November/December 2015 - SSGCssgc.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Newsletters/2015November... · November/December 2015 President's Message Monthly Meetings: St. Mark’s Anglican

www.southsurreygardenclub.ca November/December 2015

President's Message

Monthly Meetings: St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 12953 20th Ave., 7 pm, 4th Wed., except Dec. and Aug.

General Meetings start at 7 pm

Garden Clippings

Cont'd on page 6...

Last fall our club was looking for two members to attend a BCCGC meeting. "Go!" I was instructed. "They always have good speakers." "You'll be given a lovely lunch," someone added. "What is BCCGC?" I asked.

BCCGC is the British Columbia Council of Garden Clubs, an umbrella group for over 170 garden clubs in BC. Our club is one of these. Representing some 19,300 gardeners of all ages, their mandate is to promote the garden club experience by providing support to members and information to the public. "Growing BC one garden at a time" their web page reads.

While attending last October's meeting, I learned BCCGC has a scholarship trust fund, held and managed by the Vancity Community Foundation. At least 4% of this is distributed each year to various BC education facilities, assisting students in their horticultural programs. In 2014, $8,900 was distributed. In 2015, some $9,400 will be

distributed. Donations received are held in perpetuity. In October 2014, the fund had a value approaching $250,000.

I was impressed that BCCGC had accumulated this much capital in a scholarship trust fund. I considered the cost of education these days and wondered how much assistance a $500 to $1,000 award would give today's students. "Not much," was my conclusion. I noted that the SSGC was not on the list of 2014 club donors and then remembered our club has its own annual scholarship to Kwantlen Polytechnic University's horticultural program, the "South Surrey Garden Club Francisca Darts Memorial Award."

http://www.southsurreygardenclub.ca

Page 2 November/December


PRESIDENT: Lorna Fraser, 604-536-4288, [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT: Melodie Brandon, 604-536-6180 , [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT: Susan Lazar, 778-294-0244, [email protected]

SECRETARY: Brenda Woosnam,604-541-7260, [email protected]

TREASURER: James Good, 604-536-2199, [email protected]

PROGRAM COORDINATOR: Nancy Hoyano, 604-535-2774, [email protected]

ASST PROGRAM: Heidi Baloun, 604-542-1642, [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP: David Broomhead, 604-533-1142, [email protected]

LIBRARY: Sharon Lawson, 604-538-1851, [email protected]

LOGISTICS: VACANTPLANT SALE COORDINATOR: VACANT

FLOWER SHOW: Cindy Tataryn,604-585-6786, [email protected]

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR:Kathy Bryce, 604-597-3565, [email protected]

DARTS HILL REP: Carol Wong, 604-560-4385, [email protected]

NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Juhli B. Farrell, 604-535-8827, [email protected]

2015–16 SSGC Executive

Please consider volunteering for one of the VACANT positions.

FOR MEMBERS ONLY: Our Seize the Spade Facebook page is atwww.facebook.com/groups/southsurreygardenclub/

Previous newsletters, minutes of the executive and general meetings, MEMBERSHIP FORM, UPCOMING EVENTS,

and LOTS MORE can be found online at...https://southsurreygardenclub.ca/

Next General Meeting will be on November 25, 2015

https://southsurreygardenclub.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/southsurreygardenclub/

mailto:[email protected]


tel:604%20560%204385












The Garden Clippings Newsletter is published six times yearly: September, November, January, March, May, and July. Articles must be word-processed and received by the editor before the first of the month. All submissions are welcome and subject to editing.

Proofreader: Pamela RobertsonPhotographer: Pamela AtkinsonLand Mail: Lucina Perkin

OPEN GARDENS COORDINATOR: Kathy Starke, 604-535-8264,[email protected]

DOOR PRIZE: Carol Wood, 604-538-1863, [email protected]

MONTHLY PLANT SALE: Susan Tufts, 604-535-0939, [email protected]

MASTER GARDENERS’ DESK: Mary Dunn, 604-536-7966, [email protected]

SUNSHINE GARDENERS: Carol Wong, 604-596-4385, [email protected]

SUNSHINE GREETINGS (GET WELL): Brenda Woosnam,604-541-7260, [email protected]

Note: If you know someone in need of a little sunshine, please contact Brenda.

