SHS February 2020 Newsletter FINAL · Propagate plants in wall vases. Arrange wall planters in your kitchen for growing herbs or microgreens. Build a planter wall on your fence and

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Streetsville Blooms Streetsville Horticultural Society

Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February2020

NEXTMEETING:February11,2020

StreetsvilleUnitedChurch

274QueenStreetSouth

Doorsopen6:45p.m.Meetingstarts7:30p.m.

ThePresidentsMessage

A winter delight is watching birds gather at the gardenfeeders.Although still in the depths of winter, throatfeathers of the yellow finches at my feeder are becomingmoregolden,asuresignofwarmerweather!Cardinalsandjuncospickuptheseedremnantsoffthegroundandtheoddblue jay joins in. A friend has a squirrel proof (baffleprotected) platform feeder in heryardwhich she stockswithpeanuts;thebluejayscallouttoletherknowwhen the nuts are gone, and theywantarefill!

Bird feeders are a great way toobservebirdbehavioursandprovide

excellentnaturephotoopportunities.OurFebruaryspeaker,DaveTaylor,willgiveusinsightintohowtocreateoptimalbirdphotographs.

PerhapsthiswillinspiresomeofourmemberstoenterourMarchPhotoContest.Categoriesandrulesarelistedbelow.Ó JanetShaw,Co-President

IndexPresident’sMessage 1

PhotoContest 2

SpeakeroftheMonth 2

VolunteersNeededPlantPortraitGardeningTrendsWinterJobs

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GardeningTrends 7

UpcomingEvents 10SHSFundraiser 10

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MarchMeetingPhotoContest

WewillbeholdingourthirdannualmemberjudgedphotocontestattheMarchmeeting.Thetopicis“FavouriteFlowerPhoto”.Therewillbe2categories,colour;andblackandwhite.TheRulesare:

• Thephotosmusthavebeentakenbythepersonenteringthephotos.• Youmayenteramaximumof2,4X6picturespercategory.Thereisnotimerestrictionasto

whenthephotosweretaken• TheymaynothavebeenenteredinanypreviousSHSorOHAphotocontests• Putyournameonthebackofyourphotos• Pleasesubmityourphotosbefore7.15pm

Speakerofthemonth"BirdsandBlooms;PhotographingBirdsNearandFar"

Dave Taylor is a wildlife photographer and the author of more than 40 books and several magazinearticlesonwildlifeandecology.Asahighlyregardedwildlifephotographer,Davealsofocuseshiseffortsonproducingeducationalvideosandmaterialaboutwildlifeforschoolcurriculums.Davehastravelledthroughouttheworldcapturingnaturewithhiscamera.HefrequentlyvisitsTanzaniawhere he guides wildlife safaris and wherehis Tanzanian drivers have given him the nickname "TheProfessor".After teaching science and geography for more than 30 years and teaching nature photography andwriting formore than25years,Dave is currently theEducationalProgramDirector/Consultant for TheRiverwood Conservancy, a non-profit group that provides for all ages at Riverwood in Mississauga,Ontario,Canada.Inthepast,hehasworkedwithTheWildBirdClinic(ProjectEyes)andhasmetwithavarietyoforganizationsonoutdooreducationprogrammingandwildlifeissues.

Heisalsoanavidpublicspeakerwhofrequentlyspeakstolocalnaturalistclubsandotherorganizationsthathaveakeeninterestfornature.

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VOLUNTEEROPPORTUNITY

FlowerShowVolunteersNeeded

ThoseofyouwhoattendedtheAGMwillrecallthatAnitaandAlexKinghavevolunteeredtorunthe4annualflowersshowsfor2020.

Flowershowjudgingstartsat7:15pmandasaruleisfinishedbeforespeakerspresentat8pm,soyouwillnotbemissingthespeaker'spresentations.

Itwouldbemosthelpfuliftheyhadacoupleofclerkstohelpwiththesetup,takedown,andassistanceduringjudging.Clerkingisagreatwaytolearnmoreaboutflowershowrequirements,andmuchcanbelearnedfromjudge'scomments.Iknowwehaveseveralmembersnewtoparticipatinginflowershows;thiswouldbeagreatopportunitytolearnmoreandbeinvolvedinyoursociety.

PleaseseeJanetShawformoreinformation.PlantSaleWantsandWishes

Yes,it’searly,wehaveafavourtoask.Asmanyofyouknowifwecangetthem,weusecutupoldvenetianblindsforourplantlabels.Bothplasticandmetalareokay.

Ifyoufindsomethingliketheblindinthispictureonthesideoftheroad,orhidinginyourbasementorgaragewewillbereallythrilledtohavethem!

Ó ThanksMonicaandCarol

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PLANTPORTRAIT:IRIS

Beardedirisesareoneofthemostlovedgardenplants;theyareavailableinanincrediblerangeofcolours,insizesrangingfrom20cmtomorethan100cm.

Irisesarehardy,reliable,easytogrow,deer-resistantanddrought-tolerant.Theyalsoattractbutterflies,hummingbirdsandmakelovelycutflowerbouquets.

