Welwyn Wong is the principal landscape designer of Welwyn Wong Landscape Design (www.welwynwong.com). In her presentation, Welwyn will challenge you to think “outside the box” in discussing landscape-design considerations relevant to residential landscapes including architectural style, inherent property attributes, as well as homeowner needs and preferences. Look through her technical eyes to catch a glimpse of what she sees when she visits a property for the first time.

COVID-19 Arrangements

In line with the Firehall’s virtual-programming approach, Garden Club meetings will be held, at least until the end of the year, virtually using the Zoom application. Members should register either for the season or on a meeting-by-meeting basis with the Firehall’s online registration process to receive the Zoom meeting coordinates. Registration for tours will be directly with the tour organizer. Mask-use and appropriate physical distancing during tours must be observed.

Meeting Fees:

2020—21 season: $25 for individuals; $40 for a family; drop-in fee—$7 per meeting. Fees for Gees Bees and Riverwood Gardens tours and the seasonal workshop are extra.

Old Ottawa South Community Centre (The Firehall—260 Sunnyside Ave.) at 613 247-4946 and www.oldottawasouth.ca

Presented by Rebecca Last

No, it’s not the study of the bumps on your head. Phenology explores the timing of cyclical events in nature. The turning of the year, seasons, cycles of the moon and daily circadian rhythms all have an impact on life on earth. The earliest hominins were expert phenologists. They had to be to catch game from migrating herds and know when to look for the tender sprouts of edible plants. Scientists today are increasingly turning to phenology to understand how climate change is effecting the natural world. As gardeners, an understanding of phenology can help us plan for continuous blooms, use natural pest control effectively, and contribute to climate research as citizen scientists. This talk introduces the subject of phenology, discusses its history, the current state of the science, and how gardeners can benefit from this information.

Zoom info: members-only page

Long before “Green” or “Sustainable” became the powerful buzzwords they are today, Miriam Goldberger began growing wildflowers and fell madly in love with the beauty and practicality that native plants bring to our lives. A flower farmer since 1986, Miriam has seeded, planted, nurtured, harvested and created floral designs with thousands upon thousands of wildflowers. As an expert in organic and sustainable gardening, Miriam is on intimate terms with the easy steps gardeners and flower lovers can take to create beautiful, diverse and sustainable landscapes. She is the founder and co-owner of Wildflower Farm, a wildflower seed production company in Ontario, Canada – a magical 100 acres where the wildflower gardens and meadows thrive without irrigation or pesticides and are a pollinators’ paradise. Miriam is truly a woman out standing in her field.

email maria.sievers92@gmail.com for zoom link

The Stittsville Goulbourn Horticultural Society meeting on Tuesday, March 16th at 7:30 pm will take place virtually on Zoom.

In her presentation Kitchen Gardens Through the Ages, Master Gardener Judith Cox explores the various vegetables grown and how they were used in the kitchen gardens of monasteries, during Victorian times, in war gardens, and in the gardens of today.

Society members will be emailed the Zoom meeting link. If you are not a member and would like to attend as a guest, or if you would like to become a member, please send an email to sghorticultural@gmail.com. Annual membership is $15 per person or $25 per family.

Finding and Repairing Leaks

Is your pond losing water other than through natural evaporation? Are you having a hard time pinpointing a potential leak? Dan O’Leary will give a presentation on how to find and repair leaks in your pond quickly, efficiently, hopefully painlessly, and all without draining your pond.

We will be holding these meeting virtually until further notice due to covid 19 restrictions. We will send out the invites with details a week or two prior to the meetings.

 7:00 to 7:30 pm – Meet and Greet

7:30 to 9:00 pm – Programme

9:00 to 9:30 pm – Mingling and pack-up

Join us for one free meeting, or be a return guest for $5.00 per meeting, which can be applied toward your membership if you decide to join later.

 “Growing and Cutting Fresh and Dried Flowers the Easy Way with Sylvia Van Oort (Sylvia’s 4th Line Florals).

Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month.

The meetings start at 7:30 PM and usually run until around 9:00 PM.

All 2021 meetings will be held using Zoom until further notice. If you are interested in attending please email pakenhamhort@gmail.com for a link to the Zoom meeting

With gardening expert and author Elizabeth Peirce

7 sessions (every 3rd Thursday of the month) starting March 18th)

$17.00/workshop (or $99.00 for all 7 sessions)

Session recording may be shared with registrants who miss the live class

Do you want to grow healthy food right in your own backyard?  Interested in saving money on grocery bills?  Want to get your family eating more vegetables?

