Manitoba Horticultural Association

Transcription

1 November 2014 Connected & Growing Editors: Roger Brown & Carol Clegg Phone: Special Interest Articles: MHA Convention 2015 Special Peony Offer Gardeners Corner SocIety/Club Events Individual Highlights: Convention Activities 2 Convention Registration 2 Delegate Information 3 Accommodation 3 Costume Competition 4 Annual Reports 4 Newsletter subscriptions 4 Special Peony Offer 4 Gardeners Corner 5 Nominations 6 Associate Membership 6 Horticultural Events 7 MHA Print Competition 7 Pull Tickets 7 Club Information 7 Secretary Treasurer Prairie Garden 8 Surveys 8 Peony 8 Greetings It s happened again! Autumn has crept up on me and I find myself frantically trying to catch up on all the needed fall work. When will I ever learn? Every year I promise myself that I ll be better prepared the next year, but that hasn t happened yet! Thankfully the sun is shining and the above normal temperatures are sticking around, so maybe this year I won t be planting my tulips under a blanket of snow like I usually do. So how was your garden this year? Were you happy with it? Unfortunately I found myself lacking the time this year to give my garden the attention it needed, but I did end up with some interesting produce, such as a cucumber covered with strange, almost mystical, patterns. I find this time of year to be quite exciting because the annual convention is just around the corner. I love the convention and can hardly wait for January to come around each year. The theme for the upcoming convention is Rock Around the Garden. Planning is well underway. The line-up of speakers is first-class and convention attendees will not be disappointed. The venue is excellent, and it sounds like the 117 th convention is going to be a must be there event. In addition, there are a number of possible changes to be discussed regarding the MHA, so it would be nice if as many people as possible could come out and share their ideas and comments. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces from past conventions along with a good crop of newcomers. In the meantime, I ll see if I can sweet talk the weatherman into delaying any winter storms until February. 117 th ANNUAL MEETING/CONVENTION Rock Around the Garden January 29, 30 & 31, 2015 Charleswood United Church 4820 Roblin Blvd, Winnipeg, MB Hosted by the Charleswood, St. James and West Kildonan Horticultural Societies & Transcona Garden Club EVERYONE WELCOME! Louise Page, MHA President Deadline for articles and information for the February newsletter January 15, 2015

2 Page 2 of 8 Convention News Sara Williams Guest Speaker 2015 MHA Convention Your donations of items for the Great Gardeners Auction, Seeds, etc., are very much appreciated 2015 MHA Annual Convention Rock Around the Garden We are very excited to have Sara Williams, as the Guest Speaker at the MHA Convention being held on January 29, 30 & 31, 2015 at the Charleswood United Church, 4820 Roblin Blvd., Winnipeg. Sara, one of the best-known and most highly respected horticulturists on the Canadian prairies and author of many gardening books, is scheduled to speak on Basic Perennials on Friday afternoon and The Spring Garden on Saturday afternoon. Our thanks to the volunteers from Charleswood, St. James and West Kildonan Horticultural Societies and the Transcona Garden Club. These people are working very hard to set the stage for another exceptional convention. The Host Committee will be decorating the hall, organizing the coffee breaks and assisting with the many activities that we all look forward to at MHA conventions. As well as Guest Speaker Sara Williams, the Program Committee has scheduled many other excellent speakers who will cover a wide range of gardening topics. The Convention Program and registration form are included with your newsletter. We encourage you to make copies for your members and friends. This information is also posted on (Please note that the program is subject to change.) The MHA Company Store will be open for business at the convention and our friendly volunteer staff will be pleased to assist you. Among the many items that will be available are peonies, lilies, cannas, succulents, plant labels, hand weeders, MHA Cookbooks, gardening gloves, gardening books and more... Please help by donating items... GREAT GARDENERS AUCTION Donations of horticultural related items for the Great Gardeners Auction will be appreciated. Please donate new items only and mark the approximate value and name of your society/club on the item. SEED TABLE Please bring the seeds you have saved for the MHA Seed Table. Seeds should be packaged and labelled with the seed variety name and description of the plant or unusual features. There will be no Magazine/Book table at the 2015 convention. We appreciate your donations in the past and kindly ask that you do not bring gardening magazines / books to the 2015 convention. Convention Registration GENERAL REGISTRATION If you are not representing your society/club as a voting delegate you may pre register for the convention by using the registration form in the program or by contacting your society/club secretary. VOTING DELEGATE REGISTRATION Voting delegates are to be pre registered using the BLUE Voting Delegate registration form. Secretaries Voting Delegate and General registration forms are enclosed with this newsletter. Please do not use the general registration form (or the form on the back of the program), to register your voting delegates.

