About Us

The Smiths Falls Horticultural Society (SFHS) is organized under the authority of the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies Act, is affiliated with the Ontario Horticultural Association and is part of District 2. Funding is granted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food based on membership. The Society gratefully acknowledges this support.

A History of Smith Falls Horticultural Society

The current Horticultural Society was formed in 2004, however, a horticultural society previously existed in the Smith Falls area.

“In the late 1890's a horticultural society was formed. In early 1897 it together with the town council requested permission from the Rideau Canal officials to lease the land lying between the canal basin and Lombard Street to be used as a public pleasure grounds or park.(224) This long narrow strip of land included the embankment that formed the south bank of the canal basin. Through this property there flowed a creek to drain a marshy area south of Lombard Street. The property was leased to the town, giving the horticultural society permission to beautify the area between the combined and detached locks with trees and flowers. Within a year the area along the south bank was named Victoria Park, and town council granted funds to build a bandstand. The town requested of the Rideau Canal superintendent "that the Basin wall on the North side of the Basin, between the Bridge and the By-wash be raised and repaired in order that (the town) may proceed with the work of improving that section of the park." (225) The town's investment in this "lower town" park ultimately invited pressure for a bandstand in the "upper town" vicinity. (226). In 1907 Adam Foster offered to "donate a drinking Fountain to be erected at the intersection of Brockville Street and Irish Creek Road provided the town Council put the piece of land in proper shape for a small Park, "an offer that was readily accepted by the town.(227)

The care of these public parks and gardens was given entirely to members of the horticultural society. This enthusiastic body of volunteers began to receive an annual grant from the town beginning in 1909(228) and their membership by 1925 grew to between 250 and 300 persons(229) So ambitious were members of the horticultural society to extend the amount of park space that in February 1910 they asked the town council to purchase twenty acres along the south shore of the Rideau east of Brockville Street, otherwise known as the "Ship Yard" for a public park (230)…..”[1][1]

Archives from the Smiths Falls Library indicate that the society remained active into the 1940's with membership at approximately 120. No meetings were held between 1956 and 1960 due to lack of interest or leadership, and the club disbanded in 1961.

[1] Smith Falls: A Social History of the Men and Women in the Rideau Canal Community 1794-1994, by Glen J. Lockwood 1994

EMBLEM

The Sunflower (Helianthus annus) was adopted as the Smiths Falls Horticultural Societies official flower in 2004.

Each horticultural society has to choose a flower emblum to represent it. After many suggestions and much discussion, the Executive Committee chose the Sunflower.

· Tolerant - will thrive in a wide variety of conditions

· Diverse – comes in many different sizes and colors

· Easy care/maintenance

· Likes sunshine

· Nature and child friendly

· A heritage plant that has improved over time, but retained its character.

The sunflower is “A Fun Flower”. In describing the sunflower, we could also be describing our members, and our community.

Helianthus annus

Plant Type

AnAnnual

Light

Full Sun

Soil

Any

Water

Once a week at minimum

Height

dwarf 60 cm (24”); giants up to 4.5m (15 ft)

Width

30-60 cm (12-24”)

Propagation

Seed - Indoors in late winter; direct sow

Uses

Cut flower, attracts birds, seed crops

Flower Color

Most commonly yellow, but newer varieties in orange, red, brown or cream; typically with brown, purple or rusty-red centres.

Bloom Time

Mid-Late Summer

Pests/Diseases

Powdery mildew; Aphids; Birds

Public Beautification Projects

The Public Planting Committee had a great response when members were asked to sign up at one of our early meetings. It was obvious our members supported the society getting involved in some community projects and they were anxious to get their hands dirty!

Our challenges were, where to "dig in ", how to divide our time, deciding what we hoped to accomplish and how best to utilize our enthusiastic volunteers.

Several beautification projects in the Town of Smiths Falls were undertaken and are maintained by volunteers of the society. These include the Smiths Falls Hospital (North Unit), the Royal Canadian Legion, the Smiths Falls Town Hall and the Smiths Falls Public Library.

