Volume 20 Issue 3 Aug/Sept/Oct 2018

BHS meets the 4th Wednesday of

the month at 7:30 p.m. at the

Brooklin United Church; except

January, July and December. The

November meeting is at St. Thomas

Anglican Church.

Visit us on the web at:

www.brooklinhorticulturalsociety.com

Follow us on facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bhs1921/

Aug 22 Meeting 1

BHS Garden Visit 1

President’s Message 2

BHS Meetings 3

OHA AGM 4

BHS Garden Tours 4

Garden Day Tripping 5

Upcycled Garden Art 6

BHS Plant Sale and WIB 7

BHS Events 8

Show Tips 8

Inside this issue:

“Creating a Low Maintenance Garden” Joanne Shaw

Wednesday August 22, 2017 - 7:30 PM

Our Aug 22 guest speaker is Joanne Shaw, owner of

Down2Earth Landscape Design. Joanne graduated from

Ryerson University with a certificate in Landscape Design and

has had 15 years of experience designing gardens in Durham

Region, plus a decade working in landscaping and related

businesses.

She hosts Down the Garden Path, an internet radio garden-

ing show at www.realityradio101.com. Each week she offers

down-to-earth practical advice for homeowners; discussing all things plants, garden, and

landscape design. She also offers a newsletter that helps you maintain your garden on a regu-

lar basis. Joanne is passionate about creating gardens for real people with busy lives as well

as teaching you how to create a low maintenance garden or to change an existing one to be

seasonal, beautiful and most importantly, as low maintenance as possible.

Join us this evening to learn the tips and tricks to easily manage your garden. Don‟t forget to

lug-a-mug for coffee or tea while you enjoy some treats too.

Wow! The rains finally arrived. Everything is coming up green and the flowers are popping in

The Brooklin Horticultural Garden. The crew is busy weeding and planting in anticipation of

the BHS Member Garden visits on Saturday August 18 from 1PM until 3PM. We

hope you'll come see our new look and what we have been up to every Tuesday evening and

Wednesday morning since the beginning of May. Refreshments will be served too.

Feedback from the regular park users has been positive....lots of questions and encourage-

ment to carry on. And now it's your turn. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the weather

goddesses will cooperate and continue to provide the necessary elements that keep our gar-

den looking its best.

Faye Collins

A Walk In Our Garden

Brooklin Horticultural

Society Newsletter

Clockwise from left: Cup

Plant (Silphium Perfolia-

tum), thriving now that

the rains have come; An

elegant pink beauty from

We're in The Hayfield

Now - just one of many

to be found in our gar-

den; Joe Pyeweed, nectar

and pollen rich native;

Cleome Sparkler putting

on a show - one of many

beautiful annuals in one

of the newly renovated

beds.

PAGE 2 BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3

Thanks to your generous donations of healthy & sweet food

items we have been successful in offering our BHS members

and visitors a refreshing social time before our meetings.

Thank you for dropping your loonies and toonies in the

donation box provided. Your cash donations raised at our

hospitality table help to cover expenses for coffee, tea, paper

products, milk, cream etc.

Did you know that there is a sheet available at the hospitality

table where you can sign up to bring a food item for one of

our meetings? Please consider this opportunity for the

pleasure of everyone attending. At the September meeting a

sheet will be available to sign up to bring a pie (any kind) for

our October meeting. If you will not be attending this meeting

and would like to donate a pie (homemade or store bought)

please speak with me at the hospitality table.

Thank you for your cooperation in not removing food items

from the hospitality area and only taking liquids in sealed

containers into the sanctuary.

I commend you on your “Lug a Mug” efforts. There has been

a big improvement this year, however we can still do a little

bit better. When our Styrofoam cup inventory has been

depleted we will be introducing a more environmentally

friendly hot beverage cup which costs more, so please, please,

please “Lug a Mug”.

Thanks again for your continued involvement in making our

hospitality table the “healthy & sweet stop” before our

meetings.

Audrey Atkinson, Chair of Hospitality

Rowena Burns Monique Debrouwer

Isabel Hart Eva Nichta

If you have a neighbour, friend or relative interested in gardening,

bring them to a meeting. For questions, comments or suggestions,

contact Membership Convenor, Eric Tuinman at 905-431-0594.