PHONING COMMITTEE: Melodie Brandon, 604-536-6180 , [email protected]

AWARDS: Susan Lazar, 778-294-0244, [email protected]

2015–16 SSCG Committee Members

Page 3November/December


WRITER/INTERVIEWER: Lee Bolton Robinson, 604-541-1357,[email protected]

SETUP: Dick Logie, 604-541-1196, [email protected] Gray, 604-535-2753, [email protected] Williams, 604-535-0543

CLEANUP: Peace Arch Cub Group parents and leaders

PRESENTATION ASSISTANCE: Linda Stanley Wilson, 604-542-3003,[email protected]

NOMINATING COMMITTEE:Susan Lazar, 778-294-0244, [email protected]

GOODIES COORDINATOR:Ruth Sebastian, 604-535-7173, [email protected]

LOST & FOUND: Lorna Fraser, 604-536-4288, [email protected]















tel:604-538-1863




Goings On by Sandi Bellamy

Surrey Parks and Recreationwww.surrey.ca

Thursday, November 5 (5:00-8:00): Garden Light Festival at Bear Creek Park (13750 88 Avenue). Fourth annual festival features light displays, music, food, and wildlife, set in the natural landscape of the garden. Saturday, November 21 (9:00-1:00): Free bird walk in the Serpentine Wildlife Man-agement Area, 14246 44 Avenue. Walk along the grassy dyke trails scanning the open water for migrating waterfowl. From King George Blvd., turn west onto 44th Avenue & proceed to the parking area on the left.

Historic Stewart Farmwww.surrey.ca/heritage

Saturday, November 21 (10:00-12:00): Bring a friend to the "Joy of Wreaths" and get into the Christmas spirit as you craft your own holiday wreath from a variety of fresh and fragrant local materials.Saturday, December 12 (12:00-3:00): Start a family tradition this year with a visit to the farm's annual holiday gathering, the "Christmas Open House." Sing along with classic carols played on their piano, indulge in sweet Victorian treats baked in the woodstove, and craft old-time Christmas décor for your tree. Drop-in, all ages. Entrance by donation.

UBC Botanical Gardenwww.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca

Saturday, November 28 (9:00-12:00): Wreath Making with the Friends of the Garden (FOGS). Cost $65. Register online.

Point Grey Chrysanthemum Associationwww.chrysanthemumsvancouver.com/

Saturday, November 7 & Sunday, November 8 (12:00-4:00 & 10:00-4:00): The Late Chrysanthemum Show will display exotic, late-blooming chrysanthemums and an ikebana display. Location is Gardenworks Mandeville, 4746 SE Marine Drive, Burnaby.

http://www.chrysanthemumsvancouver.com/

http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca

http://www.surrey.ca/heritage

http://www.surrey.ca

Goings On by Sandi Bellamy cont'd...



Van Dusen Gardenswww.vandusengarden.org

Sunday, November 22 (10:00-4:00): Taste of the Tropics. Learn about vanilla, coffee, plantains, papaya, and more, and then search the conservatory to see these plants in the collections. Bloedel Conservatory, 4600 Cambie, Vancouver. Adults $6.50, Seniors $4.50. Free with Conservatory admission.

Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29 (10:00-4:00): Dried flower arrang-ers sale of beautiful, live wreaths, swags, tree ornaments and Christmas arrangements created with materials grown at Van Dusen. HSBC Arrival Hall in the Visitor Centre. Free admission.

Saturday, November 28 & Saturday, December 19 (10:00): Bird walk to learn about the native bird species that make their home in Van Dusen Gardens. Free for members with garden admission.

Tuesday, December 1 to Thursday, December 31 (4:30-9:00): Festival of Lights every night in December except Dec. 25. From December 19 to 23, they are open an extra hour from 4:30-10:00. Adults $8, Seniors (65+) $5.75.