With Covid-19 keeping us close to home these days, gardening is on the minds of many.  Join us for this 7 session workshops on successful gardening from seed to table!

Workshop 1:  How to start your own seeds (and save money on transplants!)

Thursday March 18th, 7:00-8:30pm

Itching to get gardening while the snow’s still on the ground? Get a jump on the growing season by starting your veggie and herb seeds indoors! In this 90-minute online workshop, you’ll learn:

-What kinds of seeds to plant

-How soon to start them

-How to make your own nutritious potting soil that growing seedlings will love

-How to make plant containers from recycled materials around your house

How green is your thumb??  Test your veggie gardening know-how with a fun garden trivia contest and prize giveaway!

Workshop 2: How to create a healthy and resilient vegetable garden from the ground up: Making a lasagna garden 

Thursday April 15th, 7-8:30pm

Are you eager to start or expand your garden, but not keen on breaking up sod? If so, sheet composting (aka lasagna gardening) is for you! Learn the basics of building healthy soil in your backyard using materials you generate in and around your household. Discover:

-How to start a veggie or herb garden without breaking your back

-What materials make the best soil

-How the composting process works 

-How your lasagna garden benefits the planet!

Workshop 3: Make the most of your garden space with succession planting 

Thursday May 20th, 7-8:30pm

Think you have to plant your entire garden in one marathon session? Think again! Succession planting (or staggered planting) gives gardeners manageable amounts of tender, fresh produce throughout the growing season while maximizing garden space! In this workshop, you will learn:

-Which crops like hot summer weather, and which do better in spring and fall

-What vegetables make the best candidates for succession planting

-How to create a garden plan including succession planting

Workshop 4: Easy wins: quick-growing vegetables from seed to table

Thursday June 17th, 7-8:30pm

Have you dreamed of growing more of your own food, but aren’t sure where to start? In this workshop you will learn about:

-The best low-maintenance vegetables to grow in a home garden

-Exciting new varieties of vegetables and herbs you can grow with ease

-Tips for preparing your homegrown veggies in dishes you will love!

Workshop 5: Troubleshooting the mid-season vegetable garden: weeds, pests, and more!

Thursday July 15th, 7-8:30pm

Is anything more demoralizing than discovering your garden has turned into a slug salad bar or been overtaken by weeds?  Before you reach for the poisons, give natural pest and weed prevention and treatments a try!  In this workshop, you will learn:

-How to stop insect infestations before they start 

-How to use mulch to curb weed growth

-What garden weeds are not only edible, but nutritious and delicious!

Workshop 6: How to manage a zucchini (or other veggie) invasion: ways to preserve and enjoy your harvest

Thursday August 19th, 7-8:30pm

It’s late summer, and the garden is burgeoning…but you’re having a hard time keeping up with the bounty. Before you resort to illicit zucchini and tomato drop offs, consider preserving your harvest for winter!  In this workshop, you will learn:

-How to prepare your vegetables for freezing 

-How to use a food dehydrator to shrink and save your harvest

-How to safely can certain crops for delicious winter meals

Workshop 7: Putting the garden to bed: tips for the fall garden

Thursday September 16th, 7-8:30pm

Summer’s just about over, but the garden isn’t quite ready to pack it in yet! Pulling all your plants out in September may be premature…Join us to discover:

-What crops thrive in fall

-How to save seed for next season

-How to plant a healthy garlic crop

-Some garden maintenance and clean-up tips as the season winds down

Your instructor:

Halifax-based Elizabeth Peirce is the author of Grow Hope, You Can Too! Canning, Pickling and Preserving the Maritime Harvest (Nimbus, 2013) and Grow Organic: A Simple Guide to Nova Scotia Vegetable Gardening (Nimbus, 2010), winner of the 2011 APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award. She has appeared as a guest on CBC Radio’s Main Street and Maritime Noon, News 95.7’s The Weekend Gardener, and on CTV’s Breakfast Television, talking about her passion for growing and preserving our own food. She writes regular articles on home canning for Lee Valley Tools, and is hard at work on an online course showing people how to preserve more of their own food. Visit her at elizabethpeirce.ca

Our
March speaker is Meera Manghani speaking on ‘An Introduction to Vegetable
Gardening’.  

 It will be a Zoom presentation on March 18 at 7:30
pm.  The link will be emailed to members and if anyone else wishes to
participate, please email Jack Wilson at wilsonjohns@rogers.com for the link.