3 Page 3 of 8 More on the 2015 Convention LUNCH AND BANQUET TICKETS To assist us in providing the caterers with the number of meals required for the lunches and banquet, it will be necessary to order and pay for meal tickets when pre registering for the Convention. Meal tickets will not be available for purchase at the Convention. Included in the registration fee is a light lunch on Thursday evening, also beverages, muffins, etc., during mid morning and afternoon coffee breaks. Beverages only will be served during morning registration on Friday and Saturday from 8:30-9:00 am. There is a restaurant at the Park West Inn and other local restaurants open for breakfast. PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE January 12, 2015 VOTING DELEGATE PACKAGES Voting Delegate packages will be available for pick up upon arrival at the Convention. Each package (one per society/club) will contain a copy of the 2014 MHA Annual Reports book, voting cards, name badges and voting delegate ribbons, meal tickets ordered and two copies of the program. GENERAL REGISTRATION PACKAGES Pre registered Convention participants will be able to collect their registration packages upon arrival at the Convention venue. Each package will contain your name badge, meal tickets ordered and a program. ACCOMMODATIONS The Park West Inn is offering a group rate and is holding rooms for convention participants. We suggest you reserve your accommodation well in advance and no later than January 18, The Park West Inn is located a short distance from the convention venue and is easily accessible from the Perimeter Hwy. Park West Inn 525 Dale Blvd. Winnipeg, MB R3R 2J8 Phone: Rate: $74.99 plus applicable taxes If you wish alternate accommodations there are several hotels on Portage Avenue. Information for Voting Delegates Voting delegates to MHA Annual Meetings play an important role in representing and conveying the wishes and decisions of their society/club by voting on matters relative to the. Some of the items to be voted on at the 2015 Annual Meeting are: Approval of the minutes of the 2014 Annual Meeting. Membership fee increase proposal. Ratification of nominations for regional MHA Directors. Host Committee for the 2016 Annual Meeting. Please give Convention information to your members Onondaga If you would like to help a student with their horticultural studies please donate to the MHS Award Fund Chestine Gowdy

4 Page 4 of 8 It s time to send in your annual report Rock Around the Garden Costume Competition Have you decided on your outfit for the costume competition? Please wear your costume at the convention on Friday; judging and prizes will be awarded during the afternoon coffee break. Annual Reports The MHA will be compiling the annual reports for distribution to voting delegates at the 2015 Annual Meeting. Society/club secretaries please submit your report to the MHA office m.h.a@shaw.ca, fax: [204] or by mail, no later than December 1, The report should be a brief account of society/club activities held during MHA Committee Chairs are also reminded to submit their reports by December 1, Peonies Special Offer At the 2014 MHA Convention Ed Krueger of Driedger Nurseries Ltd., gave a very interesting talk on Peony culture and varieties. There was an overwhelming interest in Ed s presentation and the MHA has arranged to have a number of Peonies from Driedger Nurseries Ltd. for sale at the 2015 Convention for members and friends. We realize that not everyone is able to attend the convention and there is a possibility that we may sell out of some varieties. To avoid disappointment we are providing our member clubs with the opportunity to place a group order with the MHA by December 20 th. A club member will be able to pick-up the entire order at the 2015 convention. An illustrated (colour) list and a group order form has been sent to your society/club secretary to take to your next meeting. Please contact your club secretary for more information. Gardening Questions Please bring your questions to the 2015 MHA Convention to be answered by the experts during the Lawn & Garden Journal live broadcast, hosted by Duayne Friesen. Newsletter Subscriptions Now is the time for our readers to renew their MHA newsletter subscription. If you wish to continue receiving a printed copy of the newsletter by mail, please complete the enclosed subscription form and return it to the MHA office together with the subscription fee of $5.00. You will receive four newsletters in 2015 commencing with the February issue. Society/club presidents and secretaries will continue to receive complimentary copies of the newsletters MHA newsletters are also on the website: IMPORTANT NOTICE MHA Membership Fee Proposal To help balance the budget the MHA will operate with one less director next year and is also recommending to societies and clubs a membership fee increase. The proposal is to increase the base fee to $80.00 per society/club plus $4.00 per member. This proposal should be discussed at your next executive or general meeting. Please convey to your voting delegates attending the 2015 MHA Convention as to whether your club wishes them to vote in favour of this increase.