West Coast Gardenswww.westcoastgardens.ca

Friday, November 20 (9:00): Ninth annual Poinsettia Premiere.

Phoenix Perennialswww.phoenixperennials.com

Friday, December 4 to Sunday, December 6 (10:00-3:00): A weekend of work-shops. Register online for Indoor Christmas Container $30+tax, Christmas Rose Wreath Making $55+tax, or Christmas Rose Outdoor Container $20+tax.

Additional upcoming events will be posted online athttps://southsurreygardenclub.ca/


http://www.phoenixperennials.com

http://www.westcoastgardens.ca

http://www.vandusengarden.org

President's Message cont'd...



Mid-morning, BCCGC award winner Terisha Mitchell, the youngish woman standing on the far right of this picture, taken at the opening of the Agricultural Centre of Excellence, was ushered to my table. As we introduced ourselves, I learned she was attending the meeting to thank the council on behalf of all the 2014 award winners. "I don’t think anyone else was available," she said. We listenedto a presentation and discussed it when it was over. It was her turn to speak next. "I am very nervous," she said. "I get heart palpitations." "You'll do fine," I responded."Just remember to breathe."

Terisha Mitchell stood at the podium and, nervousness and heart palpitations well hid-den, quickly engaged all of us with her humour and genuineness. As a career-challenged single mother with three school-aged children, she had concluded that her life would be somewhat marginal if she didn't come up with a meaningful way to support herself. She wanted to set a good example for her children. She wanted to contribute to the world.

She thanked her local gardening club for encouraging her to pursue her love of gardening. She spoke of meeting representatives of the club at a local gardening event and was very grateful for all the information they were able to give her. Eventually, she enrolled in a two-year program at the University of the Fraser Valley. She engaged, she excelled, and she found her passion: laboratory research on invasive species.

She also worried. As she prepared to head off to class in September 2014, her children, because of the public school strike, were staying at home. Was it right to leave them? How would they manage? Was she really doing the right thing by going to school? Would she be able to manage financially? These thoughts were wearing her down.

She spoke of the mail slot on her front door opening and the mail tumbling to the floor. She saw an unfamiliar logo on one of the envelopes and opening it she read a letter of congratulations from BCCGC. Her feeling of gratitude was overwhelming. As important as the money was, it was the sense of validation she felt when she read through the letter that made her realize yes, she was following the correct path. And just like that, while I was hanging on her every word and hearing the sincerity of her thanks, I understood that an award of $500-$1,000 is indeed a tremendous boost for today's students.

Cont'd on page 10...



Book Review by Gina Dobrodzicka

"Brilliant Green: The Surprising History and Science of Plant Intelligence"

by Stefano Mancuso & Alessandra ViolaEdited: 2013 by Giunto Editore S.p.A. Firenze-Milano

English edition: 2015 by Island Press, translated by Joan Benham

I found out about this book accidentally in the Maclean's book review section. Infected with the enthusiasm radiating from the brief review, I looked for the book in a public library only to find out that it was not there yet, although the title was on the Library's short shopping list. Not discouraged, I put my name on the waiting list. The wait lasted almost five months but the book was definitely worth it.

Brilliant Green is a hard-covered, relatively short book of 192 pages divided into five chapters. It was originally written in Italian by Stefano Mancuso, the director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology in Florence, Italy. Its co-author, Alessandra Viola, is a scientific journalist, writer of documentaries, and television script-writer.

In Brilliant Green the authors present a new paradigm in our understanding of the plant world. They elegantly combine a historical perspective with the latest research in plant science, particularly neuroscience. By the way, the historical perspective is surprisingly wide, starting from Democritus and Aristotle, through Carl Linnaeus and Charles Darwin (and his son, Francis) to Jagadish Chandra Bose and Nigel Fechner.

The book's message is simple and shocking. Humans have always believed, and still do, that they are the most important living beings on the planet and everything revolves around them. In consequence, they arrogantly underestimate plants, treating them as stationary furniture or at best as passive, insensitive machines. However, discoveries over the past fifty years have challenged these ideas and new light has been shed on the extraordinary capabilities of plants. According to the authors, plants are equipped with five senses similar to ours, despite lacking our sensory organs. Moreover, they also possess at least 15 other senses that we don’t have, like locating sources of water, sensing gravity and electromagnetic fields, or measuring chemicals in the air and soil. And there is more. The authors strongly believe that plants are organisms with a capacity for acquiring, storing, sharing, processing, and utilizing information collected from the environment they live in. They are intelligent and aware. And since plants are endowed with intelligence, they have another ability related to this property: they can sleep. Plants lack a single powerful brain but instead they have millions of computing structures located in root apices. These structures work together in a complex network that can be compared to the internet. The closing chapter of the book can shock with its radical suggestion: plants should be guaranteed rights, dignity, and respect.

Cont'd on page 8...

November Speaker: Dr. Zamir Punja



Dr. Zamir Punja will be speaking on the topic ofMoulds in your Garden–Beauty and the Beast.

Dr. Punja is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences a SFU. He joined SFU in 1989 after seven years of working with the Campbell Soup Company in the USA. His research interests are on plant-fungal interactions and studying the control of fungal diseases on vegetable and horticultural crops. A second area of interest is plant bio-technology, to improve plant resistance to disease using techniques in plant tissue culture, molecular biology, and genetic engineering. His work is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/punja/

Book Report cont'd...The authors’ vision of plant life is far more sophisticated than most people dare to imagine. Many ideas are truly revolutionary and the book sometimes resembles a passionate manifesto. Are plants truly brilliant green creatures? Read the book and find out.

Gina Dobrodzicka

http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/punja/


Darts Hill Report by Carol Wong


Wonderful things have happened at the garden this year, thanks to the hard work of Ken Warren and his team of city workers, as well as the dedicated volunteers. There are new compost bins in the upper parking lot, planting around the pond has been completed, a new stone wall has been constructed, and our new and improved signage is ongoing.

The SSGC Darts Hill weeders continue their great work. No need to water anymore, so we were out in the rain planting dozens of exciting new plants in Bed 26, our bed. Hopefully this will fill in many of the empty spaces.

Our close-up work day was on October 24. We finished pruning and weeding and top-dressed the beds. After a couple of hours of work, we enjoyed a pot luck lunch in the house.

If you have any questions please call me at 604-626-8421.

Carol Wong, Darts Hill Repwww.dartshill.ca/

Grow and Show Your Fall Bounty

There will be a table at the back of room for members to display their fall bounty. Please write the name of the fruit, vegetable, branch, leaf, flower, etc. on a tag or a post-it-note. If you don't know the name, please provide a blank note so if

someone recognizes it, they can identify it for you. Let's hope on November 25, you will still have something in your garden to show!

Rosamund Goldberg and Sharon Lawson

http://www.dartshill.ca/


President's Message cont'd...


I recently made a private donation to the BCCGC scholarship trust fund. It appeals to my nature that Vancity will issue me a tax receipt. But more importantly, Terisha was an inspirational speaker who made me understand these awards are critical in supporting our up-and-coming horticultural students. She concluded her thanks by saying that we are all trustees of our earth. Her words have stayed with me and I want to give others like her the support they need to get on with what they want to do. I encourage all of you to consider doing the same.

Our garden club has some 300 members. Imagine if all of us were to make a one-time $100 donation to the BCCGC scholarship fund. This $30,000 influx of capital as managed by the Vancity Community Foundation could possibly establish two addition-al annual awards, in perpetuity. What a wonderful end-of-year gift from us to our BC horticultural community!

Information about BCCGC and their scholarship trust fund is at: http://bcgardenclubs.com/wp/.

If you wish to donate to the fund, you can do it online through Vancity at http://vancitycommunityfoundation.ca/s/donor_advised_directory.asp?ReportID=473573.