FROM THE HOSPITALITY TABLE

It is mid-summer and I am cur-

rently facing challenges in my

garden. The dryness so far has

me scampering around watering

all the new plants I put in this

spring, some of which I have al-

ready lost. We started work on

transforming a vegetable patch to

a cottage garden – my husband‟s

suggestion. While I at first had

great thoughts of grandeur, I realize I will probably have to

scale it back a little (well…maybe a lot!) First, the realization

that I can‟t buy all the plants at once – a very expensive pro-

spect as I found out after visits to several garden centres. (It‟s

like an addiction… must have that plant, and that one…well,

you get the picture!) Second, while the plants I have look great

to me, they also look quite tasty to the rabbits. I now get to sit

in my gazebo and look at the lovely silver-coloured mesh that

surrounds said garden. I am beginning to think that perhaps this

was a mistake. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound as they say.

And, I can tell you, the next time my husband says, “let‟s put in

another garden”, I can‟t be responsible for the aftermath.

Members had the

opportunity to

visit the gardens

of Sherry Howard

and Helen Read

on Sunday June 24

and, despite the

rain, we had a

pretty good turn-

out. (We garden-

ers are a hardy lot!) I think everyone enjoyed themselves and

more than a few of us came away with great ideas. Our next

visit took place on Saturday, July 14 at the gardens of Brian

McLatchie and Dianne Stackhouse. It was wonderful touring

around this beautiful garden and enjoying all the features that

make it so special. Thank you to Sherry, Helen, Brian and Di-

anne for offering their gardens for the visits. I know everyone

had a great time. Our next visit will be on Saturday August 18

at the BHS Garden in Brooklin. You can see the great work

done by Faye and her team and enjoy a few refreshments too.

Leslie

THE PRESIDENT‟S MESSAGE

The garden is at its summertime peak. The daylilies have been

blooming non-stop for the past while and the cheery

echinacea has also been in constant bloom for the last few

weeks. Our annuals, however, struggled through the long dry

spell, with the petunias suffering the most. In all, the gardens

remain a beautiful place to visit and spend time volunteering.

Speaking of volunteers, my thanks to Leslie, Eileen, Barb

Panowyk, Mary Thompson, Mary Xiugegao and Paul Cloutier

for their help. Kathy Allam

Welcome New Members!

Congratulations To Our Spring Draw Winners

Jan Vallance, winner of the trellis/planter combo

Sharon Robinson, winner of the Inuksuk

Park of Reflection

View of Helen Read’s gardens

Upcoming BHS Meetings & Events

BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3

PAGE 3

Wednesday

Aug 22

THE ANNUALS SHOW

Guest Speaker: Joanne Shaw

Topic: Creating a Low Maintenance Garden

Wednesday

Sept 26

The AUTUMN SHOW

Guest Speaker: Darren Heinbacker

Topic: Small Trees for Small Gardens

Wednesday

Oct 24

Pumpkins, Pies and Pictures

Guest Speaker: Sean James

Topic: It Doesn‟t End in August

Wednesday

Nov 28

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & SOCIAL

Dessert, Entertainment, Awards, Elections

6:30pm at St. Thomas Anglican Church, 101 Winchester East

Lisa Ruck, BHS board director

Lisa has been a member of BHS for

the past 3 years. This year, she has

taken on the publicity coordinator

role and joined the Board of Direc-

tors in April.

Lisa has lived in Brooklin for the past

13 years with her husband Chris, and

two children, Lillian and Cameron.

They share their home with their dog Riley, cat Marty and TJ

the quaker parrot.

Since 2011, Lisa has operated her graphic design business,

Serendipity Graphic Design, from her home studio. A passion-

ate gardener, Lisa enjoys bringing the world of design into her

garden with special creative touches including fairy gardens,

succulent arrangements, signs, and pillows. It is difficult to pick

a favourite plant in the garden, however, Lisa enjoys hydran-

geas with over 5 different varieties planted throughout the

garden. Some of her other faviourite plants include succu-

lents, hostas, Japanese Anemone, gooseneck loosestrife, dahl-

ias, and clematis, to name a few!

MEET SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS

On Sept 26 BHS presents

“Small Trees for Small

G a r d e n s ” b y D a r r e n

Heinbacker. Darren opened

Whistling Gardens, the 20 acre

botanical garden in Wilsonville,

ON, in 2012. It features classical

garden styles, some of which are

inspired by old Renaissance gardens of Europe, including the

Palace of Versailles. His conifer collection is one of the largest

in the world with approximately 2300 different species and

cultivars. Other features include a rock/alpine garden of almost

1 acre, perennial and informal gardens, North America‟s

largest public peony collection and Canada‟s only all stone

computerized fountain amphitheater with 112 fountain

nozzles. Whistling Gardens won the Canada 150 Canadian

Garden and Tourism award in 2017.

On Oct 24, BHS presents “It Doesn‟t End in August” by

Sean James. Named by Garden Making magazine as one of

“20 Making a Difference”,

gardening has been Sean

James‟ hobby and profession

for over 30 years. A graduate

of Niagara Parks School of

Horticulture, a Master

Gardener, a public speaker,

writer, and teacher; Sean focuses on eco-gardening

techniques, which makes sense since he grew up surrounded

by nature near Crawford Lake. He sits on several

environmental committees and has appeared on several

television and radio shows. Sean ran Fern Ridge Landscaping &

Eco-consulting for over 20 years, recently handing it over to

his leadership team. He now owns „Sean James Consulting &

Design‟, focusing on teaching, speaking, writing, designing and

consulting.” This evening Sean will talk about how we can

extend interest in our gardens from September to December

and beyond. He will be breaking down the belief that the

spring garden is the climax, and the rest of the year is the

denouement.

Upcoming BHS Speakers

Everblooming

glass flowers in

Barb Panowyk

(top) and Audrey

Atkinson’s

(bottom)

gardens.

Learn about

making these all

-season

blooming flowers

on page 6.

BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3PAGE 4

In June and July BHS members had the opportunity to “tour” (nose around) in three members‟ gardens. WHAT AN

OPPORTUNITY!!!!!! I was only able to get to two of the gardens, and unfortunately did not get to Helen Read‟s garden since the

rain started (and I was afraid I would melt - as if)!

Sherry Howard‟s was the first visit for me, in late June. Wow, nice tidy gardens,

precisely edged, great variety of hostas, lots of other interesting plants and not a

weed to be seen. I think there must be a small army of weeders and tidiers hiding

in the back woods. And although he denies it, husband Keith was looking a little

tired and very relieved that the tour had finally come about. Sherry was at her

best as the questions came flying from the visitors as to the names of the various

plants and growing requirements.

Brian and Diane‟s huge property was a couple of weeks later. Now I was

exploring a part of the Port Perry

area I have never visited. And like

they say, “it‟s worth the drive to

Acton” (well really Port Perry). The

scale is huge compared to the

suburban lot that I toil in. And

again, the weeds were significantly

absent. I asked Diane how she and

Brian managed it. “We have a lady

who comes by twice a week for a few hours to weed and tidy”. I think she must be

a prize. I got tired just thinking about it. The varieties of daylilies were fantastic, the

hostas were huge, and beautiful stands of trees, many of which Brian and Diane

planted years ago. There are art pieces in the gardens, a monstrous pond with its

own rowboat, nice shaded paths and lots of mulching in the gardens. Aha, I guess

that helps with the weeds and the watering after all. These tours are a great

adventure and if you haven‟t been to one, make sure you get out to the next one.

Who knows, you may be inspired to offer your garden for the tour in the coming

seasons. Brian Gower

Garden Touring with Brian

Scenes from Diane and Brian’s gardens.

Scenes from Sherry’s gardens.

The 112th OHA convention, hosted by District 3, was held Jul 27-29 in Kingston. Its theme „From Shore to Shield‟ reflected the

garden diversity of the area. Thank you to Debi Foster for taking time to provide the following summary of the weekend.

