone’s mind of the importance of this project. I am looking forward to going back but this time I will be able to provide a lot more than just my “expertise” as I have obtained the financial support the Home Depot in Gerrard Square for the program. Perhaps there is a hospital, nursing home or daycare in your neighbourhood that could do with a little support in an existing program. Not too much work but a lot of satisfaction.

Scarborough Garden & Horticultural Society

The greatest success story in our Society has to be the fabulous efforts put on by our Juniors.  They are the most amazing group of youngsters who do all manner of creative things in our Society.  And a very big thanks goes out to their leader Jean Cope who is oh so dedicated.

Stouffville Horticultural Society

Stouffville Horticultural Society organized a July 26 bus trip to We’re In the Hayfield Now Daylily Gardens and Parkwood Estates. At the daylily gardens, a torrential rain/lightning storm hit about 15 minutes after we arrived, and did not let up. In spite of localized flooding, our enthusiasm was not dampened (although everything else was). The rain stopped while we had lunch at Parkwood Estates and explored the grounds, although it did rain again while we had our indoor tour. The bus trip home was invigorating, as we had to negotiate a number of flooded roads where small drainage ditches had turned into raging rapids.

In early November, we planted a Capital Callery ornamental pear tree at Stouffville Public Library in recognition of the long-time volunteer work done by one of our members, Mac Keith. Over 70 people, including the mayor, attended the ceremony, and then enjoyed tea, coffee, and snacks in one of the multipurpose rooms inside. The local newspapers published advance notice of the event, and followed up afterward with illustrated coverage of the ceremony.

Throughout the season, dedicated members helped with weeding and new plantings in several public gardens we help to maintain. In the fall, these same hardy souls dug out many perennials from a garden we maintained at the corner of Hwy 48 and Stouffville Road, because road expansion by York Region will demolish the garden in 2009. These rescued perennials are now in a temporary home, and will be replanted eventually in a replacement garden.

We did several outreach initiatives, which included printing flyers that were distributed at various town locations and through Welcome Wagon calls, and participating in the summer Strawberry Festival parade.

At our seven regular meetings we had interesting speakers on a variety of topics: floral arranging; rain barrels and composting; attracting birds; drought resistant plants; garden design from a bare square; autumn garden tasks. Our final meeting was our AGM, at which (as is our tradition) we had a delicious pot luck dinner and excellent musical entertainment.

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Last Updated: 2010-01-29