Meera Manghani
will be introducing us to vegetable gardening by discussing the how-to’s of
making garden beds, direct sowing, transplanting seedlings, water retention,
companion planting and more!

Meera
is the owner of Meera’s Produce and Products where she offers customers organic
produce, consultations for veggie planters and garden designs, teachable
installs, honey, and eggs. She is extremely passionate about education; she
teaches in the horticulture department of Algonquin College, is a supply
teacher, and creates and runs numerous educational programs for the Renfrew
Public Library. 

“Fragrant Orchids” – a talk by Steven Frowine 

We normally hold meetings on the third Sunday of every month (except April, June, July and August) from 1:30 p.m. to about 4:00 p.m. During the COVID-19 pandemic we are no longer able to have in-person meetings so instead we are holding “virtual meetings” via the Internet. These meetings are open to all Society members, and our membership rates are still only $25 per year.

 Virtual meetings will feature either a speaker presentation or a short on-line demonstration, using sharing software (Zoom or similar) to allow members to participate. The speaker presentations will be given by local and international orchid experts, and the demonstrations will be given by Society members who are eager to share their expertise. 

Join Lana Doss of The Fine Gardener as she guides us through creating
interesting small spaces outside. Whether you have a balcony, deck or
patio, there are infinite ways to grow a lush oasis without a yard.

(Photo provided by speaker.)

This presentation will be a free Webinar. There is no registration required.
Please consider supporting the future activities of the OHS though
renewing your membership or joining for $15/yr, or though a donation.

How to view the presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkJSn2gaoejcGCdzK6xRWg

To join the presentation, please click on the YouTube link to go to the
OHS YouTube Channel. To simply watch the presentation there is nothing
else you need to do. The presentation will also be recorded and
available at this link afterwards. The easiest way to find the channel
is using the link; if you are on YouTube and do a search please use
Ottawa Horticultural Society (we aren’t the only ones that use OHS as an
acronym!).

Starting the video:
Once you are on the site, you must click on the rectangle of the video to
start watching. Until 7:30 you will see a screen that says the
presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m., so please be patient.

Design Basics and Plant Selection with Guest speaker: Mary Ann Van Berlo

Given that the current COVID-19 situation makes it impossible for the GGG to conduct monthly meetings in person for the foreseeable future, we will be presenting our upcoming speakers via on-line ZOOM meetings. GGG members will be reminded of the upcoming meetings by an email which will provide the neceesary ZOOM meeting code and password.

All of the Greely Gardeners Group monthly meetings are open to both members (membership cost is $15.00 a year) and non-members.

A small panel of master gardeners will talk about interesting ways to include annuals on your balconies, patios, and in your gardens. From small and sweet to big and bold, annuals with their wide variety of shapes and colours can add personality and character to any garden. Many of them play the useful role of attracting pollinators while others can offer a unique twist to your dinner plate, not to mention their role in making stunning bouquets.

COVID-19 Arrangements

In line with the Firehall’s virtual-programming approach, Garden Club meetings will be held, at least until the end of the year, virtually using the Zoom application. Members should register either for the season or on a meeting-by-meeting basis with the Firehall’s online registration process to receive the Zoom meeting coordinates. Registration for tours will be directly with the tour organizer. Mask-use and appropriate physical distancing during tours must be observed.

Meeting Fees:

2020—21 season: $25 for individuals; $40 for a family; drop-in fee—$7 per meeting. Fees for Gees Bees and Riverwood Gardens tours and the seasonal workshop are extra.

Old Ottawa South Community Centre (The Firehall—260 Sunnyside Ave.) at 613 247-4946 and www.oldottawasouth.ca

This year, the AGM will be held via Zoom on Saturday, April 17, starting at 9:00 AM.

There will be a business meeting, an activity, a speaker and Door Prizes.   No cost to attend!

 The scheduled guest speaker will be: Larry Hodgson, The Laidback Gardener  

 https://laidbackgardener.blog/lectures/ 

 Candace Dressler, coordinator, would like to give all of you the opportunity to influence the choice of topic so please email her at candaceinthegarden@gmail.com before March 5 with the topic from Larry’s website that you would like to have him talk on.  She will compile the results and that will be the topic that is chosen.

 We will share the meeting links and full agenda closer to the date.