The OHA AGM “From Shore to Shield” was a lot of fun. Along with the business portion of the convention, there were

excellent speakers, (Carson Arthur gave an interesting talk on “Understanding and Embracing the New Gardeners”.), interesting

garden tours, a huge silent auction, a vendor‟s market, the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones, and an

amazing night of “rocking” a la 60‟s and 70‟s which included amazing fashions with love beads and (of course) flowers in our hair!

From a business standpoint, many resolutions were passed:

the position of 2nd Vice Director was re-established and filled by Joanne Rachfalowski.

The OHA will purchase Abuse Liability insurance as part of their coverage which will be passed on annually to each Society/

Club. In 2019 the cost will be $25 per club with a limit of $100,000 per incident.

the new OHA website is almost ready - a preview of some of the pages indicates it will be very user friendly.

there is a new Awards and Grants book (yellow cover) with more grants available focussing on pollinator gardens,

community gardens, tree plantings and special projects.

the new Ontario Judging and Exhibiting Standards (OJES) will be distributed at the fall Presidents‟ meeting. A survey will be

sent out in August asking clubs how many copies they will need.

Congratulations to BHS members who worked on and contributed to the various publications submitted to the OHA

Publications Competitions. BHS publications earned the following awards:

Yearbook - first prize Bookmark - first prize Promotional partnership - first prize

Special event poster - third prize Newsletter - third prize

OHA AGM „From Shore to Shield‟

Garden Day Tripping Brings Scope to the Imagination

BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3PAGE 5

The busyness of life in recent years has forced my gardens to shrink to the size of postage stamps. To quote a red-headed Canadi-

an icon, there is not much “scope for the imagination” in my few square feet. So this spring I headed out on the highways and by-

ways in search of garden delights.

We are fortunate in Ontario to have a rich variety of spectacular sights that await any intrepid day-tripper with a full tank of gas

or a couple of TTC tokens. Planning is the key to a successful and enjoyable garden day trip. Before heading out, do your re-

search. Online sites will help you pinpoint the days when blooms are at their peak and what time of day will be least crowded.

Here are some of the places I visited and recommend as day-tripping destinations:

Cherry Blossom Festival - Takes place in Toronto‟s High Park in early May. Great place to stroll

amidst the Sakura cherry trees, which were a gift to Canada from Japan for our support of Japanese

refugees after World War II. The festival attracts thousands of tourists and locals each year. Check out

this site to plan your trip, as the peak bloom time is only 4-10 days, depending on the weather condi-

tions: http://www.sakurainhighpark.com/

Ottawa Tulip Festival - The festival takes place in May and features over a million tulips in 100 varie-

ties planted across Canada‟s capital city. Each year the royal Dutch family of the Netherlands sends

Canada 10,000 bulbs as a reminder of the crucial role Canada played in the liberation of the Dutch peo-

ple during WWII. The one-kilometre Commissioner‟s Park/Dow‟s Lake site offered the opportunity to

see the most tulips in a single location. The official site of the festival is: https://tulipfestival.ca/

Peony Festival - The Peony Festival takes place in June at the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens. This year, more than 300 varie-

ties of peonies were on display in the gardens, as well as an indoor juried show of cut peonies. The Matsuyama Bonsai Society also

had a display of bonsai trees. Rounding out the experience were a variety of artisans, sculptors and painters selling garden-inspired

works of art. For a small space, this festival packs a big punch. To plan your trip to next year‟s festival check out: https://

www.oshawa.ca/things-to-do/peony-festival.asp

Whistling Gardens - Whistling Gardens is located in Wilsonville, Ontario, just south of Brantford.

Established just six years ago, it boasts over 1,000 varieties of peonies, North America‟s largest public

peony collection. Their conifer collection features 2,500 specimens. Visitors can stroll through both

formal and informal gardens, and enjoy the amphitheatre which features dancing fountains set to mu-

sic. It is well worth the $13.75 admission. To plan your visit: www.whistlinggardens.ca/

Laveanne Lavender Fields - Laveanne is located in Campbellcroft, a short distance north of Port

Hope. In addition to the gorgeous lavender fields, Laveanne offers yoga

classes for $20. The farm also has a lavender meditation labryrinth, a gift

shop, and pop-up open air bistro in July. There is no charge for admission

to the farm. You will want to visit in July during peak bloom so start your

planning at: laveanne.ca/

Two of the day trips still on my travel itinerary before this season is finished are:

Mosaiculture Gatineau 2018 - Located in Gatineau Quebec, just across the bridge from Ottawa. It

was a Canada 150 project created by Mosaiculture and brought back this year with new sculptures. It

features 45 spectacular sculptures designed from 5.5 million plants from 210 species. $20 admission.

http://mosaiculture.ca/

If you like to shop and browse unique garden boutiques and specialty growers, you may be interested in

the Peterborough and Area Garden Route, a self-guided tour of seven nursery and green houses.

You can get information on each of the businesses at: http://gardenroute.ca/

There is not enough space in one article to do justice to all the amazing gardens that can be visited here in Ontario. Our growing

season is just a few short months, so I suggest you choose a particularly icy day in winter to huddle indoors and plan your spring

and summer garden day trips. To be sure, you will discover enough scope for the imagination to satisfy your inner Anne!

Mary Douglas-Kadey

Cherry blossoms, High Park

Whistling Gardens

Laveanne Lavender field

BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3

As I toured various gardens and craft shows this summer I kept an eye out for awe -

inspiring garden art. I was not disappointed as creativity knows no bounds. Of

particular interest was upcycled garden art which is very popular and environmentally

appealing. Upcycling is transforming old and unwanted items into something useful or

creative. One particular project I wanted to try this summer was to upcycle ceramic

and glass dishware into beautiful flower garden stakes. So, on a hot sunny July

afternoon, I along with some BHS friends enjoyed a fun afternoon in Irma Dus‟ garden,

learning the art of dishware flower making. Half the fun of this project is scouring

garage sales and thrift stores for unique pieces of dishware. Remember, one person‟s

trash is another‟s treasure. Below are instructions for making your own flowers.

Sherry Howard

Ceramic and Glass Dishware Flowers

Materials Required:

1. silicone – preferably dries clear and must be for outdoor use. For example, the

GE All Purpose Silicone is 100% weatherproof (freeze-proof and sun-proof).

2. caulking gun

3. your choice of ceramic or glass bowls, glasses, dishes, etc.

4. Pie server or a bbq spatula with a stiff piece of metal plus tubing which server or bbq spatula handle can be inserted into - optional

Instructions:

1. Decide the order in which the dishware will be siliconed. Two to four pieces are

recommended. Too many layers may result in a flower that is too heavy to

support on a stake. Alternatively, a larger flower can be displayed at ground level.

2. Place the first or base dish on a flat working surface. Using a caulking gun, spread

silicone on the bottom of the next piece and place it on top of the base dish. Silicone the remaining layers to create a flower.

3. Allow the silicone to dry - typically 24 hr. Confirm drying instructions on the tube of silicone.

4. To create a garden stake, Irma recommends „siliconing‟ the flat metal of a pie server or a bbq spatula to the back of the base

dish. Cut a piece of metal tubing to the desired height. After the silicone has dried, the handle of the pie server or bbq

spatula can then be inserted into the tubing which can then be inserted into the ground. Alternatively, display the flower on a

large plate stand which can be placed at ground level or on any other flat surface.

BEAUTIFUL UPCYCLED GARDEN ART

PAGE 6

Warning - this activity is fun and ….. addictive!!

While at Irma‟s she showed us a pop can flower. I decided that the perfect place and time for this activity would be at the cot-

tage on the August long weekend. To my delight the guests brought a panoply of canned libations which supplied me with an

assortment of colours and sizes of cans to choose from. Below is a brief description of the method I used to create my flowers,

‟Nestle Lemon Lime‟ and ‟Somersby Apple‟. You will also find many other ways via Google. Enjoy your new garden cultivar.

Pop or Beer Can Flowers

Cut off the top of rinsed can with metal

snips or scissors. Mix and match

different coloured and sized cans.

Warning: handle the cut cans with

care as the metal edges may be sharp

Cut cans into strips toward its base.

Strips can be cut with a straight or wavy

edge. Curl strip by pulling strip between

thumb and finger. Layer several cans by

pushing the bases one into the other.

Drill a hole through the centre of them.

