It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – April 2016
by Angela Lassam

Vancouver in April

It appears we can grow them in Southern Ontario according to Kevin Kavanagh who is at South Coast Gardens near Turkey Point. He has established trial gardens with a variety of unusual trees, shrubs and perennials typical of the Southeastern United States where he spent his earlier years. He is testing the suitability of the more southern plants to the Carolinian forest region which is the most southern of our area. His gardens will be open from May 7^th, website: SouthCoastGardens.ca.

Magnolias date back over 100 million years predominately in South East China and Japan also two centuries ago found in Europe. They evolved before the pollinators we all recognize when beetles were their pollinators. They would crawl down into an unopened flower and pollinate it so it is  already pollinated when it opens. They are unusual as the flower buds form in the fall and look like furry spikes, flower in Spring and some have a second flowering late July/August. They form bright red seeds which small rodents and birds disperse. Sadly they have insignificant fall color just yellow and brown. Here in Ontario there is one native species called Cucumber tree (Magnolia acuminata) and another is Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera ). There is a small garden collection called Eight Little Girls with names such as Ann, Betty and Susan. All would be a good addition to any landscape.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are plants we are more familiar with but we must understand the soil they need. A low PH soil, rich in humus (rotted forest junk is good!) is necessary. Sandy soil you need to dig a big hole and fill with rich soil and top with mulch. Clay soil you need to plant on top of the soil and mound with rich soil and then mulch. They have fine roots and only go down 2 or 3 inches so do not need to be disturbed. They do not like the winter sun and wind from the south so location should be considered. Leaves will curl in winter to conserve moisture. Evergreen rhododendrons would benefit from overnight protection in spring to keep soil soft and retain moisture to the plant even an old bed sheet if bad weather is predicted. Plants to try are the Northern Lights Series which are hardy and for rock gardens there is Lemon Dream and Patty Bee. An early spring flowering one is Cornell Pink but there are many varieties to be found.

Once again this time of year is a time for maintenance and cleaning. The birds who help us in our gardens all summer collecting the bugs need their nest boxes repaired or cleaned out ready for new life. Consider a DIY project of a nest box with barn board set on a post for the bluebirds. A nest box on a post is vulnerable to predators (squirrels, mice) so an inverted cone placed below the box is a good deterrent. Also the nectar feeders for the Orioles and Humming birds will need to be clean as they will arrive soon.

If you are looking for a laugh join us for a presentation by David Hobson , a story teller, gardener and humorist talking about ‘plants to impress your neighbour’.

Next meeting May 3rd @7.30 pm in the Seniors Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Centre.   Members and non-members welcome.

For information about the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society visit tillsonburghorticultural.ca.online.

by Angela Lassam
It’s Still Just Dirt, The Tillsonburg News – March 2016

Patience is hard for gardeners this time of year. The clocks have gone forward giving us more evening time and El Nino has provided much warmer days than is normal. Frosty mornings should remind us not to uncover those tender new perennial shoots. Lawns are greening under the winter debris and it is time to de-thatch and tidy up. The leaves that appear to have been glued down need a good raking and go into the composter. Remember not to compost anything from under walnut trees as they are toxic.

I am sure we have all noticed our feathered friends have returned early. How do they know when to come? There has been sightings of bluebirds, robins, grackles even a killdeer in a corn field. Of course the annual Tundra swans migration has landed over in the Police College at Aylmer and surrounding fields. One day the fields looked very odd as if huge snowballs had dropped down, there were so many feeding.

The spring garden shows that most of us try to attend were once again differently focused. Stratford Festival is always popular. It’s not large but is well planned and offers a good array of speakers. The displays were full of whimsy and colour and as always good ideas. Solar lighting has become brighter and larger, even lamp posts are available. David Hobson gave a presentation on the famous Chelsea Flower Show in London, England.  Frankie ‘Flowers’ Ferragine did a presentation on food to grow.

Frankie is a family man raised at Holland Marsh north of Toronto so he grew up on homegrown produce. He said we can all grow vegetables in pots and in larger containers. Even a novice can buy transplants at the local nursery. Children can plant seeds and watch them grow into food they know (cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and if you have the space for them even pumpkins). By growing your own you know where it has come from and what has been put on it. It is fresh and the taste is so much better than anything from a store. He commented about a grocery chain that will be selling imperfect produce and I wondered if the marketing gurus have realized that the public are buying more and more from local markets and roadside stands where food is fresh and good. Market gardeners and farmers are becoming bigger competition. What a thought!

Canada Blooms has become smaller but still gives some great ideas – a good marketplace as usual. A presentation on pollinators was very informative and thought provoking. Honey Nut Cheerios have a new program where they are giving away free wildflower seeds and want every Canadian to plant at least one seed. That would be 35 million seeds according to them. Go online www.bringbackthebees.ca to see their program and lots of good bee information.