5 Page 5 of 8 Gardeners Corner Hints On Planning A New Garden By Cathie McFarlane, MHA Director Fall is a great time to reflect on our successes (and failures) in our gardens. By now many of you have bedded down your gardens for the winter. Lately, I ve paused to reflect on how my own garden has evolved in the last two summers. Planning a garden takes time. Here are my helpful hints on planning a new garden: 1. Research Put considerable thought into your garden design and what plants to use. Whether that s looking through gardening magazines, books, driving through your community to look for garden ideas, these all add to your research. Also, don t forget to ask expert gardeners. Some of those are members of your local garden club. I find gardeners are always willing to share their knowledge when asked. 2. Planning Start early (Fall or Winter is good) to draw out your landscape plan and don t be afraid to change your plan before you start. Use your home s survey certificate to get the right dimensions but measure it out yourself to check. A 50 foot tape measure is a valuable tool. Your survey certificate should be correct but it may not be. Through measuring, I discovered the corner of my yard is actually right on top of a fire hydrant. 3. Drawing the Plan Whether you are digging out sod or ripping up new sod, this isn t a fun job and it can be hard work as well. Using spray paint to draw out your garden beds is good but I ve had a number of old welding rods (curved at the top) that I ve used to draw out my garden beds for years (Thanks Dad). It s easier to move a welding rod than ignore paint in the wrong area. 4. Using Colour I use only two colours to anchor my garden beds. Too many colours, especially in the front yard, look messy. If you want the cottage garden look, I d suggest you leave that for your back yard. I ve found that choosing two colours that complement the colours of your home s exterior is the most pleasing choice. When choosing plants and colours for your garden beds, my go-to book for many years has been Northern Gardens by Brian Andrews. If you are looking for the book, it was published in 1987 so I d suggest to try your local library. My favourite section in this book is called the Top 20 s. 5. Choosing your Plants, Shrubs, Trees The reason why I like the Top 20 s is it s hard to go wrong with plants, shrubs and trees specifically suited to our Manitoba climate. My front garden beds are a mix of yellow and white, using Pontentilla (shrubby cinquefoil) and Daylilies (both regular tall and yellow Stella D Oro) with a white trunked Paper Birch. Whether it s deciduous trees or shrubs; evergreens if your yard is large; vines or perennials, there are recommendations in the Top 20 s to follow. 6. Reserve bed fronts for annuals and bulbs I recommend you only put annuals and bulbs in the front of your beds. Annuals add colour when perennials and shrubs aren t in flower and if you till your beds, it s easy to avoid hitting a bulb if you know where they are. Annuals at bed fronts also define the curving edges of garden beds I and many favour today. Pick annuals to suit your life style. If you, like me, don t have time to water, try petunias. They are a good value because they spread, even if they aren t the Wave variety.

6 Page 6 of 8 Gardeners Corner - continued 7. Before you plant Preparing your soil to plant or even for each growing season is important. If you have heavy soil like I do, I recommend Clay Buster. It s available at local nurseries as well as T and T Seeds and it s made in Manitoba it s good to support our Manitoba businesses. In addition, I find manure, Sea Soil and another local product, Turkey Trot, are all good. just a word about Turkey Trot it s very fragrant so don t get too close to it when spreading it around, plus a little goes a long way. 8. Don t be afraid to try something new This year I tried a couple of hop plants near my front fence. They grew with minimal trellising and were a good background for the yellow daylilies and potentillas. Also, don t be afraid to move plants around if they don t work where they are. A good garden is never truly finished. If you haven t planted a few new bulbs this Fall, there still may be time. Ignore the basic tulips and try something different. I always visit Lindenbergs in Brandon every Fall to pick up some unusual ruffled, parrot or peony type tulips. As long as they are in the same color ranges. I ve chosen of white or yellow as new additions to my garden. I hope my helpful hints are useful to you. Enjoy gardening! Cathie McFarlane is an outgoing director with the who lives in Portage la Prairie and divides her gardening time between her home and lake home near Clear Lake. Nominations for MHA Directors Due to other commitments Cathie McFarlane will be stepping down from the MHA board of directors at the end of her term at the 2015 Annual Meeting. In order to cut back in expenditures, the board has decided to operate with one less director. The three (3) societies and clubs affected by the boundary revisions are Agassiz, South Interlake and Selkirk. These clubs will join with Transcona and West Kildonan in Area 8. The current MHA director for this area is Louise Page. All societies and clubs are requested to submit their nomination for a person of their choice using the Nomination Form in the MHA binder. The deadline for submissions has been extended to November 30, Associate Membership to the MHA The board of directors has been discussing various ways to offer an Associate Membership to the MHA. This would provide an opportunity for gardeners with no local club to become members. Associate membership may also be of interest to garden centres and other businesses wishing to support the MHA and its members. This will be an ongoing project during the next year and as the program develops the MHA plans to use this as an opportunity to generate interest in the MHA s objectives and gain exposure throughout the Province for the Association and for its member societies and clubs. The progress made so far will be presented to the membership at the 2015 Convention.

