 A Worm's Eye View - APRIL 2010
by Editor: Elena North
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
With the fine, mild weather we have experienced this spring, all the spring flowers showing, and the trees budding, it is a delight to get outside, and to dream of new garden projects. But, of course, this early in the year we must beware of being overenthusiastic in the garden. Both our plants and our muscles can suffer if we do too much too soon! At this time of year, the gardening urge can be fulfilled by planting seeds and tending to the new plants they produce.
Your Fergus Horticultural Society has much to offer as we look forward to the new gardening season.
At the April general meeting we will be having a seed exchange. Bring seeds to exchange for different ones. Or choose seeds that you would like to grow, and leave a donation. Our April speaker, Sylvia Galbraith, will be giving pointers on how to capture the beauty of your garden throughout the season.
Also in April, there will be a short presentation on showing your flowers and designs at the May flower show. May brings our wonderful plant sale and we may be planting pansies again at the Home Show. Our May meeting will focus on what is new in the garden for 2010, with Donna Zarudny. In June our garden tour will give you lots to
look at and to think about. Also in June, the bus tour to "Pathways to Perennials" will be a great day out, while at our meeting, it is all about butterflies, in the garden and on the wing, with Brenda Stride's presentation, "Milkweed and Monarchs".
So as you eagerly look forward to getting into the garden, remember there are lots of activities to become involved with in the meantime.
Helen Lacroix
BILLBOARD
Potting up of plants for the Saturday, May 15 plant sale will take place on Friday, May 7 and Friday, May 14 at the Stone House next to the Centre Wellington Sportsplex from 9 a.m. to 12 and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. If you can help to pot up or if you need help dividing perennials, please contact Kathy Bouma ASAP to arrange 519-843-7703; kbouma@sympatico.ca Otherwise, kindly bring any plants or garden tools that you wish to donate to the potting up
and/or sale. ˝ and 1-gallon pots are always needed. Coffee for volunteers will be provided at the plant sale but please remember to bring your own travel mug! Important reminder: Members receive a 10% discount on purchases. Memberships will be available at the sale. Speaking of the plant sale, you will find appended to the newsletter a list
of the plants usually available at our sale, with both their common and Latin names. Our sincerest appreciation goes to Julie Kron and Ron Stevenson, for the time and effort they put into compiling the list. The list can be downloaded by just clicking on the Botanical to Common or Common to Botanical list.
SEED EXCAHNGE at our April 21st meeting: The trading will begin at 7 pm, so come early. Members are encouraged to pack up their surplus seeds and donate them to the table or trade them on a one package - for - one package basis. A donation jar will be placed on the seed table for the members who do not
bring any seeds but would like to pick up packages.
FEATURE - LASAGNA GARDENING by Elena North
While perusing the gardening products in the on-line Lee Valley Catalogue, I came across a book with the arresting title 'Lasagna Gardening'.Lasagna gardening is a no-dig, no-till organic gardening method devised by Patricia Lanza. It results in rich, fluffy soil with very little work from the gardener. Maybe the name came to the author because she has Italian in her background, maybe not, but her method of building a garden is indeed like assembling lasagna. Starting with a base layer of newspaper or cardboard (which, apparently, earthworms just love), you add layers of brown and green organic materials that will "cook down" over time. Also known as "sheet composting," lasagna gardening is great for the environment, because you're using your yard and kitchen waste and essentially composting it in place to make a new garden. The layers comprise grass clippings, leaves, fruit and vegetable scraps,
coffee grounds, tea leaves and tea bags, weeds (if they haven't gone to seed), manure , compost, seaweed, shredded newspaper or junk mail, pine needles, spent blooms, trimmings from the garden, peat moss.
While fall is probably the best time of year to start because of the ready availability of organic materials, you can begin at any time - the sooner the better, in fact, for the health of your soil. If you're beginning in
Spring, layer as many greens and browns as you can with layers of finished compost, peat, or topsoil interspersed. Finish off the entire bed with three or four inches of finished compost or topsoil, and plant. The bed will
settle some over the season as the layers underneath decompose. And you simply plant through the layers.