What is a bog garden? How do you build one? Why would you want to build one? Do they attract mosquitoes? What plants grow best in a bog garden? Do they need sun or shade? This presentation will answer these questions and many more. Bog gardens are environmentally friendly, use very little water, and can be created in any kind of garden.

email maria.sievers92@gmail.com for zoom link

DETAILS:

This presentation by Master Gardener Lesley Peace will discuss climate change and its impact on our gardens. She will offer strategies and techniques to maintain resilient gardens, and suggest how, as gardeners, we can be better stewards of our changing environment.

COST: Individual Lectures: $8 FCEF members, $10 non-members. Purchase the full set of 5 lectures: $35 FCEF members, $45 non-members.

All payments can be made by PayPal or by credit card (email membership@friendsofthefarm.ca to get instructions for credit card payments to complete the transaction).

Member: $8     Non-member: $10       Series for Members: $35     Series for Non-members: $45

INFO: Email info@friendsofthefarm.ca for more information.

James Stone will give a presentation on his pond, including winterizing techniques for his fish and turtle.

7:00 to 7:30 pm – Meet and Greet

7:30 to 9:00 pm – Programme

9:00 to 9:30 pm – Mingling and pack-up

Join us for one free meeting, or be a return guest for $5.00 per meeting, which can be applied toward your membership if you decide to join later.

Butterflies come from caterpillars and caterpillars can only eat very specific
plants. To attract adult butterflies, a garden needs to have good
nectar-producing plants to feed the adults and, just as importantly, the
specific native host plants for the next generation.

Speaker Trish Murphy will look at some of the diverse species of Milkweeds that
attract Monarch and some other garden-worthy wildflowers that nurture
local butterflies, as caterpillars and as adults.

(photos provided by the speaker)

Trish has been growing native plants for more than twenty years. She was on
the board of the North American Native Plant Society and ran their
annual plant sale for several years, and then the Seed Exchange for a
couple more years. Renting 6 ft of heated greenhouse space in Toronto,
she produced hundreds of native plants for the annual sale. When she
moved to the Ottawa area seven years ago, she immediately began growing
native plants, and started selling her surplus at local Farmers Markets
in western Quebec This quickly became Beaux Arbres Native Plants
nursery. She and her partner Michael have been vendors at the
Experimental Farm’s Mother’s Day sale for 5 years, and at the Fletcher
Wildlife Garden June Native Plant Sale for four years. In 2019 they
joined the Westboro Ottawa Farmers Market, bringing a selection of
plants to Ottawa in the spring and late summer.
Trish has been a member of the Field Botanists of Ontario since 1997. She loves
experimenting with new species and new germination techniques — the only
drawback to growing plants is being too tied to the nursery to go on
botanical field trips to see new species in the wild.
—————————
This presentation will be a free Webinar. There is no registration required.
Please consider supporting the future activities of the OHS though
renewing your membership or joining for $15/yr, or though a donation at https://ottawahort.org

How to view the presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkJSn2gaoejcGCdzK6xRWg
To join the presentation, please click on the YouTube link to go to the
OHS YouTube Channel. To simply watch the presentation there is nothing
else you need to do. The presentation will also be recorded and
available at this link afterwards. The easiest way to find the channel
is using the link; if you are on YouTube and do a search please use
Ottawa Horticultural Society (we aren’t the only ones that use OHS as an
acronym!)

Starting the video:
Once you are on the site, you must click on the rectangle of the video to
start watching. Until 7:30 you will see a screen that says the
presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m., so please be patient.

DETAILS:

This presentation by Master Gardeners Candace Dressler and Rob Stuart focuses on perennials that will introduce colour to your gardens throughout the year. Beginning with spring and on through summer, fall, and winter, we will identify those perennials that are hardy to the Ottawa area and that you can count on to be robust and colourful, whether your garden is full sun, full shade, or somewhere in between.

COST: Individual Lectures: $8 for FCEF members and $10 for non-members.

Purchase the full set of 5 lectures: $35 FCEF members, $45 non-members.

All payments can be made by PayPal or by credit card (email membership@friendsofthefarm.ca to get instructions for credit card payments to complete the transaction).

Member: $8      Non-member: $10    Series for Members: $35     Series for Non-members: $45

INFO: Email info@friendsofthefarm.ca for more information.

Makeovers for Tired Gardens and Tired Gardeners with Guest speaker: Mary Sherman Reid, Master Gardener, Green Thumb Nursery

Given that the current COVID-19 situation makes it impossible for the GGG to conduct monthly meetings in person for the foreseeable future, we will be presenting our upcoming speakers via on-line ZOOM meetings. GGG members will be reminded of the upcoming meetings by an email which will provide the neceesary ZOOM meeting code and password.