7 Page 7 of 8 Horticultural/Gardening Events Mark your calendar The next meeting of the MHA Board of Directors will be held at 2 pm, Thursday, January 29, 2015 at Charleswood United Church. Winnipeg Pull ticket deadline January 15, 2015 Agassiz Garden Club Oct 8 Nov 12 Dec 3 Succulents 7 pm Bird Houses & Feeders 1:30 pm Christmas Pot Luck Lunch 12 noon Brandon Garden Club Nov 19 Dressed for the Holidays Hands on 7 pm Workshop (Requires pre-registration & payment) Dec 2 Christmas Party members only 6 pm Jan 21 ARTiculture Garden Photography 7 pm Kevin Bertram Charleswood Hort/Gardening Club Nov 12 Fermentation Natalie Elizabeth Dyck Newdale Horticultural Society Nov 4 Christmas Centrepieces (workshop) Brent Hunter Jan 13 China Slide Show Alan Dalrymple St. James Horticultural Society Nov 18 Christmas Program, AGM & Elections Selkirk & Dist. Horticultural Society Nov 18 Christmas Potluck Party & Creating Tree Decorations for Christmas Tree Festival MHA Print Competition The deadline for entries in the MHA Print Competition is December 1, We wish to remind you that entries are to be sent to: June Minish 170 Eveline Street Selkirk, MB R1A 1K7 Society/Club secretaries have all relative information including entry form, rules and regulations in their MHA binders. Transcona Garden Club Nov 22 Jan 21 Christmas Decorations (workshop) TBA Virden Garden Club Nov 3 Centrepieces Hands on project Dec 8 Afternoon Christmas Party West Kildonan Horticultural Society Nov 18 Annual General Meeting Westman Gardeners (Brandon) Nov 6 Gardening in the Shade Brenda Newton Dec 4 Christmas Party 6 pm Canada Blooms Flower & Garden Festival March 13-22, 2015 Direct Energy Centre, Toronto Pull Tickets We would appreciate receiving pull ticket stubs, any unsold books and society/club cheque no later than January 15, Please send these items to the MHA Office The pull ticket draw will take place in the afternoon on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the MHA Convention in Winnipeg. Society & Club Secretaries The following items are enclosed with your newsletter: Convention Program Voting Delegate Registration Form General Registration Form Peony List and Order Form Society/Club Information Form MHA Newsletter Subscription Form 2015 Prairie Garden Order Form

8 Page 8 of 8 MHA Secretary Treasurer After 23 years Dorcas has decided that it s time for someone else to take on the position of Secretary Treasurer for the MHA. We would be pleased to hear from anyone interested in filling this position. A job description and more information may be obtained by contacting the MHA office or your regional director. The Prairie Garden 2015 The 2015 Prairie Garden featuring "Grasses & Succulents" will soon be available. Enclosed with secretary s newsletters is an order form. Please send oreder to The Prairie Garden at the address shown on the order form. To avoid shipping charges, you may pickup your club s order at the 2015 Convention in Winnipeg. If other arrangements need to be made to have the books shipped or for pick-up from The Prairie Garden, please contact Dawn Harris at or sales@theprariegarden.ca Memorial to Grace Hrychany Members of Agassiz Garden Club lost a dear friend when Grace Hrychany died September 16. Grace's artistic talent shone in her photographs, flower arrangements, crafty creations from natural materials, and in her yard and garden. She was full of creative ideas for programs and workshops, and always there to work at plant sales and flower shows. For many years she was a proof reader for the MHA newsletter. Grace will be sadly missed by her husband Wally, mother Mary Bruchanski, mother in law Emma Hrychany, a sister and brother, and numerous friends in Lac du Bonnet community. Tanzanian Project Update Further to what was reported in the last newsletter, the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation (MCIC) forwarded $5000 to MHA at the end of August 2014, and these funds were then sent to our Tanzanian partner the Tanzania Society for Agricultural Education and Extension (TSAEE). TSAEE has initiated the project by meeting with village leaders of Nyamatala, Nyahomango and Mwagala to get their approval, and then with 60 tomato growers in those villages. Issues are starting to be identified at the various stages of the tomato value chain: Production, Input Supplies, Transport to Market, Buyers at the Market. For example, seeds sold locally are sometimes mislabelled or have a low germination rate. Prices paid by the market buyers to the growers are unrealistic. A new insect problem affecting tomato has been discovered. With the help of TSAEE, the small holder tomato farmers are identifying the next steps to address their concerns. Dinah Ceplis MHA Surveys Thank you to all who completed the MHA surveys and for your comments and suggestions. From the surveys received the Convention/Annual Meeting and liability insurance were ranked as the most valued benefits of belonging to the MHA. With your support the MHA will continue to make liability insurance available and organize conventions for the benefit of all society and club members. Duchesse de Nemours The MHA Board of Directors wish you a safe and peaceful holiday season MHA Office 2 Westmount Bay Winnipeg, MB R2J 1Y8 Phone: m.h.a@shaw.ca Fax: