September 2017 Issue M A N I T O B A H O R T I C U L T U R A L A S S O C I AT I O N. Connie

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1 September 2017 Issue Greetings from the MHA.. Greetings fellow gardeners: I hope you have all had a prosperous summer with your gardens and flowers. It seems we were just talking about seeds and garden planning. Here we are talking about fall clean up and putting things away for the winter. Time is moving so fast, never miss an opportunity to try something new. Look outside the box and make a real conversation piece for your yard. This summer I ve had a few conversations with some of our members, only to find out that we have lost some of those that have had flower beds and gardens for years. If you are thinking of trying something new, don t wait. Put your plans to work next spring. For now, time to clean up and put things to rest until spring. Happy gardening! Connie 120th MHA Annual Meeting and Convention The Beautiful Plains Horticultural Society Invites your society/club to the 120th Annual MHA Convention and Annual Meeting In early 2018 M A N I T O B A H O R T I C U L T U R A L A S S O C I AT I O N The 2018 Convention Program Committee and the Beautiful Plains Horticultural Society are busy preparing for the 2018 convention. Details will be sent to you as soon as finalized. Thank you Connected & Growing MHS Award Fund A bursary in the amount of $500 is awarded each year to a student participating in the Greenspace Management Program at Red River College. If you would like to help a student with their horticultural studies please donate to the Manitoba Horticultural Societies Award Fund. Cheques may be sent to the MHA office.

2 Please share information with your members September 2017 Issue 2017/2018 MHA Board of Directors President Connie Lagerquist Vice President Hugh Skinner Directors Brent Hunter Linda Wall Lorene Schipper Tena Kilmury Ex-Officio Directors Reg Curle Roger Brown Dorcas Brown Secretary/Treasurer Tracy Theriault Junior News The Winnipeg Gladiolus and Dahlia Fund has now been depleted. The Board of Directors will discuss whether they will continue a program for the juniors If your club requires funds for a speaker or materials for juniors, please remember that $50 per club, is available from the Weir Memorial Fund. Before taking pictures of your junior club members, please have the parents sign a waiver that the pictures can be published in a newsletter or on your websites or facebook page. Next Meeting of the MHA Print Competitions for Adults and Juniors! MHA Board of Directors 10:00 am Friday November 3rd, 2017, Chicken Corral Restaurant Neepawa, MB Anyone is welcome to attend. The Weir Memorial is sponsoring these competitions and prize money will be awarded to the winning entries. Please encourage your members and your junior gardeners to enter. All entries must be in the hands of the MHA office by December lst. Please mail entries to MHA 135 Thom Ave East Winnipeg, MB R2C 1A2 Page 2

3 Apprentice Judges Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Registration is now open for the Manitoba Master Gardener program. The MHA held a Judges & Exhibitor School in March of 2017 in Winnipeg. We had an excellent class of 19 excited students. Judging from the apprentice evaluations I have received, our new apprentice judges were very busy this summer. It was very nice to see. I would like to say Thank you to Betty Moore, Annual Exhibition Convener, from St. James Horticultural Society. Betty took it upon herself to call apprentice judges and have them apprentice in every category of their show. Here are some thoughts from a first time apprentice: In March I participated in the MHA Judges and Exhibitor school. It was fun to engage with others that attended and upon completion of the course, I registered to be a new apprentice judge. I was asked to participate as an apprentice judge at the St James Horticultural Society 103 rd Annual Exhibition in August. I was designated to apprentice in the classes of cut flowers and potted plants. I was able to see in action what I had learned as well as acquire other tips from an accredited MHA judge. Many factors have to be considered. Judging was a lengthy process, due to the volume of exhibits, but we eventually got to the end of them. The wealth of knowledge the MHA judge had of plant characteristics, proper names of exhibits, the difficulty in the growing aspect of a plant, the rarity of plant development, distinguishing the varieties of roses and identify the stages of blooms whether at their peak or past their prime. Of course I walked away with a sense of new vigor to where I need to educate my self further. Ultimately I found the experience enjoyable, informative and was thankful that I wore good footwear! Deb Boudreau, Transcona Garden Club Classes start in October Each one-day class is held on a Saturday in Winnipeg. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about gardening, share gardening experience and develop friendships through community volunteerism. To register, call , ext For more details visit or mgmanitoba@gmail.com. MANITOBA MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION The Manitoba Master Gardener Association was formally organized in 2011 as a supporting and networking body for Master Gardeners in Training as well as Certified Master Gardeners in the Province of Manitoba. Experienced in gardening knowledge, they pass on knowledge through various mediums such as seminars, workshops, or helping organizations begin gardening programs. Check out their web site for a list of workshops open to all gardeners Page 3