This is what Patricia herself has said: By using Lasagna Gardening to prepare your garden space you take out the really hard work of digging,tilling, weeding and half the watering. In return for the one-time really hard work of collecting and wetting paper or cardboard, collecting organic material (any of fifty things I mention in my books) and layering them gives you years of weed-free, rich, organic soil that you can plant anything in.
The first tool you use to make an organic lasagna garden is your eyes. Look around to see what you have to make layers. Then use your brain and make plans to collect as much as you can and keep it close to your new garden.
Keep collecting material as you are now entering a garden zone that is an on-going layering process and you will never be finished. And isn't that the way a garden should be? Never finished?
You may buy the book (Lee Valley Item LA 616, $15) or borrow it from our local library system (copies at Palmerston and Rockwood, Dewey # 635.048421) but there's lot of online information:
http://www.lasagnagardening.com/ ~
http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm
http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm
BOOK OF THE MONTH - Barry Vanderveer
Thanks go to Victoria, a reader of my blogs who directed me to the British quarterly 'Hortus,' a true gem in the world of gardening publications. Immediately following this introduction I journeyed to
wttp://www.hortus.co.uk/ , where I read a brief history of the periodical, the only privately published in the world! This unique merit alone was well worth the price of subscription, even if it means only four issues a year.Whilst visiting the website, I stumbled across the book 'Hortus Revisited: A Twenty-first Birthday Anthology,' a divine hardcover that is complied from the periodical's present score of some 10,000 pages of wholly original content. After a first thorough reading, something tells me that I will be reaching for this book time and time again as I continue my education on the amazing gardens of England and their history. According to the dust-jacket, Hortus began life on a kitchen table in 1987. Born of one man's passion for gardening, it continues to attract many of the world's finest garden writers. The periodical remains independent, giving founding editor David Wheeler the freedom to express and indulge his own -
and his readers' - horticultural curiosity. Understanding that plants, gardens and garden making are a part of life's greater picture, Hortus 'leaps the fence', bringing to its several thousand readers in more than thirty countries a quarterly succession of beautifully crafted and inspiring garden writing. As for the anthology, it's a brilliant undertaking.. a breath of fresh air, entertaining and informative, witty and contemplative, pioneering and
reflective and refreshingly unpredictable. The Contents pages present a list of topics ranging from Scent, Colour, Form and Style, Plant Breeding and Plant Hunting to the Exploration of little and well-known gardens both in Britain and overseas, while embracing a most colourful cast of characters - professionals and amateurs, nursery and
plants-people, historians and botanists - for whom gardening [in its widest possible sense] remains the commonest of bonds. Here then, are a few examples of my favourite selections, condensed so as not to spoil the charm
of this wonderful collection of essays:
'. I always wish creators of gardens had written more. Few do, and we are the poorer for it, as nothing is more fascinating than learning from the pen of the only begetter. Nor do gardeners have any archival sense. One is
horrified at the paucity, in the era of the camera, of visual evidence, for example, for those two horticultural war-horses of our age, Hidcote Manor and Sissinghurst Castle.' [p.128 from 'The Laskett: The Story of a Garden'
by Roy Strong]
'. My reaction to the flax bloom was of course emotional, yet I had always considered myself to be unemotional. I recalled a discussion I had had with a psychology student some years before. He contended that reaction to all
colours was emotional. If deep, bright colours [but not pastel shades] could be isolated from everything else - shape, past experience, association, et cetera - all emotionally stable adults, whether in England, Africa or elsewhere, would [he claimed] prefer either blue or red, with green in third place. Children and the emotionally immature would prefer yellow or orange, while the emotionally disturbed would prefer purple, brown or black! Perhaps my delight in the blue flowers reflected my maturity. I was vain enough to hope so, though I have also found some purple auriculas, such as 'Lilac Domino' very pleasing. I have also been very glad to see glossy-black cock blackbirds in the garden. Can I be both mature and disturbed?.' [p.163 from 'Blue Pleasures' by Jim Gould] If there is only one book that I recommend this year, this would be it. Seek it out, purchase, borrow, beg, or.. well no, we'll resist the urge to steal, but you get the idea. Essential reading, period! Allow me to close this review with a smattering of accolades that the Anthology has garnered. 'Some of the best garden writing you could find anywhere.' Anna Pavord, The Independent
Offering the finest garden writing in the English language.' Daily Telegraph 'What a relief to read lean, sturdy sentences... to see gardening as part of civilisation, bound up in commerce, science, art and literature.' The New
York Times'
(Editor's note: Hortus Revisited: A 21st Birthday Anthology (Hardcover) is
available for pre-order at amazon.ca; cost is $31.50 Cdn.)
WEB TALK
As our President noted, we're all anxious to get out into the garden but it's a mistake to get out there with nary a thought to your physical fitness.Some simple stretching exercises will help you avoid muscle strain and a bad
back (see "Be Prepared" in the Worm's-Eye View of March 2009). The website Garden Fitness takes matters several steps further with its 6-week 'gardening for fitness' program....how gardening can produce a healthier
you. Go to: http://gardenfitness.com/ FREE! Online gardening workshops from Horticulture Magazine:
Wednesday, May 5 @ 7 p.m. EDT: How to Eat Your Front Yard | Marianne Binetti
Wednesday, May 26 @ 7 p.m. EDT: Low-Maintenance Perennial Gardening | Kerry Ann Mendez
Register at http://www.hortmag.com/SmartGardeningWorkshops
Bill C-474: This bill, debated in the House of Commons on March 17, would support Canadian farmers by requiring that "an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically
engineered seed is permitted." Bill C-474 begins a real debate over the impacts of GE crops and, if passed, would stop GE wheat and GE alfalfa. Among several websites with more information is Kootenay Co-op Radio:
http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/032510.htm\\
TIPS
It's a good time to dig up perennial weeds and invasive plants like garlic mustard. They're easy to see and come up easily. You can also sow the seeds of cool-weather germinators like peas, radishes, kale and lettuces outside. Plant seeds every two weeks for successive crops. Make sure your garden tools are clean and sharp. Martha Stewart on cleaning tools: To clean sharp edges without cutting yourself, squeeze lemon juice or white vinegar over the blade, then sprinkle with coarse salt and rub with a cork. Rinse with water, and wipe dry to prevent rusting. Whether going to plant sales or nurseries, establish a plan - and a budget - stick to them. As the summer of 2010 is expected to be drier than normal, with hot weather in mid- to late June, mid-July, and early August, it might be a good idea to look at more drought-resistant plants. Easter lilies: Once your blooms have faded and all danger of frost has passed, remove the lily from its pot and plant it in a sunny spot in the garden. Easter Lilies like lots of water and good drainage. Be sure to mulch the roots of the plants over winter and remove the mulch again in spring. You'll enjoy your Easter Lilies for years to come. Note, however, that these lilies will bloom in summer.
QUOTATION: In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like
dirt. ~ Margaret Atwood
POEM - Weathers by Thomas Hardy (submitted by Linne Thomson)
This is the weather the cuckoo likes,
And so do I;
When showers betumble the chestnut spikes,
And nestlings fly:
And the little brown nightingale bills his best,
And they sit outside at "The Travellers' Rest,"
And maids come forth sprig-muslin drest,
And citizens dream of the south and west,
And so do I.
This is the weather the shepherd shuns,
And so do I;
When beeches drip in browns and duns,
And thresh, and ply;
And hill-hid tides throb, throe on throe,
And meadow rivulets overflow,
And drops on gate-bars hang in a row,
And rooks in families homeward go,
And so do I.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Phases of the moon: April 14: new moon; April 21: first quarter; April 28: full moon (known as The Full Pink Moon from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread spring flowers); May
6: last quarter; May 14: new moon.
Wed., April 21, 7:30 p.m.: Our regular meeting; Sylvia Galbraith will speak on "Photography in Your Garden". Doors open at 7. At the Victoria Park Senior Centre.
