In alphabetical order, printed below, you will find the annual reports covering all of the projects and operations of the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society in 2023 – A clear reflection of the contributions of both directors and members to the society and to the community.
Annandale Museum Gardens – Liz Bukta, Chairperson
The gardens have yet again produced another great year of beautiful blooms. With this year’s colour choice of red, Annandale made sure to have blooms of crimson and rouge on full display all throughout the seasons. As avid gardeners we were all excited for this year’s high temps and bright sun which made April feel more like summer. With anticipation and excitement for the year ahead, we were able to get a head start on planning out the gardens and cleaning up the beds. The tulips gave a beautiful bright show with their mixed colour blooms, planted in 2020 and the hellebores were a delight for the eyes, giving large sprays of bright whites, pinks, and even velvet black. The pansy bowls from Garden Gate gave brilliant pops of springtime colour to the entrance at the museum.
This summer we felt the pinch of the ever-increasing cost for beautification, we opted to maintain our usual displays and kept our pots and urns simple but still elegant with purple fountain grass, dragon wing begonias, verbena and ivy’s.
The tropicals along the parking lot were once again a fan favourite, adding intrigue and interest to the blank museum wall. Liz and Lois created beautiful arrangements in the urns to coincide with the large elephant ears.
We were excited to have so many volunteers this year to help with the watering, planting, and planning. A big thank you to Betty, Lucy, Mary, Joanne, and Lois, the gardens would not be as lush and beautiful without all your loyal support. Of course, special mention goes to Matt Johnston for his delivery of the greenery this year and another big thanks to the Town of Tillsonburg with their ground maintenance team for supplying the paper bags for our many clippings and ensuring that the lawn and sidewalks were kept clean and clear of debris. Their hard work helps to make the property and the gardens look more groomed and manicured and is appreciated by all those who come to wander the gardens and partake in the events at the Museum. Due to the work done on the porches at the Museum, we encountered a loss of many of our mature and unique specimens. Due to this refurbishment, we had to make the budget spread a little more and purchased echinacea to help fill the bare spots and add some colour.
This year’s urns were made even more elaborate and stunning by Liz and Lois. The bright red bows and bunches of greenery gave a festive touch and brought a splash of colour to the pale museum background. The new lighting at Annandale helped to ensure that the urns and gardens were able to be seen during the day and at night.
We are always excited to have this opportunity to beautify this incredible landmark in town and want to thank everyone who has helped to ensure another successful year.
Volunteer Hours:
Creative Services – Penny Esseltine, Director
Tillsonburg Horticultural Society rebranded its logo and developed various options for application. Penny created the annual brochure, the Garden Auction print materials, “Support The Hort” decals and other flyers for the THS.
Volunteer Hours: 120
Financial Statement – Sandra Aspen, Treasurer
Financial Statements for the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society from November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023.
Volunteer Hours:
Garden Auction and Plant Sale – Christine Nagy, President
This year’s Auction was a tremendous success. After a COVID hiatus, the ever-popular Bake Table was back, contributing to the overall financial rewards.
Generous donations were received from approximately 85 businesses, plus generous donations from members and the community in both plants and products.
This was the most profitable Auction to date. Reasons could be as follows:
- Word is spreading through the community about this event, how much fun it is and the top quality plants and products that are featured.
- With the draw table and bake table, there is more to buy other than just plant material.
- With “sticker shock” at the garden centres, gardeners came looking for bargains.
There are many volunteers, so many that we need to turn members away. It’s a good problem to have.
Volunteer Hours: 175
Garden Artistry Garden Tour – Angela Lassam, Director
This year, 106 tickets were sold, a much smaller number than in previous years. Ticket holders all appreciated the open gardens and the homeowners’ interaction.
The committee spent endless planning hours with minimal reward. Challenges this year included:
- Finding gardens
- An early date for the season
- Poor weather conditions
- Recruiting volunteers
There primary reason for the failure of ticket sales was the gloomy forecast for inclement weather conditions.
Profits were down because of low ticket sales coupled with a significant increase in printing costs.
The future of the Garden Artistry garden tour is on hold with a revert back to a smaller members’ only tour in July 2024 planned by the board.