All of the Greely Gardeners Group monthly meetings are open to both members (membership cost is $15.00 a year) and non-members.

As climate change brings hotter weather, more extreme precipitation events, and drought, how can we gardeners adapt? Master Gardener Rebecca Last addresses strategies for water-wise gardening in four general categories: water conservation techniques, including soil building; water harvesting; plant selection; and garden design, including a brief introduction to permaculture.

COVID-19 Arrangements

In line with the Firehall’s virtual-programming approach, Garden Club meetings will be held, at least until the end of the year, virtually using the Zoom application. Members should register either for the season or on a meeting-by-meeting basis with the Firehall’s online registration process to receive the Zoom meeting coordinates. Registration for tours will be directly with the tour organizer. Mask-use and appropriate physical distancing during tours must be observed.

Meeting Fees:

2020—21 season: $25 for individuals; $40 for a family; drop-in fee—$7 per meeting. Fees for Gees Bees and Riverwood Gardens tours and the seasonal workshop are extra.

Old Ottawa South Community Centre (The Firehall—260 Sunnyside Ave.) at 613 247-4946 and www.oldottawasouth.ca

DETAILS:

Your garden is alive at night. Some scents are magnified and some plants open only at dusk. Night-time pollinators of fascinating sizes and markings appear in the dark. Master Gardener Judith Cox will help you discover how to make the most of your night-time garden.

COST: Individual Lectures: $8 for FCEF members and $10 for non-members. Purchase the full set of 5 lectures: $35 FCEF members, $45 non-members.

All payments can be made by PayPal or by credit card (email membership@friendsofthefarm.ca to get instructions for credit card payments to complete the transaction).

Member: $8       Non-member: $10      Series for Members: $35    Series for Non-members: $45

INFO: Email info@friendsofthefarm.ca for more information.

• The Friends of the Farm board of directors cordially invites the public to attend our 2021 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Membership in FCEF is not required to attend; however only fully paid members may vote.

• The AGM will be held virtually. Details to follow soon.

• The meeting will be followed by a virtual presentation from the horticultural therapist Sarah Shapiro.

• Please register if you plan to attend. The meeting link will be sent only to registered attendees. 

• If you are a member, please make arrangements to renew your membership, if necessary, to be eligible to vote. You can do so in one of two ways: by printing the membership form and sending with cheque payment via mail, or by renewing online prior to the meeting. Please provide adequate time for your renewal to be processed (2 weeks for mail, 24 hours for online).

Sarah Shapiro practices horticultural therapy at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa. She runs both one-on-one and group horticultural therapy programs for veterans and community seniors, including those with dementia and in palliative care. Sarah incorporates complementary and adjunct therapies into her programs, including mindfulness, meditation, and aromatherapy. She is also a member of the Ottawa Horticultural Society, Ottawa Herb Society, The Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association, and the Friends of the Farm.

COST: Admission is free, but registration is required to obtain the link to the meeting’s platform.

INFO:  The Friends of the Farm office is closed, and voicemail messages are monitored on an irregular basis. Email info@friendsofthefarm.ca for any issues.

Don’t miss the OHS’s featured speaker for 2021, Doug Tallamy!

Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in
North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our
current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals
that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue
our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that
none of this is inevitable.

Professor and author Doug Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can –
and must – take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why
we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife
Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 104
research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40
years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many
ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine
the diversity of animal communities. His book “Bringing Nature Home: How
Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens” was published by Timber
Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden
Writers’ Association. “The Living Landscape”, co-authored with Rick
Darke, was published in 2014.

Doug’s new book “Nature’s Best Hope”, released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best
Seller. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas
Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the
2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott
Scientific Writing Award.

Photo provided by the speaker.

————————-
This presentation will be a free Webinar. There is no registration required.
Please consider supporting the future activities of the OHS though
renewing your membership or joining for $15/yr, or though a donation at https://ottawahort.org

How to view the presentation:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkJSn2gaoejcGCdzK6xRWg

To join the presentation, please click on the YouTube link to go to the
OHS YouTube Channel. To simply watch the presentation there is nothing
else you need to do. The presentation will also be recorded and
available at this link afterwards. The easiest way to find the channel
is using the link; if you are on YouTube and do a search please use
Ottawa Horticultural Society (we aren’t the only ones that use OHS as an
acronym!).

Starting the video:
Once you are on the site, you must click on the rectangle of the video to
start watching. Until 7:30 you will see a screen that says the
presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m., so please be patient.