Workshops at the Guelph Arboretum ($55 unless otherwise noted; to register
please call 519-824-4120 ext. 52358; for information go to
http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/):
Thursday, April 29 - Introduction to Birds - $75 - register by April 15
Saturday, May 1 - Tips and Tools for Beginning Storytellers - register by April 16
Thursday, May 6: Woodland Wildflower Gardening - register by April 23
Friday, May 7: Spring Wildflower Workshop - register by April 23
Sat., May 15: Garden and Wildflower Photography - register by April 30
Friday, May 28: Sparrow workshop - $75 - register by May 14
Thursday, April 22: Earth Day
Friday, April 23: Waterloo - 5th Annual Garden Fair; 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Adult Recreation Centre 185 King Street South, Waterloo. Plants for sale. Admission is a donation at door. Contact Carol Marshall at 519-886-3407 or carol.marshall@rogers.com.
Friday, April 23 to Sunday, April 25: The Royal Botanical Gardens' first Garden Show; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington, Ontario L7T 4H4,
1-800-694-4769, website: www.rbg.ca
Saturday, April 24: Elora-Salem Horticultural Society Tree Planting Day; info: Ian Rankine, 519-846-0085
Saturday, April 24: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.; The Elora Environment Centre's 16th Anniversary Celebration at the Elora Arts Centre, 75 Melville St. Featuring food and drink (cash bar) and prizes. Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Tickets available at: Broderick's, 257 St. Andrew St. W., Fergus; Elora General Store, 15 East Mill St.; Santé, 102 Metcalfe St., Elora. All proceeds go to Neighbourwoods.
Tues., April 27: 7:30pm to 9 p.m.: The Guelph Horticultural Society welcomes Paul Zammit, Director of the Toronto Botanical Gardens speaking on Succulents and how to apply them to landscape and garden design. GHS members
free; non-members $5.00. Dublin Street United Church 68 Suffolk Street,
Guelph. Contact Liz Dewar; website: www.guelphhort.org
Wed., April 28, Elora and Salem Horticultural Society meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Heritage River Retirement residence - 25 Wellington Dr. , Elora; Speaker: Donna Zarudny " Out of the Sun and Into the Shade"; contact: Nancy Van Veen,
519-846-9469
Sat., May 1: Plant Paradise Country Gardens, 16258 Humber Station Road City, Caledon, 10 a.m. -11 a.m. Horticulturist and Master Gardener, John Renaud, will present a seminar for everyone who wants to learn the benefits
of using mycorrhizal fungi for growing healthier, more vigorous plants.
Register online at www.plantparadise.ca contact Lorraine Roberts,
905-880-9090.
Sunday, May 2: The International Herb Association's National Herb Day. The 2010 herb of the year is Dill (Anethum graveolens L.); http://www.iherb.org
Wednesday through Friday, May 5, 6 and 7th, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.: The Fergus
Lions Home and Leisure Show at the Sportsplex.
Friday, May 7 and Friday, May 14: potting up for the Plant Sale, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Stone House next to the Sportsplex. All assistance appreciated.
Saturday, May 8 at 10 a.m. and Sunday, May 9 at 11 a.m.: Wild Things Plant Farm's 10th Annual Trillium Festival. From Mount Forest go west 7 km on Hwy 89 to Baseline Road. Turn north and watch for our sign. Bring your camera!
Sun., May 9: Mother's Day Tea and Tulips at Plant Paradise Country Gardens. Complimentary tea or coffee and a tour of the gardens. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Lunch available between 12 -2 p.m. Pre-paid reservations are required for
lunch at a cost of $18.00/person. Contact Lorraine Roberts, 905-880-9090 or go to www.plantparadise.ca All day specials on perennials.
PLANT SALES:
Sat., May 1: Guelph Horticultural Society's sale, 7 a.m. to noon at the Guelph Farmer's Market,
Sat., May 15: Our Annual Plant Sale, 8 a.m. at The Stone House next to the Fergus Community Centre, on County Road 18 near Scotland Street
Sat., May 15: The Elora and Salem Horticultural Society Spring Plant Sale; 8 a.m, at The Old Salem Schoolhouse, 93 Woolwich St W, Elora.
PHOTO GALLERY
This month's photos are inspired by our great early spring weather. Members are encouraged to submit their digital photos to fergushortsociety@hotmail.com for publication in our enewsletter. (2010-05-17) |
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