Also, you may mail a cheque, made out to Vancity Community Foundation, with a note the money is to go to the BC Council of Garden Clubs Scholarship Fund, to Vancity Community Foundation, Suite #810-815 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1B4. I chose to be anonymous when I made my donation, and added under the request for additional information, "SSGC member."

Lorna FraserPresident

The Communications Committee is drafting a survey that will be sent out to all members in the next couple of weeks. This will help us to plan club programs and activities and give you a chance to give us some feedback and make suggestions. We will be using an online survey, which will allow us to easily tabulate the results and provide a report for everyone to read. A limited number of paper copies will also be available for those who would prefer to write out their responses. We encourage you to take the time to complete the survey to ensure we get enough responses to reflect the entire membership. So watch out for an email with a link to the survey!

Please contact Kathy Bryce, [email protected], for more information.

Membership Survey


http://vancitycommunityfoundation.ca/s/donor_advised_directory.asp?ReportID=473573

http://vancitycommunityfoundation.ca/s/donor_advised_directory.asp?ReportID=473573

http://bcgardenclubs.com/wp/

November/December Page 11


Tomato Powdery Mildew by Mary DunnI expected this hot, dry summer to provide excellent conditions for growing tomatoes, and was disappointed to find all my plants attacked by powdery mildew, which I had never had before. I heard from some people who also had it on their tomatoes, and others who did not.

Powdery mildews are fungal diseases that affect many plants. There are many different species, and each species only attacks certain plants. They are obligate para-sites that can only affect living plant tissue. Most powdery mildew fungi grow as thin layers of mycelium on the surface of the infected plant, and are spread by spores (most of the visible white powdery growth), which are spread by wind, water, insects, humans, or animals. Unlike many fungi, powdery mildews do not usually require water to become established and grow (some are actually killed or inhibited by the presence of free water on plant tissues). They thrive in warm and shady conditions. Affected plants show white, powdery spots on leaves, stems, and sometimes flowers and fruit. Leaves become distorted, turn yellow, and eventually die and drop off. The effect on tomato plants is reduced production and quality of fruit, as the loss of leaves means reduced photosynthesis.

Although this is a common problem in greenhouse production, it is less common in field-grown crops, and there are a number of different species in different areas of the country. I think it is most likely to be Oidium neolycopersici locally. It also affects other plants, especially other solanaceous crops such as peppers, eggplant, potato, and the weed nightshade.

Management starts with prevention: grow in sun, with good air circulation, and avoid excess fertilizer (especially nitrogen). Unfortunately, overhead watering to wet the leaves doesn’t work for tomato plants, which are susceptible to other fungal diseases. Fungicides such as sulphur have to be used as a preventative, and carry their own risks, as do neem, jojoba, and horticultural oils used to treat infection. Baking soda and milk sprays have also been tried. An interesting preventative measure is spraying young plants every two weeks with a solution of Aspirin (ASA, acetylsalicylic acid) in water. Suggested concentrations vary from one 325 mg tablet/gallon of water, to two 325 mg tablets/quart of water. The reasoning is that salicylic acid (SA) stimulates a response in plants called Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). It mimics a plant's natural response to attack by pathogens by setting up resistance elsewhere in the plant. Plants can even give off SA in a volatile form to warn nearby plants of a threat.

Unfortunately, powdery mildew was already present on my tomato plants, so spraying with ASA was not effective. It has to be done before the disease is present, but I’ll try it next year.

Mary Dunn, Master Gardener

November/DecemberPage 12


Propagation Team at Darts Hill



Propagation Team Report

The propagation team met on October 26 at 10:00 am. Sharon Lawson, a Master Gardener, was the propaga-tion guru. Leader Sandi Bellamy brought her camera, hence the cool pics! Susan Lazar spent the morning creating labels with the help of Melanie Rantucci. Susan Bertoia retrieved a weighty, wiggly worm and saved it for her garden, plus she split and repotted plants along with Sharon Oke, Pat Logie, Brenda Woosnam, Gillian Davis, Laurence Assoignon, Sharon, Sandi, Melanie, and myself, Juhli Farrell. It was a very productive two hours. By noon, we had over 250 plants in pots. And Scarlet Black kindly delayed her photo shoot to take the group photo below. She shared the picture on her blog at:

https://dartshillgarden.wordpress.com/2015/10/30/south-surrey-garden-club-people-in-the-garden/

The propagation venue at Darts Hill is perfect. Not only did we feel what I can only imagine was the euphoric spirit of Francisca Darts, but the shelter donated by the city is great for storage and keeping things dry (like tables and chairs). The city recently created areas for composting. Sharon added our remains to one of the three piles.