4 Getting to the Root of the Problem: Spotting and Curing Plant Disease Symptoms As a gardener, nothing is more frustrating than watching your plants succumb to disease. Just when your garden is starting to flourish. BOOM! A nasty case of mildew sends you back to square one. If you re not careful, common plant diseases can become a persistent problem, turning your green thumb an ugly shade of brown. In this blog, we ll break down four common plant diseases and what you can do to nurse your garden back to health. 1. Powdery Mildew This bugaboo is among the world s most common plant diseases. There are thousands of strains of powdery mildew, and most are host-specific, meaning they only attack one species or family of species. The disease typically presents as white or gray splotches that may turn red or purple as the disease progresses. As the name suggests, it has a powdery appearance, so it s easy to spot. To prevent powdery mildew, choose resistant cultivars from your local nursery. The disease thrives in crowded conditions with poor air circulation. To combat these conditions, space plants appropriately and prune to improve air flow. Commercial fungicides can be applied as a remedy or preventative. 2. Rust Like powdery mildew, there are thousands of species of plant rust. To identify it, look for yellow or white spots forming on leaves. Small nodes, called pustules, may appear on the undersides of leaves accompanied by orange or yellow streaks. These are reproductive bodies that eject spores and infect nearby plants. Unfortunately, rust is a persistent and highly infectious disease. To keep this plant disease from spreading, prune all infected areas and burn or bag them. Absolutely do not compost rust-infected plant matter, and rake frequently beneath the plants to remove infected foliage. To prevent rust from spreading, space your plants well. Avoid watering the leaves of infected or uninfected plants, as wet surfaces are required for transmission. Finally, resistant cultivars and highly effective fungicides are available at most lawn and garden centers. 3. Root Rot Root rot is the most common killer of house plants, but it does occur in outdoor beds as well. Overwatering is generally the culprit, and plant disease symptoms most frequently manifest as yellowing leaves and stunted growth. Root rot occurs when plants are watered too frequently or placed in containers that offer poor drainage. In outdoor beds, poorly draining soil can invite an infection as well. Under these conditions excessive moisture encourages fungal growth which infects and feeds upon plant roots. If the plant still has viable roots, it s possible to prune away the infected portions and re-plant the specimen. Simply dig a hole approximately twice as big as the root ball and fill it with highly organic material. It s also wise to loosen the soil around the plant to promote additional drainage. For potted plants, migrating to a fabric container can prevent excessive moisture and restore your plant to health. 4. Black Spot Dreaded black spot is the most common and serious plant disease for ornamental roses. Because roses take years or even decades to fully mature, stopping black spot in its tracks is a high priority for gardeners. This fungal pest is easily identified by the dark circular markings that afflict contaminated leaves. Left untreated, black spot can cause a rose bush to defoliate completely, leaving it susceptible to winter stress and other fatal diseases. To treat black spot, remove affected leaves and prune affected canes six to eight inches below the infection. Prune only in dry weather, as spores germinate in wet conditions. Disinfect pruning shears with bleach or alcohol between cuts to avoid spreading the infection. As always, try to prevent black spot by choosing resistant cultivars, and consult your local garden center for preventive and remedial treatments. With tens of thousands of plant diseases in the wild, this list just scratches the surface. But some basic principles apply to preventing most plant diseases. From the start, choose resistant cultivars. This is your best bet for preventing common plant diseases. Ensure your plants have plenty of space for light and air to penetrate between them. This is crucial for preventing most fungal diseases. And finally, water properly. Make sure you don t over-water your plants, and water at the root to prevent pathogens from splashing from one infected leaf to another. With some smart planning, a keen eye, and a little luck, you ll enjoy a healthy garden for years to come! Thanks to Smart Pot, visit their website for more Tips and Tools Page 4

5 Jeffries Nurseries Celebrates 35 Years Written by Hugh Skinner, Vice President MHA On August 17 about 100 people from across western Canada and the northern US with connections to the nursery industry gathered at Jeffries Nurseries east of Portage la Prairie to celebrate 35 years in business with the Ronald family. When Wilbert and Sharon Ronald purchased the nursery from Ernie Jeffries widow in 1982, all production was in ground, sales were of bare root stock and the only building on the site was a small shed used for packing. It is now a producer of a wide variety of prairie hardy stock in containers and in the field. The Ronalds' three children take significant roles in the business. Shawna Ronald Bell is the business manager, Philip manages the marketing and contributes to new product development and Andrew manages field production. They ship volumes of nursery stock to the Canadian Prairies and the northern Great Plains of the United States. If you asked Dr. Wilbert Ronald what he saw as his greatest success, I think he would tell you that it has been in the development and introduction of many new varieties that are adapted to prairie growing conditions. He and Philip have made significant developments in maple, ash, poplars, cherries, oak, apples and lindens. In addition they have introduced outstanding new cultivars or potentilla, ninebark, lilies and a variety of perennials. As part of their celebration, Wilbert and Philip Ronald have published a manual on trees for our climate, Trees for Northern Landscapes. This manual outlines many of the newer developments in trees for the prairie climate and will prove to be an invaluable resource for people who are interested in planting trees. This is especially true at a time when insect and disease problems dictate that we should be planting a greater diversity of tree species. The book is available from Jeffries Nurseries (see By the Book on last page). Page 5

6 Flower Showcase Starvation Cactus Opuntia polyacantha The Cactus family is renowned for beautiful showy flowers, and cold hardy cacti prove no exception to this rule. Today, I want to tell you about the impressive flowers of an extremely hardy prickly-pear; Opuntia polyacantha, often referred to as Northern Plains Prickly-pear or the Starvation Cactus. Opuntia polyacantha is native to semi-arid short-grass prairie ecosystems across western Canada and the U.S. Opuntia polyacantha is a low growing prickly-pear which can develop into clumps of up to a metre (3 ft.) across under ideal conditions. This species of prickly-pear can be extremely variable in its overall appearance; with some forms being nearly spineless, while other forms come fiercely armed with long dense spines. Individual plants can also vary considerably as to the overall size of their pads and the coloration of its spines. Due to this variability the Starvation Cactus offers hardy cactus growers a wide range of different looking plants. An added bonus is that this free-flowering prickly-pear is also extremely cold tolerant (Zone 3), and fairly easy to grow in a sandy well-drained soil with full sun exposure. Page 6

7 The Starvation Cactus is legendary for its stunning flowers. The flower size of this prickly-pear species can vary from between 6 cm (2 ½ in.) to over 14 cm. (5 ½ in.) across. Its glowing petals have a distinctive silky sheen, and in some forms these petals are beautifully frilled. While yellow is the most frequently found color of this particular prickly-pear in the wild; this species also produces flowers in a wide array of different colors and hues. In our hardy cactus gardens we grow many different varieties of Opuntia polyacantha which flower in various shades of cream, green, yellow, orange, pink/rose, red and purple. Some forms of the Starvation Cactus prickly-pears also produce lovely bi-coloured flowers in contrasting colors and hues. I am sharing the photos taken from my garden in Winnipeg to help highlight the amazing floral diversity of Opuntia polyacantha. Hope you enjoy! In the next article I will showcase the colourful diversity of the pretty flowers found amongst the hardy pincushion cacti! Ernie Brown - A.K.A. (Dr. Cacti) Ernie Brown AKA Dr. Cacti is a passionate gardener with many years of experience growing indoor and outdoor cacti, succulents and many other drought tolerant perennials. He is available to do engaging, interesting presentations on such topics as: Cactus in the Garden; Hardy Succulents; Successfully Growing Indoor Cacti & Succulents; among other topics. Please contact Ernie by phone at (204) or by at ernie.brown30@yahoo.ca Visit Dr. Cacti - Ernie Brown on Facebook! Page 7

8 Club Events Transcona Garden Club helping to beautify the community. Donations from Loblaw and Transcona Garden Club for the plants Photos submitted by Lorene Schipper Did you hold a Great Event and want to share? Submit a brief summary and some pictures by . Page 8