Volunteer Hours:
Greetings – Dena Luyt, Director
Each member receives a name tag at our meetings. This allows us to get to know each other, to ensure those attending are current members or guests and also to keep track of our membership numbers.
Volunteer Hours: 15
Bert Newman Park – In place of a standard annual report, please consider this column, written by Laurel Beechey, as the 2023 annual report.
Newman Park is a jewel in Tillsonburg
A Treasure In Any Size Municipality Is A Park. Space where you can get away from four walls, hopefully find fresh air, peace and quiet. Perhaps with a park bench where you can contemplate life, refresh your nerves or soul, or picnic on the grass. Tillsonburg has 16 parks and parkettes, some with coverings, playgrounds, sports, festivals and events to escape to. The parkettes are often named after developers.
Our larger parks, Memorial and Coronation, are ‘memorial’ parks and both are on the course of the Otter Creek, which in the 1800s filled a sawmill pond known today as Lake Lisgar. Then flowing out through the town, it serviced the Tillson milling empire, of which today the former Pea and Barley Mill still stands across from Coronation Park.
Christine Nagy, president of the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society recalls one park, that by 2016 had been left to ruin.
“I called it ‘Spooky Hollow’ park,” Nagy said in an email. “Tillsonburg’s Parks Department came to the Horticultural Society asking if we would consider looking after this space. We agreed with the caveat that the town would do the heavy clean-up – removing dead trees and shrubs, pruning the heavy limbs and add much-needed triple mix to the existing flower bed.”
A horticultural society member headed up a team of primarily residents to plant shrubs, perennials, and annual flowers in Newman Park. They also watered, maintained, and nurtured the gardens through that year and in subsequent years. The average age of these gardeners was approximately 78 years.
That park, at the corner of Bridge Street East and Lisgar Ave., has become a precious a jewel in our crown of parks, filled with colour and scents that truly honour a former citizen and next-door neighbour to the park, Bert Newman. Bert was neither a mayor nor rich philanthropist, but from his birth in 1897, he spent the 96 years of his life here working at different jobs and was a volunteer fireman.
In 1926, Bert opened Newman Flowers. At the age of 85, although visually impaired, he started recording his life’s stories, preserving decades of history. The Tillsonburg News printed some and Bert later published four wonderful books of his reminiscences.
In August 2019, OPP investigated the theft of shrubs, Japanese forest grass and hostas from the park. Once again horticultural society members and others restored the park.
Christine noted, “Folks returned, sitting on the benches either visiting, reading, or quietly contemplating – and there are dog walkers. Non-hort members help by doing a little weeding and picking up garbage as there is much local pride for this park. There have been many photo opportunities in the park, both wedding and prom pictures, which speaks volumes about how the park is perceived.”
During the COVID pandemic, all parks became extremely important, including Bert’s park where friends could sit outside, social distance and be in a quiet lovely safe space. Alas, vandalism and theft are thriving everywhere today, as is the seemingly unsolvable homeless problem.
Christine also noted, “In the last couple of years there have been problems. We stopped caring for the park last August… because our members did not feel entirely safe.”
This year began well, she says in the email, “cleaning up the flower beds, pruning, weeding and planting. Somewhere in the late hours of July 7-8, there was considerable damage done to the park. Hydrangeas and hostas were essentially massacred with many other hostas, perennials and annuals pulled from the ground. Mayhem.
“But out of that mayhem came a story of a community honouring one of its citizens, of a town’s department working together with our society, of local nurseries donating in a time of need. The Parks Department cut back many of the trees, raising the canopy to provide more streetlight visibility into the park. The Horticultural Society fielded several messages and emails from Tillsonburg residents who wanted to help either donating plants or their time. Les Lonsbary and Potters Road Nurseries stepped up – Les provided the labour and Potters Road Nurseries donated the plant material. They came to the park and replanted the hydrangea shrubs, planted more hostas, and cleaned up overhanging branches.”
Thank you, Christine, the Horticultural Society, and Tillsonburgers for honouring and caring for the Bert Newman Park.