Public Planting 2007

May is a busy month for gardeners, so it was wonderful to have so many volunteers take a break from their own gardens to lend a hand planting our three community beds. We quickly transformed these spaces, enhancing the soil, removing any undesirables, introducing some new perennials, dividing existing perennials and adding annuals for "shots" of colour. With so many volunteers the Legion beds, the Town Hall entrance bed and the circular garden at the Library were planted in no time and we were able to enjoy lunch together.

All our materials and plants were purchased locally. We were pleased to do some shopping at our members Angie and Poul Jorgenson’s green house which is a new and growing business. We also took advantage of our annual plant sale where we selected drought tolerant sedums for the Town Hall garden and sedum ground covers for the Legion beds.

This is the third season for the Public Planting Program and people are starting to recognize our blue tee-shirts and often stop to ask questions about the society or plants or offer compliments on the gardens. This is a wonderful chance to promote our society and encourage new members. Following our May 28^th planting day we continue to meet Thursday evenings at 7:00pm and water and weed our three gardens. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved in community projects or simply to share and learn from fellow gardeners. Our season finishes the end of October when we put the gardens to"bed" cleaning up, digging up any tender perennials and doing a final weeding.

Thank You to all those who participated : Nancy Finn, Arlene Sharp, Rita Richardson, Pat Mc Clean, Lorna Stewart, Donna Cobb, Chris Boisvert, Charles Mclenaghan, Ellen Waller, Janet Wilson, Anna Cuconato

Garden Tour; Blooms Along the Canal

On July 7^th 2007 the Smiths Falls Horticultural Society joined the town of Smiths Falls to celebrate the 175 Anniversary of the Rideau Canal. Our contribution to a long list of activities scheduled for the weekend was a self guided Garden Tour, showcasing eleven of our members gardens and drawing attention to our town garden at Centennial Park. We chose “Blooms Along the Canal” as our official title.

This was our societies first Garden Tour and we had a large learning curve! However, looking back on that day and remembering the comments and the expressions on the faces of the visitors, the enthusiasm of the garden hosts and the energy of all our volunteers, we have to conclude it was a success!

Our eye catching tickets were designed and printed by Hope Bell. The ticket provided a map and description of each garden, so participants could plan their route based on personal interest and locations. Gardens to explore were grouped into three areas Smiths Falls South, Smiths Falls West and In Town helping visitors organize their travelling time. Each site was marked with a potted sunflower and number to assist visitors in finding their way.

The eleven gardens were all unique in style, design and content and each was able to inspire and impress our visitors.

In town Nancy Finn offered visitors a wonderful display of Asiatic/oriental and day lilies. Around the corner Carol Reid welcomed people to her front yard garden which contained lots of perennials in a dry river bed setting. As Stan Kochanczyk’s guests toured this immaculate space they learned that “great” gardens can be found in small spaces. Francis and Rick Cole inspired people with their “zen” garden which allowed a true escape into another world. Across town Rick and Marg Sauder greeted people in period costume and dazzled them with their rose collection and knowledge.

South of town Barb Delisle large property gave guests a chance to stretch their legs and tour a variety of garden spaces and a pond . Angie and Poul Jorgenson are turning their passion for gardening into a business and after touring their extensive perennial gardens, guests could browse through their greenhouse. Hope Bell’s country garden boasted informal flower beds of perennials and roses which blended with the natural countryside.

Turning to the west of Smiths Falls, visitors found more great spaces. Pauline and Larry Armstrong’s enthusiasm was contagious, this expansive property featured a large pond with waterfall and collections of day lilies, hosta and iris. Larry was on site to answer any questions about his organically grown vegetables. Clark and Judy Lavender’s rural property offered different sections to explore dedicated to perennials, vegetables and cut flowers. Chris Boisvert’s passion for gardening was evident as visitors toured her garden spaces which were a mass of vibrant color.

Thank You to everyone whose efforts made this event a success.