9 Agassiz Garden Club Summer Activities Written by Carol Clegg Early in June a group of club volunteers planted the containers at Lac du Bonnet Personal Care Home. Residents came out to watch the action and enjoy coffee with the planting crew. As usual, the club entered a float in the Canada Day parade. It featured heritage costumes and gardening implements and was pulled by Wally Hrychany s vintage tractor. During the summer the Garden Club maintains the flower beds at the Community Centre in return for use of the facilities for our plant sale and show. We hope other users of the hall appreciate the attractive display. Our June meeting was an exhibitor s session conducted by experienced exhibitor Laverne Wojciechowski. She covered the basics of how to read the prize list, fill our entry forms, and tags, condition flowers, and lots of tips for preparing entries for show. On July 25 members toured the Beausejour Day Lily Garden and Esther Kurbis s fantastic farmyard garden at Stead and had lunch together at Cynthia s Restaurant. The club went all out to put on a special show August 13 and 14 to celebrate Canada s 150 th and the RM of Lac du Bonnet s 100 th anniversaries. Everything was red and white specials in every class, the decorations, and the signs for the flower arranging categories. Centennial dresses were the attire for the day. Total entries were: Adult: 363 Junior: 26 Number of exhibitors: Adult: 46 Junior: 9 Our long time readers will be interested to know that Ernie and Joan Shume are still spending summers at Lac du Bonnet and bringing entries to the garden show. Ernie s family have been involved with Agassiz since it began in His mother, Pauline, was President for a number of years and remained an active member all her life. This year, Ernie took home the plaque for Most Points in Vegetable Classes. September is the perfect time to join this convivial group. Club members and friends meet September 13 at 6 p.m. at the St. John s Anglican Parish Hall in Lac du Bonnet for a Scarecrow pot luck dinner. To celebrate another successful season of growing, we have a presentation by Sue Reder on Preserving the Garden Harvest. Our committee members deserve a huge round of applause for the many hours spent coordinating all these activities. Rose Sawfly Each summer a new insect pest shows up in my yard to test my skill in identification. When I arrived home the first week of July after a 3 week holiday, I noticed that the leaves were almost stripped off my Grootendorst rose. At first, I thought the tent caterpillars had finished them off while I was away. The next day, I saw bright green bugs hopping on the remaining bits of leaf. I gave them a spray of soapy water and went off to tend to the neglected lawn. Before I had time to start searching the Web for a name, I happened to glance at the July 8/17 gardening page in the Winnipeg Free Press. To my amazement, there was a precise description of my little green pest. Following is an excerpt from Colleen Zacharias s column: Rose sawfly is a flying insect that is yellow green in colour. It feeds on the undersides of rose leaves. When leaves are severely skeletonised resulting in defoliation, the plant is weakened. She goes on to give preventive measures to avoid this insect. Because it overwinters in the soil, it is important to clean up debris from around the rose in fall and spray with dormant oil in early spring. Doing further research I learned that my green bug was the adult sawfly. The larvae had done their damage and pupated before I got home. Insecticidal soap or even just a strong jet of water on the undersides of the leaves is the organic way of removing the larvae from the plant. I ll be ready with my dormant oil next spring. Page 9

10 Upcoming Club Events (Information is submitted by clubs/societies, or obtained from websites if possible, please ensure your club/society is represented, send your events to Annual Reports September 2017 Issue St James Horticultural Society October 17 Sandy Venton, Peonies November 21 AGM and Christmas Crafts Selkirk & District Horticultural Society October 7 - Putting garden machines to bed, Location TBD October 17 - Sara Williams, Topic TBA November 21 - Christmas Potluck Dinner Brandon Garden Club October 18-6 pm - Pot Luck Night Bring your favourite dish to share/succulents & Cacti, Connie Lagerquist, International Peace Garden November 15-7 pm - Growing your own Mushrooms, Ken Fosty, Election of Officers December 6-6 pm - Christmas Party, Members only January 17-7 pm - Kitchen and Windowsill Gardening, Greg Boguski Website: West Kildonan Horticultural Society October 3 - Tea Cup Challenge, Indoor Plant Sale November 21- ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Website: Westman Gardeners October 5-6 pm - Potluck Dinner, Carrot Themed November 2 - Landscaping for the Birds Colin Blyth December 7-6 pm - Christmas Banquet and Party Website: The MHA will be compiling the annual reports for distribution to voting delegates at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Society/club secretaries please submit your reports electronically to the MHA office: by to m.h.a@shaw.ca no later than December 1, 2017 The report should be a brief account of society/club activities held during MHA Committee Chairs are also reminded to submit their reports: by m.h.a@shaw.ca no later than December 1, 2017 Thank you to all Societies/Clubs and T&T Seeds On the suggestion by West Kildonan Horticultural Society, the MHA embarked on a fundraiser selling Canadian Shield Roses, which was the rose for Canada s 150th. Thanks to T&T Seeds for helping us with this endeavour. The societies and clubs of the MHA sold 189 Canadian Shield Roses, which was remarkable! We thank each and every one of you who purchased and or sold a rose. We hope you are enjoying them as well. Club Events Please submit your club events for the November newsletter by October 31, 2017 Page 10