Also there is a blog on the Breck’s website titled Bee-Buzz. Bees and other pollinators go for all bright colours. Early summer coneflowers and yarrow are good, then in mid-summer bee balm and hyssop, and for fall asters, sedums and sunflowers are popular. A sad footnote, the monarch butterflies have had another disaster in Mexico with reports of freezing rain hitting them hard.

Due to the March meeting being cancelled the April one will be full of information about our garden volunteer signup as well as a reminder about the annual plant auction, and Christine Nagy will tell us of the upcoming trip. The guest speaker will be Kevin Kavanaugh from St Williams talking about growing magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas in Ontario.

The next meeting is April 5 @ 7:30 pm in the Seniors Centre Auditorium, Tillsonburg Community Centre. Members and non-members are welcome.

For information about the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society visit tillsonburghorticultural.ca online.

It’s Still Just Dirt – January 2016, The Tillsonburg News
by Penny Esseltine

The Tillsonburg Horticultural Society is gearing up for the 2016 year with plans for great speakers and excursions and other entertaining events throughout the year. And amidst all of the planning and organizing by executive members for the year ahead we’re going to talk about New Year’s Resolutions for the Garden.

I know, I know, your garden is buried under snow but you’ll be surprised to hear about some of the plans that gardeners have so early in the year.

For example … Joan Massicotte tells us that at her condo apartment she has only a small patio. “I have found through trial and error that I just don’t have room for large planters,” Joan says. So she is on the lookout for information about, and items to incorporate into the two fairy gardens that she is planning for her patio in 2016.

Christine Nagy knows just what she will be looking for for her garden this spring. “I spotted a unique hosta in a recent gardening magazine and fell in love with it immediately,” Christine says. “The difference with this hosta is that it has a colour that you won’t find in any other hosta. It has red petioles (the stalk of the leaf), red flower stems, a red blush in spring that lasts four to six weeks and a thin red edge to the leaves all season long.” Christine isn’t sharing the name or the source of this hosta because she says there are limited numbers available and she can’t wait to get one.

Juanita and Richard DeRoo are looking for two things this year, a dwarf cherry tree to add bloom and some height to their small garden as well as a lovely Godaishu peony in light yellow or orange for both colour and diversity. “We will remove an otherwise hum-drum peony to make way for the new,” they say, “and add a bit of a tongue to one bed to accommodate the new cherry tree, a sort of Japanese makeover for 2016.”

“My New Year’s resolution for 2016 is not to buy another plant until I’m sure I’ve decided where it is to be planted,” says Jean Mann. Jean says she needs to make sure she has just the right spot with the right amount of sunlight or shade for each plant she decides to bring home. Although her intentions are good, Jeans says she’s concerned about being able to stick to this resolution. “When I attend the first gardening show of 2016 and suddenly see all those beautiful plants just waiting for a good home, the temptation may be too hard to resist. Odds are if you check around my yard in the spring you’ll see a potted plant or two still waiting for me to find the perfect spot.”

Jan Torrell says instead of putting more perennial plants in the ground she’ll be looking to add annuals for show. “We are considering a move so I will want to dig out all the perennials and take them with me,” Jan says. That could be a lot of work.

Catherine Burke has plans to transform one of her front gardens where a woody honeysuckle is crowding out the hydrangea tree. “With the removal of the honeysuckle bush, I will need to fill the gap,” Catherine says. She plans to consult a local nursery for suggestions about what will best fill the space.

“My New Year’s resolution is to make my garden more manageable this year to make it easier on my back,” says Marian Smith. Marian says this will mean planting more native species that can look after themselves and using more mulch to prevent weeds.

Benoit Janssens has a New Year’s gardening resolution that he’d like to share with all gardeners. “If every one of us planted one native plant (a perennial, a grass, a tree or a shrub) we could collectively increase the chances that a bee, or butterfly, or worm, or bug, or even a bird would find this little island of sustainability during the growing season.” Ben encourages us to plant with nature in mind and give our local ecosystems a boost. “Grow a beautiful garden for yourself and for all of our local creatures too,” he says.

Thanks to my fellow Horticultural Society members who shared their New Year’s resolutions for the garden. As for me, my resolution remains the same as in years past. It’s more gardens, less grass. I’d much prefer to grow gardening spaces and add beautiful new plants than to nurture grass. Some would say my lawn speaks to that? Regardless, as with many things, anticipation is half the fun so it’s a New Year and we can all look ahead to new experiences in the garden in 2016. Enjoy!

This will be my last It’s Still Just Dirt column for the Horticultural Society and I’d like to express my thanks to the Tillsonburg News for helping us to promote gardening in the community through the column. I’m pleased to report that Angela Lassam will take on the It’s Still Just Dirt column starting in February.

As always, for information about the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society visit tillsonburghorticultural.ca. on line.