TheyarecompletelyhardyinsouthernOntario.Theyrequirewell-drainedsoilandasunnylocation(6-7hoursplusofdirectsunlightperday).Diseaseiscommoninshadedlocationsorwhenthesoilispoorlydrainedandremainsdamp.

Howtoplant-beardedirisesgrowfromrhizomes,abulblikestructurethatlookslikeastrangecarrot.Eachsectionwillonlybloomonce,anewsectiongrowsfromtheendofthepreviouspart.Astimegoeson,thecentreoftheclumpwillhavenofloweringstalks.Theoldrhizomesmustberemoved.

Whentodivideirises-Overcrowdedrhizomeslikethoseinthepicturebelowproducefewerflowers,everythreetofiveyears,itisnecessarytodividebyremovingandreplantingthesmallrhizomes.Diseaseisalsomorelikelybecausethecrowdedrhizomesrestrictdrainage.

Thebesttimetotransplantirisisinthesummer,aftertheirishavefinishedblooming.Theycanbedividedinthespring;thisworksbetterwithlargeovergrownclumpsbecausethereislessplantmaterialtodigup.Howtodivideirises-lifttheclumpoutofthegroundwithaspadeorfork.Ifpossible,liftthewholemassoutwhole,butifyoucan'tdothis,carefullybreaktheclumpintosmallerpartsandthenliftthemout.

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Shaketheclumptoremoveanyloosesoil.Usingyourhandsorahandforksplittheclumpintomanageablepieces.Agoodrhizomewillbeaboutasthickasyourthumb,havehealthyroots,andhaveoneortwoleaffans.Large,oldrhizomesthathavenoleaffanscanbediscarded.

Checkallofthedividedirisrhizomesforirisborersanddisease.Theirisrhizomesshouldbefirmandnotsoft.Removeanydiseased,black,dry,mushyorhollowrhizomesanddiscardinthetrash.Youcanuseaserratedbreadknifetocutsmallerportionsofrhizome4to6incheslong.

Ifanyrhizomesarediseased,washyourcuttingtoolwithdilutebleachorrubbingalcoholafterremovingthediseasedparts-picturesbelow.

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Detachthenewyoungrhizomesfromtheclumpandneatlytrimofftheirends.Trimanylongrootsbyone-third,cutthelongleavestoabout6inchesinlength.Thenreplanttherhizomesabout6inchesapart.Thisworksbestwhentherhizomesarereplantedthesameday.

Winter:JobstoDobyPaulZammitoftheTorontoBotanicalGardens1. Evaluatetheplacement,formandframeworkofevergreens,treesandshrubs,ornamentsandstructures.

Makenotesforchangesandadditions.

2. Carefullytietwinetodamagedorcrossingtreeandshrubbranches.Usetheseflagstopruneouttheselectedlimbsduringtheappropriateseason.

3. Catchupongardeningliteratureandreviewseedcatalogues.

4. Startanindoorvermiculturebintoproducecompostallwinter.

5. Afterawetsnowfall,checkevergreens,especiallythosearoundthehousethatmaybeaffectedbysnowslidingofftheroof,andgentlybrushheavysnowsfrombranches.

6. Stockuponseed-startingsupplies;cleanplantstands;createacalendarofwhentostartseeds.

7. Cleangardentoolsthatweremissedattheendoffall.

8. Monitorindoorplantsforinsectsanddisease.

9. Topupbirdfeedersregularly.

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GARDENINGTRENDS2020

1.GardeningVertically

Oneofthebestandeasiestwaystoaddgreentoasmallspaceisthroughverticalgardening.MountastaghornfernandhangitasafocalpointPropagateplantsinwallvases.Arrangewallplantersinyourkitchenforgrowingherbsormicrogreens.Buildaplanterwallonyourfenceandcreateyourownverticaljunglewithalivingwallkit.Elevateplantersonyourporchorbalconyandfillafewwallplanterswithtrailingplantsforawaterfallofgreenery.

2.TurningtoTechforHouseplantHelp

Ifyourindoorspacedoesn’tgetenoughlight,tryaddingsomegrowlights.Todecideifyourlightisenough?There’sanappforthat!WiththePlantLightMeter,simplypointyourphonecameratowardsthelightsourcetoseehowmuchlightisavailable.Ifyouneedhelprememberingtowater(you’renottheonlyone!),giveself-wateringpotsatry.

