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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, [email protected] ,
Barb Panowyk at 905-430-2939,
Sherry Howard at 905-668-7640,
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
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, [email protected].
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