Volunteer Hours:
Junior Gardener – Pat Zeyen and Linda Fenn, Directors
The Junior Gardener program is offered by the THS to children in our community, age 6-14 years old. This year the theme was “Know Your Roots”. We had 58 children register for the program. Each child received a planting package which included seed packs of mixed lettuce, Little Marvel peas, Royal Burgundy beans, carrots, cucumbers, borage, nasturtiums, liatris bulb, red onion bulb, tomato plants, information booklet and STEM flip cards.
The planting packages were available for pick up the first weekend of June at the Tillsonburg Garden Gate.
The Junior Gardener’s independently planted, water, weeded and nurtured their gardens all summer. The gardener’s were encouraged to add additional plants or garden decor to their gardens.
This year 17 children elected to have their gardens judged by THS volunteers in August. The judges visited the gardens and asked the Junior Gardener’s about their garden and gardening experience. Each junior gardener received a magnifying glass and DIY Insect House to make for their garden. The gardens were awesome this year!
At the October THS General meeting, 10 Junior Gardener’s received medals for 1st and 2nd in their age category.
Volunteers: Pat Zeyen, Linda, Fenn, Judi Misener and Marian Smith
Volunteer Hours: 133
Membership – Marg McCrimmon, Director
Royal Canadian Legion – Jean Martin, Director
Spring began with the spent tulips cut back and then begonias were planted in the cross shaped planting area and in the perennial beds, with some ageratum added as well. Mulch was added to aid water retention and cut back on weeds. Maintenance consisted of removing weeds, watering and pruning. This was done by teams of 2 on a weekly rotating basis. After the first frost the begonias were removed and the beds prepared for tulips in the spring. It is anticipated that 2 evergreens will need to replaced in 2024.
Volunteers: Jean Martin, Hanna Hopper, Millie Corman, Jenny Thompson, Jane Tunks
Volunteer Hours: 48.5
Scholarship – Judi Misener
The Tillsonburg Horticultural Society was once again able to give a $750 scholarship to a deserving Glendale graduate.
This year’s recipient is Amanda Bremner who is currently studying environmental science at the University pf Guelph.
Volunteer Hours: 10
Senior Centre Gardens – Dena Luyt, Director and Diane Pozsgai
Early in the spring, the town of Tillsonburg spread black mulch on this garden. The mulch provided great benefits in keeping the moisture near the plants’ roots and slowing the growth of weeds.
In keeping with the colour of the year, purple and white petunias were planted by our volunteers. Also purple and white torenias were added on the north side of garden for colour.
The existing perennial flowers: daisies, spirea, coneflowers, lilies, hydrangea, tall grasses, hostas, tulips, daffodils, etc put on an ever changing, colourful display throughout the spring, summer & fall seasons. We heard many positive comments from the public as we tended to the gardens.
We watered the garden at least weekly in June. It was not necessary to water in July and August as we received a lot of rain regularly then!
The town of Tillsonburg staff removed the old Yew bushes and overgrown ivy at the garden near the Senior Centre entrance in July. We planted 3 Box Honeysuckle bushes, petunias and covered area with more black mulch. A great improvement showing for this garden.
Thank you to all volunteers who kept the garden looking great!
Volunteers: Sue Healey, Sandra Aspen, Cathy Crowe, Helena DeJong, Penny Esseltine, Dena Luyt and Diane Pozsgai.
Volunteer Hours: 70
Social Media / Facebook – Pat Zeyen, Director
In 2023, THS social media presence increased activity on two platforms, Facebook and Instagram.
Posts were created on our page at least once or twice a week. Facebook and Instagram posts included brief descriptions and photos of THS general meetings, Annual Spring Buying bus trip, 16th Annual Garden Auction, Junior Gardener Program, Community Gardens, Garden Artistry 2023 ~ Tour of Gardens, Annual August Social at BBQ’s Teapots & Birdhouse Gardens, THS 2023 “Bayfield Christmas Tour”, Annual Christmas Potluck, “It’s still just dirt” by Angela Lassam, articles of horticultural interest, THS member garden pictures and a few cartoons for laughs.
We have 300+ social media friends that follow us. We have a community awareness and encourage people to join our society through our social media accounts.