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Proud to be a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association Volume27,Issue5 www.streetsvillehort.ca February20203.CompostingforaMoreSustainableGardenThoughsustainablegardeningisn’tnew,wearehappytoseethatit’samovementthatcontinuestogaintraction.Overthelastfewyearswe’veseengardenersswitchingtonaturalmethodsofpestcontrolandtakingstepstosupportlocalpollinators.Onemorewaytogardensustainablyisthroughcomposting.4.AddingWaterforYourselfandtheBirds“Thepresenceandsoundofwaterinthegardenissparkly,restorative,refreshing,andrelaxing”.Moreandmoregardenersareturningtheirgardensintoretreatsforrelaxation,andincludingafountainispartoftheplan.Ifafountainisn’tyourthing,consideraddingabirdbath.Birdsneedcleanwatertobatheanddrink,soplacingabirdbathinyourgardenandcleaningthewaterregularlywillmakeahugedifferenceforbirdsinyourarea.5.KeepingitLowMaintenanceYoucanenhancethebeautyandecologyofyourlandbychoosingtoplantnativetrees,plants,shrubsandgrass(plantsthatoccurnaturallywithinaspecificregion)onyourproperty.Thesespeciesrequirelessmaintenance,increasebiodiversity,providefoodandshelterforlocalwildlifeandspeciesatrisk,preventerosionandarewelladaptedtolocalsoilconditionssorequirelessmaintenance.Examples:Black-eyedSusan(RudbeckiaHirta),foxglovebeardtongue(penstemondigitalis),Heart-leafFoamflower,(Tiarellacordifolia),Foracompleteselectionofnativeplants:https://cvc.ca/your-land-water/countryside-stewardship/stewardship-resource-centre/home-and-garden/selecting-native-plants/(copy/pastetheaddressintoyourbrowserifthelinkdoesn’ttakeyouthere)

6.IncludingPlantsthatPerformDoubleDutyScent.There’snothingquitelikewalkingthroughabeautifulgardenandencounteringplantswithdelightfulfragrance—it’satreatforthesenses.Food.blueberries,dewberries,thornlessblackberries,andraspberries.—easyaccesstodeliciousfruit!“Theseshrubsarefairlycarefreeandgreatfuntogrow,Coolingeffects.Doyouhaveasouth-facingroominyourhousethatgetsunbearablyhot?Plantscanhelp!Byinstallinganexpandabletrellisonthewalldirectlyoutsideoftheroomandplantingaquick-growingvinesuchaspassionfloweratitsbase,theplantwilleventuallyblockthesunfromheatingthewall.Mosquitorepellentplants,planttheminorneartheplaceswhereyouspendthemosttime.

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8.BringingtheFoodieExperience

Growingyourownfoodiscontinuingtoincreaseinpopularityaspeoplebecomemoreconcernedthaneverwithwhattheyeatandhowit'sgrown.Andit’snosecretthatthebestwaytobesureyouaregettingtop-qualityproduceistogrowityourself.

It'sexcitingtoseevegetablegardeningmergewiththeoutdoorentertainingtrend:Hoststakedinnerguestsouttothegardentopickfreshingredientsandthenmakeamealtogether.Itcanbeassimpleassprinklingfreshbasilandotherveggiesontopofapizzabeforebarbequingitorpickingsomefreshsprigsofmintforamojito.

9.ImmersingYourselfinBeauty

Moreandmorepeoplearerealizingtherestorativeeffectsofbeinginnature(infact,didyouknowthatsomedoctorsareprescribingtimeoutdoorstotheirpatientsaswaytohelpwithchronicdiseaseandincreasehealthandhappiness?).Takingatriptoabotanicalgardenorarboretumisagreatwaytoimmerseyourselfinthebeautyofplantsandtakeatimeoutfromthestressesoftherealworld.Plus,whenyouvisitlocalgardens,you’llgetlotsofgreatideasforplantstoaddtoyourowngarden.Ifyou’relookingforagarden,visittheRoyalBotanicalGardenhaslotstosee.

Source:https://www.gardendesign.com/trends/2020.html

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UPCOMINGEVENTSINTHEAREA

OrchidSocietyoftheRoyalBotanicalGardens39thAnnualSpringShowandSaleRBG,680PlainsRoadW.,Burlington,ONhttp://www.osrbg.ca SaturdayFebruary29,2020Noon-5pm

SundayMarch1,202010am-5pm

SeedySaturdayHostedbyChinguacousyGardenClubandHorticulturalSocietyandBramptonHorticulturalSocietyCenturyGardens,340VoddenSTE,Brampton.ONL6V2N2SaturdayFebruary29,20209am-3pm

CanadaBloomsEnercareCentre,Toronto

March13-22

SHS-OHAFundraiser

Please remember the fundraiser!! There are some lovely andinterestingseedcombinationsavailableinthiscatalogsopleasetake a fewminutes to review the options. Priced at $10 and$15, these also make an excellent gift idea for any upcomingspecial occasions. Cut flowers, perennials, butterfly attractors,theEnglishcountrygarden,theherbgarden–somanychoices,justtonameafew!!!

Rememberthattheorderformsandmoneyneedtobereturnedat the February meeting as we must get them back the OHAteam.

You can return any unused order forms, flyers, and envelopesthatcouldbereusedinthefuture.

Thankseveryoneforyoursupport!!

Documents

SHS February 2020 Newsletter FINAL · Propagate plants in wall vases. Arrange wall planters in your kitchen for growing herbs or microgreens. Build a planter wall on your fence and