The next propagation session will be on Monday, Nov. 2, 9:00 amat Darts Hill. We welcome others to join this group.

Please bring your gardening gloves, trowel, secateurs, a small saw if you have one, coffee, and a snack. Don't forget to wear your name tag!

If you have any questions, contact Sandi Bellamy at [email protected] or telephone her at 604-538-0561.

Photo by Scarlet Black






SSGC New Members (2015–2016)

to the South Surrey Garden club. We encourage you to update your profile online AND volunteerfor one or more activities. A list can be found at:

Previous newsletters, minutes of the executive and general meetings, MEMBERSHIP FORM, UPCOMING EVENTS, PERSONAL PROFILE,




¨ Donna Burns¨ Allison Burton¨ Melody Cochrane¨ Bonnie Douglas¨ Gillian Douglas¨ Nancy Gingell¨ Anne Gloekler¨ Danielle Goodbrand¨ Denise Harris¨ Jenny Leese¨ Carolyn Logan¨ Dawn Morris¨ Dawn Nelson¨ Barbara Underwood ¨ Lynn Wright¨ Sandra Yang

http://ssgc.wildapricot.org/Resources/Documents/VolunteerActivities.pdf

http://ssgc.wildapricot.org/Resources/Documents/VolunteerActivities.pdf






From the EditorThe Garden Clippings newsletter depends you, the reader, but I also encourage readers to share and submit an article to me at [email protected].

NOTE: Starting in January 2016, Garden Clippings will be issued in January, April, July, and October (4 issues). This will help reduce printing and postage costs as well as help cut back on information overload.

Kathy Bryce keeps the website up-to-date with the latest SSGC events and information; David and Chloe Broomhead maintain a SSGC Yahoo discussion group; and members can share on the SSGC private Facebook page called Seize the Spade.

The Garden Clippings newsletter is a way for members to exercise their writing skills. Not only does writing an article keep the brain active, but it connects you with the local gardening community. Each issue can be downloaded to a computer, tablet, IPad, or printer so readers may enjoy each other's successes and challenges in the comfort of an armchair or flying first class around the world.

In the global community there are multi-layers of communication, leaving some screaming communication overload. At least we live in a democracy and can still choose what we read and when.

Susan Lazar shared one of her gardening magazines with me, Fine Gardening (February 2014). In it are all the pronunciations of the plants referred to in that issue. Very helpful to a novice like me. But, what I want to share with you is an article by Jared Barnes. Here he describes autumn's 'Winter Beauty' redtwig dogwood…

“It's as if this dogwood has an underlying yellow primer and the sun's rays have airbrushed the youngest segments red...”

With this beautiful image in mind, I hope you spot a 'Winter Beauty' redtwig dogwood or a 'Bihou' Japanese maple while outdoors absorbing the beauty of fall. A hike in our BC forests is very calming for me. I assume it is for many others too. Maybe, while communicating with the trees, you will come up with an idea for an article for the Garden Clippings newsletter. I challenge you to try!

Merry Christmas everyone. Juhli B. Farrell



Surrey residents may purchase a $25 voucher at the Building Counter at City Hall, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm to buy a tree worth $75 at a participating nurseries, which can be found at:

http://www.surrey.ca/community/11144.aspx.

Payments are accepted by cash, cheque, or debit.

Get tips on planting your tree in the right location at

http://www.surrey.ca/community/5973.aspx

November/DecemberPage 16


Tree Vouchers

Previous newsletters, minutes of the executive and general meetings, MEMBERSHIP FORM, UPCOMING EVENTS,






