Cuttings
Barrie’s Garden Club http://www.barriegardenclub.com September 2013Open Meeting September 03, 2013
South Shore Community Centre 7:15 pm
Come out and hear our speaker, Diane Greenfield talk about ‘Combating Common Garden Addictions’.
You’re sure to recognize yourself in some of what she has to say – always entertaining.
REMEMBER: TO LUG YOUR MUG
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DATE CHANGE for October’s Opening Meeting is Tuesday, 08 October (2nd Tues). Please mark your calendars.
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Out and About
September 09 Oro-Medonte Hort Society is featuring Katie Harris as their speaker talking
about a timely topic – ‘Gathering Seeds, Cuttings’.
Start time is 7:30 pm
Flower Show – Late Summer Garden
Many flowers should still be gracing your garden.
So, snip a few of those beauties & bring them in
to share with the rest of us. Remember, you can exhibit in as many categories as you wish – the more the merrier!
Keep Shooting those Garden Photos
Brand new categories for the garden photo contest.
They include:
1. Stars of Wonder – showcase your alliums
2. Shades of Amethyst – photo of any purple flower, except alliums
3. Flutter By – butterfly/butterflies on any flower or plant.
Refer to the Club website for further details
http://barriegardenclub.com/photoentry.html
Position Open – Newsletter Editor
I have had the pleasure of creating the Club’s newsletter for the past five years. Yes indeed, time does fly when you’re having fun. And it has been fun!! I have enjoyed the job immensely -
however – as with all things, it is now time to move on & pass the job over to someone else.
What does the job involve?
1. Member of the Club’s Board of Directors
2. Attend monthly Board meetings in advance of the Open Meeting
3. Issue nine monthly newsletters - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, Sept, Oct, Nov
4. Keep Club membership newsletter distribution lists accurate & up-to-date
5. Proficient with Microsoft applications: Word
6. Ability to search for information on Internet
7. Enjoys learning new things
8. Enjoys writing
9. I’ll help you ease into the job & tell you anything else you wish to know.
10. Consider this position a ‘growth’ opportunity
A B I G Birthday Bash!!
Did you know that next year – 2014 – the Barrie Garden Club will be 140 years young? This makes our Club one of the oldest in the province of Ontario. To celebrate & mark this auspicious occasion the Club is planning to make a BIG slash –
with daffodils. Plans are afoot to purchase & plant
a significant number of daffodils in a highly visible location to proclaim to the citizens of Barrie who we are & what we do. To this end, we need to enlist the help of many, many of the Club members to make this happen. Remember: many hands make light work. Co-ordinators for this effort are Holly Wells & Joan Nieman-Agapas. More details will be shared at the September Open meeting.
National Tree Day
Canada now has an ‘official’ Tree Day. It’s to be celebrated on Wednesday, 25 September 2013.
There’s even a website, so check it out at:
http://www.tcf-fca.ca/national-tree-day/pages.php?lang=en&page=home
What are you doing to celebrate? Well, you might consider joining the tree planting scheduled at Lover’s Creek (Mapleview/Yonge).
Under the umbrella of TD Canada Trust Evergreen and support of Living Green's Urban Canopy Coalition there will be a tree planting event on Saturday, October 5 from 10:00am-1:00 pm at Lovers Creek. Directions are below:
1. Go west on Big Bay Point past Huronia
2. Turn left on Loon Ave.
3. Right on Chalmers to Lennox Park
4. You can park in the park or on the street
5. Walk right on Widgeon St. and left on Loon Ave. to get to Lovers Creek Planting Site
If interested, please register at:
http://www.tdtreedays.com/en-ca/sites#CA_ON.
Tree Planting Information
Still on the topic of planting trees, here are a few guidelines to insure success with your investment – because that’s what trees represent – an investment in the future.
1. How big is big enough?
Many tree planting failures can be traced back to digging the planting hole too deep. The hole should only be a deep as the root ball, but it should be twice as wide. Loosen the soil beyond the perimeter of the root ball to encourage penetration by the roots as they grow.
2. The backfill story.
Backfill the planting hole with the soil excavated in the first place. Don’t use compost, as it is too light & may make the tree unstable. Placing amended soil in the planting hole encourages the roots to stay where they are, thus winding around in the looser soil of the planting hole & eventually strangling the tree.
3. Give ‘em air
Backfill the soil only to where the trunk begins to slightly flare out – no higher. Most tree feeder roots live in the top 8-12 inches of soil. Piling the soil higher can force tree roots to the surface in search of air & water OR the tree chokes & dies because it cannot breathe.
4. Potted Trees
If purchased in a pot, either plastic or fibre, remove the tree from the pot just prior to placing in the hole. Check to ensure roots are not beginning to wind around inside the pot.
If so, unwind & flare them out & arrange down the sides of the planting mound.
5. Bagged Trees
If the tree is bagged, place the entire root ball, bag & all in the hole. After placement, cut as much of the burlap away - the rest will rot away.
6. The Next Step
Step down gently on the newly back filled soil. Tamp down lightly, and then add 3 buckets of water. Wait an hour. The soil will settle, removing air pockets. Add more backfill to the prescribed level. Wait another hour & add 3 more buckets of water.
7. Water, water water, Mulch, mulch mulch
For the first several years, ensure your new tree is well watered. Add 2 inches of mulch – no more, as you don’t wish to suffocate the roots. Be sure to leave about 4 inches of space around the root flare – think donut, not volcano!!
8. To stake or not to stake
If your tree is less than 6 feet in height, don’t stake. The amount of sway wind is likely to cause will only encourage the tree to develop stronger root anchors. When staking taller trees, be sure to locate the stake on the side from which the prevailing wind comes or use 2 stakes. Never leave the stake in place for more that 1 year, as this delays the development of anchor roots.
9. Avoid planting in the heat of the summer. Optimum planting times are early spring before bud break or late fall, after leaf drop.
Last Word
It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews
a weary spirit.
Robert Louis Stevenson