11 Bits from Carman Garden Club.. Written by Alice van der Wal Summer has [nearly] flown by. where did the time go?? We ve all been busy with various activities, no doubt and we here in Carman have been keeping occupied with various goings on and wondering how to fit it all in our schedules, but, we did! All of the activities need a lot of time, organizing and planning, so, we say a big Thanks to those involved. Our much anticipated Tulip Party happened on May 12 and was a great success. A gorgeous spring day and most of the tulips were out in full color splendour. A small ceremony along with cake & refreshments were enjoyed by all. Hats off to Val & Bev for organizing it! After the tulips were finished blooming, our town workers planted red and white petunias amongst the tulip beds, to continue the red and white theme. Still looking good! On May 23, we had a BBQ at Lani s home with well known writer, photographer and broadcaster Dorothy Dobbie. Dorothy is also a member of Garden Writer s Assoc. of America. She is host of the radio show The Gardener. Dorothy showed us pictures of English Gardens while she was on a tour in England. While we couldn t smell the flowers [although it almost seemed as if we could!] we admired many gardens and I m sure, we all got some good ideas for our own gardens! Then on May 25, we had our annual Spring Plant Sale which was a huge success and well attended by folks from town & surrounding area, even though the weather was cool, drizzly & windy at times. We had a great variety of plants, bulbs, trees and more! Many Thanks to Paula & crew for the loads of work involved in setting up the sale. On May 30 was the annual planting bee of the planters in Carman. Under the capable direction of Darlene, all the planters were planted and looked spectacular as the summer progressed. Darlene had designed the main street planters with the red and white theme in keeping with Canada s 150th. On June 3rd was the trellis making day held at the home of one of our members. They had lots of willow trees of all sizes to make the trellis s. Another gorgeous spring day and I m sure everyone who attended was pleased with the addition of the trellis to their garden. Afterwards, a well deserved cup of coffee [& cake] and admiring each other s creations. On July 21 was the annual Celebration Garden Tour. Approximately 110 folks toured 6 different styles of gardens in and around Carman and no rain... to speak of, so a great day. Had a number of visitors from far and wide, from Northern Manitoba to Halifax! Have a few prospects for 2018 already. looking forward to that already! You may have heard that Carman Council has decided to take down a number of trees in Carman in order to make repairs to the sidewalks and roadways. The Carman Garden Club along with many other citizens attended a Council meeting to voice their objections to the removal of the tress. One business even had ribbons for people to tie around the trees as a sign of displeasure to the Town Council. Our council has now asked the Garden Club for suggestions and ideas and work with them as to how to beautify downtown Carman. Although the trees will still be taken down, they ll be replaced with other trees, planters and lighting. We realize that budgets and other items come into the picture, but, we also are happy that Council is listening to it s citizens. On Aug. 3rd we had our annual Flower Show. We had a good showing of various flowers, fruits and veggies in multiple ways. Although the entries were slightly down from last year, due to the heat and bugs we had and then the rain we had the day of bringing in the entries, all were still pleased at how many entries there were and the wonderful display of color and creativity. Our own Mary McCutcheon won the Grand Aggregate award.again! Congratulations, Mary! Our Jr. Gardener s, too, under the capable direction of Janet and Lani, had an impressive display of fruits, veggies, their books and creations for all to admire. We had 18 enthusiastic Jr. Gardener s this year along with energetic leaders, Janet & Lani. And not to forget the Canadian Shield roses.. they are beautiful!! Wonderful red and showy color! Our Many Thanks!! to the MHA for a great and thoughtful fundraiser to help celebrate Canada s 150th and we have beautiful roses to admire now and in the years to come. And now summer is waning and fall is starting to show up in the trees and in our gardens. The combines are in full swing in most areas and there is freshness in the night air. We re hoping that...uh hum...frost stays away for a long time yet. I m sure most of us would like to enjoy our gardens and the outdoor activities yet for a while. In the meantime, we do look forward to starting up our Fall meetings and catching up with others about their summer activities... where did summer go? Relax and enjoy the fall colors and the smells of the season! Page 11

12 September 2017 Issue We re on the Web! See us at: M A N I T O B A H O R T I C U L T U R A L A S S O C I A T I O N 135 Thom Ave East Winnipeg, MB R2C 1A2 Bits from Carman Garden Club.. continued Phone: Fax: m.h.a@shaw.ca Editors Roger Brown Carol Clegg A couple of the Carman gals displaying the willow trellis they made in a workshop held by the club. Issue Contributors Alice van der Wal Carol Clegg Lorene Schipper Hugh Skinner Deb Boudreau Linda Wall Deadline for articles and information for the November newsletter is October 31, 2017 Darlene and some of her crew on the planting bee day. By the Book! TREES FOR NORTHERN LANSCAPES Wilbert G. Ronald Phillip S. Ronald Cost $22.50 per book, available at Jeffries Nurseries (plus shipping if required, please call nursery to order) Page 12