Cuttings
Barrie’s Garden Club November 2011Open Meeting November 01/11
South Shore Community Centre 7:15 pm
This is our final Open Meeting of the year.
Darlene Rupke will give a short, but timely demonstration on flower arranging for the
Christmas season. Fresh ideas aplenty!!
POTLUCK POTLUCKPOTLUCK
Remember this meeting is all about potluck,
so bring in a sample of your most popular goodies
for others to enjoy.
Awards Presentations
We’ll save the best for last & announce the winners of the Flowers Shows held during the year, as well
as the winners of the Photo contest. I know Mike & John had a very difficult task to choose just three (3) winners from all the entries submitted in each of the three designated categories.
District 16 Seminar 2011
This meeting was held at the Bonaire Golf & Country Clubon Saturday, 22 October hosted by the Coldwater & Districthorticultural society.
The attendancebroken down by society was as follows:
Alliston & District: 4
Angus: 8
Barrie: 1
Beeton: 0
Bond Head & District: 6
Brentwood: 4
Coldwater & District: 23
Collingwood: 15
Creemore: 2
Elmvale: 11
Gilford & District: 15
Midland: 3
Orillia: 6
Oro-Medonte: 13
Painswick: 6
Penetanguishene: 6
Stayner: 8
Tottenham: 6
Haul Those Ashes
For those of you who ward off the evening’s chill with the warmth of a wood burning stove, you are sitting on a gold mine. Wood ash has a long history of horticultural use. Wood ash, for general gardening purposes, should come from burning untreated wood only. Wood ash from hardwood trees contains up to 10% potash when it has been kept dry as well as 40% lime, which is the basis of its alkaline caustic action. Wood ash, as well as being a fungicide, is an excellent source of potassium for the home garden.
In the spring, spread a dusting of ash around delphiniums, phlox, peonies, hollyhocks, clematis & iris. It can also be used as a molluscicide. Apply in such a way that slugs & snails have physical contact with the wood ash. Ants will also refrain from crossing the barrier.
Wear both gloves & a dust mask when handling wood ash to avoid injury to hands & prevent inhalation of the fine ash particles.
Book Review
Pruning of trees, shrubs, hedges – anything in the garden seems to cause gardeners the greatest amount of angst. There are a plethora of books to be had on the subject – some better than others. This past summer I attended a workshop conducted by the Niagara School of Horticulture & pruning was on the agenda. Among the books recommended by the instructor was one called the ‘Pruner’s Bible’ by Steve Bradley. Its merits include specific pruning instructions for a host of plants from Abelia to Wisteria. The introduction encourages the reader to reflect on the ‘when’, ‘how’ & ‘what’ of a pruning exercise. It explores reasons for pruning, training plants, encouraging balanced growth, creating a pattern of growth, controlling flower & fruit quality, maintaining plant health, restricting growth & remedial pruning. It covers equipment & health & safety practices when pruning. In addition to being very informative, it is beautifully illustrated.
If your gardening library lacks a good pruning reference book, this makes a lovely stocking stuffer!!
BGC Gift Certificates
Last year the Club offered gift certificates for a one year membership to the Barrie Garden Club. We are again offering these certificates for sale & encourage you to purchase one for a someone who might enjoy our meetings & events.
Silliness
The four seasons are salt, pepper, mustard vinegar.
How do you compare apples and oranges?
By their nutritional value.
Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.
What gets bigger the more you take away?
A hole.
What do you call a grumpy and short tempered gardener?
A SnapDragon.
What kind of flowers do you give to King Tut?
Chrysanthemummies.
What kind of flowers grow in outer space?
Moonflowers, Sunflowers, Star Clusters, Cosmos
What do you get if you cross a four leaf clover with poison ivy? A rash of good luck.
What kind of tree has hands?
A palm tree.
What kind of socks does a gardener wear?
Garden hose.
Words of Wisdom
"If it is true that one of the greatest pleasures of gardening lies in looking forward, then the planning of next year's beds and borders must be one of the most agreeable occupations in the gardener's calendar. This should make October and November particularly pleasant months, for then we may begin to clear our borders, to cut down those sodden and untidy stalks, to dig up and increase our plants, and to move them to other positions where they will show up to greater effect. People who are not gardeners always say that the bare beds of winter are uninteresting; gardeners know better, and take even a certain pleasure in the neatness of the newly dug, bare, brown earth."
Vita Sackville-West
Next Year’s Meetings
This will be our last meeting for 2011 as there
is no meeting in December.
The New Year begins with our first meeting being
a shared effort between Barrie Garden Club
& the Brereton Field Naturalists.
The date is Tuesday, 03 January 2012.
The Last Word
God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December.’
J.M. Barrie (1860 – 1937)
Your Board – Catherine, Holly, Jane, Jean, Joan, Judy, Gail & Clarinda extend warmest wishes
to you and your families for a very happy, safe joyous holiday season.