Volunteer Hours: 80
Speakers Program – Sue Healey, Director
Our 2023 General Meeting schedule was finally able to proceed as scheduled and what a great year we had.
Starting the year with John Lohuis who gave us insight into how communities can better integrate horticulture in urban landscape and his time spent Judging for Ontario Blooms. Following in February was Andrew Fleet of GrowingChefs! Ontario with an update on their inspiring program teaching a younger generation about where and how our food is grown.
March brought something new to the society meeting: The Panel of Knowledge. An interactive evening of questions from the members and answers from three of our past speakers; Cheryl Losch, Matt Fenn and Jim Mabee. It was a rousing success and a great way to spend a cold and damp March evening!
April brought more showers but with it, Brian Salt of Salthaven Wildlife Sanctuary. Brian gave us a summary of the important rescue work his organization does in and around the London area. He also brought along his “ambassador”, a beautiful falcon that he had rescued, returned, and was reunited with permanently.
May and June were all about plants. Shirley Koch brought dozens of hosta to choose from and Hilde Makkink showed us how to make an early June bouquet.
After a summer break from regular meetings, we came together in September to learn about shrubs from Ken Brown. And just in time, October’s speaker, Eli Mowat gave us an excellent presentation on tree pruning for health, and form. There was so much interest that a repeat engagement might be required.
And to end the season of regular meetings, I had the honour of introducing the members to my garden via slideshow. It was my first time presenting to the society and I am so very grateful to have had such a warm, attentive, and supportive audience.On behalf of the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society, I would like to thank all the guests we were so fortunate to have present to us. The knowledge we gained will benefit our society, our gardens, and our town. I look forward to a full and informative roster for 2024.
Volunteer Hours:
Station Arts Centre – Christine Nagy, President and Barb Hunter
The planters at Station Arts in the winter months 2022/2023 held up very well over the season. The changeover to spring was seamless and the planters also seemed to hold up over the season. The summer season started very poorly and continued along that line for most of the summer. Due to illness, poor weather, lack of attention and watering, the pots did not do well. Thank you to Garden Gate for placing the new fall planters in place.
Volunteer hours: 25
Sunshine and Greetings – Marie Smith, Director
A total of 25 cards were sent out in 2023. Eleven were Sympathy and 14 Get Well (thinking of you) cards.
Volunteer Hours: 9
Tours – Christine Nagy, President
Two tours were planned and executed for the 2023 calendar year. The Spring Buying tour was sold out which really is no surprise – it’s a very popular tour regardless of where we travel. The “Christmas In Bayfield” tour was almost sold out. There were a total of 100 passengers from both trips. A big thank you to all members who supported these Society excursions. While very social, these tours always included a horticultural component, whether purchasing spring plants or becoming inspired with the creative holiday talents of gardeners and professional designers. These trips provided, once again, an opportunity for members to meet other members, gaining new friends in the process.
May 18, 2023 – Spring Buying Tour, Canfield and Caledonia Areas
November 18, 2023 – “Christmas In Bayfield”, Bayfield and Area
Volunteer Hours: 45 Hours
TurtleFest – Jean Martin and Jackie Oliver, Directors
TurtleFest was held June 17, 2023. The Horticultural Society table at the community wide TurtleFest featured a pin the tail on the turtle and name that plant activities. Coloring books and books on birds, butterflies and bees were given as prizes for this family friendly event. Promotional materials for the Horticultural Society were displayed and given out.
Volunteers: Jill Wareing, Hanna Hopper, Betty Ann Mullholland, Jean Martin and Jackie Oliver
Volunteer Hours: 21
Volunteer Awards – Marian Smith, Director
Volunteers make the world go ‘round. Tillsonburg Horticultural Society is extremely grateful to all their volunteers who accomplish so much. Certificates of Appreciation have been given to the following volunteers and their names were submitted to the Province of Ontario for the Ontario Volunteer Awards. Recipients of appreciation certifications for 2023 –
Annie Lesage – 5 years
Margaret McCrimmon – 5 years
Angela Lassam – 10 years
Jean Mann – 15 years
Judi Misener – 25 years
Congratulations, we appreciate you!