Cut a 12 inch piece of craft wire

(preferably stainless) and thread through

the bases. At the top of the flower, loop

the wire to stop it from pulling through

the bases then wrap the remaining length

of wire tightly around a bamboo stick.

PAGE 7 BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3

The Whitby In Bloom garden tour was held on Saturday July 21. What a wonderful day it was. We were blessed with great

weather and amazing volunteers. We can not thank you enough. Almost half our volunteers came from the Brooklin

Horticultural Society. Our homeowners put their heart and soul into preparation. It has been a very hot and dry period with

much watering, weeding and bent backs. Visitors were in the gardens before the official start of 10 am and still visiting after the 4

pm close. Garden visits totalled 5,431. Monetary donations have not been announced but the food donated was the highest to

date at over 1,400 pounds!

The garden search begins now for 2019. Please consider your garden or those of friends and neighbours. Give me a call or send

an email.

Again, many thanks.

Jane Austin, on behalf of the WIB committee

Whitby In Bloom Garden Tour

Gardens from 2018 WIB Garden

This past May, BHS held our annual plant sale and, despite the uncertain start to the spring, we did have plants available for the

members and public. It was a great sale with the club netting approximately $1,000. We expanded our vendor base, much to the

delight of the attendees. A special thank you to all those who volunteered to help at the sale and to the members who gener-

ously donated plants. Without your contributions, the plant sale just wouldn‟t happen. Leslie Tate, Kathy Allam, Denise Carter

BHS PLANT SALE

PAGE 8 BROOKLIN HORTICULTURAL VOLUME 20 I SSUE 3

About the BHS Newsletter

This newsletter is published quarterly - February, May,

August and October. All photos courtesy of BHS

members. You are invited to submit articles, questions

and comments about the newsletter to the Editors:

Leslie Tate at 905-665-0486, ltate@rogers.com ,

Barb Panowyk at 905-430-2939,

bpanowyk@rogers.com,

Sherry Howard at 905-668-7640,

howard21@rogers.com

Once again, BHS participated in the “Here We Grow” program organized by the Optimist Club. Children were able to come

and pot up some tomato plants and herbs, and generally enjoy getting their hands dirty. We had a lot of volunteers on hand to

help out, and the volunteers enjoyed the event as much as the kids.

Two of our biggest shows of the season are coming up; the

Annuals Show on Aug 23 and the Autumn Show on Sept 26.

There are lots of opportunities to show us what‟s in your

garden or to practice your design skills. Here are some tips

that you may consider for preparing your entries:

1. In showing daylilies, you do not need to include

foliage.

2. In showing dahlia blooms don‟t forget to include

foliage. The foliage does not have to be attached to the

bloom stem.

3. Where only one bloom is required, consider removal of

additional side buds, (eg., as in roses, dahlias) as any bud

that shows colour is considered to be a bloom.

4. To condition dahlias, roses and rudbeckia, place the stem

ends in 5 cm of boiling water for a minute or two before

placing in cold water.

5. Groom, groom, groom.

6. Measure those pick and plunks in all directions.

Show Tips

NEW BHS PHOTO CLASS IN OCT SHOW!!!! There will be a new photo class in the October Pumpkins, Pies and Pictures show where the winning photo of a bloom(s) will

make the perfect cover of the yearbook in the following year. See the yearbook for more info. Start going through your photos

or get your camera out and start taking pictures.

Brooklin Horticultural Society Garden. Join our garden work

crews even if it‟s just for an evening/morning or two throughout the

season. We‟ll meet weekly on Tuesdays from 6:00pm to dusk and

Wednesday mornings. Please contact Faye Collins, 905-655-9695

madgardener23@hotmail.com.

Wounded Warriors Park of Reflection. We meet Monday

mornings at 8:00am. If you would like to help, please contact Kathy

Allam at 905-430-7213, kathyallam@hotmail.ca.

The cheerful bright colours of pansies are always a sign that

spring has finally arrived. In May we participated in our yearly

event with the residents at The Court in Brooklin. We had a

great time helping them plant pots of colourful pansies which

they were able to put out on their balconies to enjoy. It was

a fun time and the residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves

(and so too the volunteers).

Pansy Potting

“Here We Grow”

Join Us In The Gardens