The AUXILIARY of Royal Botanical Gardens Fall … RBG Auxiliary Fall 2014 President - Roxine Bisson The RBG Auxiliary Fall General Meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2014 was well

Reports in this Issue:

President 2

Vice President 2

Past President 2

Archives 3

Auxiliary Workshop 4

Christmas Show and Sale 4

Docents 5

Gardening Information 6

Horticultural Sales 6

Information Desk 7

Library 7

Membership 8

Policies and Procedures 8

Services 9

Shop @ The Gardens 9

Social Committee 9

Special Events 10

Special Gardens Tours 12

Tour Guides 13

Trail Watchers 13

Volunteer Gardeners 15

Members’ Contributions 15

Dates To Remember:

Nov 25 (Tue) New Volunteer Orientation

Nov 25-27 (Tue-Thu) Bagging of the Greens

Dec 1-3 (Mon-Wed) Evergreen Design Workshops

Dec 4 (Thu) Family and Friends Day, Shop @ The Gardens

Dec 4-6 (Thu-Sat) Members Appreciation, Shop @ The Gardens

Jan 26, 2015 (Mon) Auxiliary/Docent Meeting

Jan 27, 2015 (Tue) New Volunteer Orientation

Feb 19, 2015 (Thu) Auxiliary AGM & Luncheon

Feb 23, 2015 (Mon) Auxiliary/Docent Meeting

Feb 26, 2015 (Thu) New Volunteer Orientation

This Newsletter was produced by the Newsletter Committee:

Judith Reed, Chair; Frances Smith, Layout; Gabrielle Adams;

Judy Erridge; Jill McDougall; Lyn Robinson

Thank you to all contributors for your articles & photos

The AUXILIARY of Royal Botanical Gardens

Fall Newsletter

November 2014 Website: www.rbg.ca

Telephone: (905) 577-7771

email: [email protected]

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Fall 2014 RBG Auxiliary

President - Roxine Bisson

The RBG Auxiliary Fall General Meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2014 was well attended. Greetings were brought from Leslie Bullock, the new Chair of the RBG Board, as well as by Darlene Bennet-Howes. Catherine Arlein described the concept of the Grants Initiative in which some employers make donations to charitable organizations (e.g. RBG) in the name of their former or current employees. Members were encouraged to check with their employers re eligibility. The guest speaker was Sean James, President of Fern Ridge Landscaping, a company specializing in sustainable landscaping. Sean spoke about “Xeriscaping”, the choice and use of plant material requiring little or no watering.

Vice President - Jean Crowe

The third annual Information Session for Past Presidents was held in early October with 10 Auxiliary past presidents in attendance.

Mark Runciman, CEO, gave an update on what has been achieved at RBG during 2014 and what is planned for the future. This included events at the gardens and an update on the rejuvenation of the Rock Garden. Additionally, Duncan Ross (not our Duncan Ross), the recently appointed Director of Sales, Marketing and Visitor Experience, provided an insight into his background and his plans for RBG going forward. It is encouraging to see the interest still taken by past presidents in the current operations of RBG.

The Nominating Committee has been hard at work getting volunteers for the various director and committee chair positions for 2015-2016 and I am pleased to say that 95% of vacancies now have candidates. Many thanks go to the Committee Members.

Past President - David Reed

All our volunteers are sincerely thanked for their hard work over the past several months. Long-standing members contributed knowledge and experience and new members brought enthusiasm and new skills. Many hours were dedicated to fundraising events this year and the Auxiliary proudly donated $50,000 to RBG to continue to repay the cost of the construction of the Children’s Natural Playground. It is a highlight for all children who come to visit RBG.

Family-focused special events have proven extremely popular at RBG. Our volunteers worked closely with RBG staff during the Enchanted Weekend, Teddy Bear Picnic and The Great Pumpkin Trail days, either prior to the events or by assisting on site. Some even dressed in costume as a fairy godmother, an emergency nurse or a magical wizard. In preparation for The Great Pumpkin Trail, busy hands carved 200 jack-o’-lanterns, each one different and some remarkably artistic.

Looking ahead, a schedule of 140 shifts has been drawn up to guarantee interpreters at the annual train exhibit. The extension of Holiday Traditions activities to include the

decorated Oak Allée walkway in Hendrie Park will be sure to please children who will discover Santa’s Village installed in Turner Pavilion this year. The winter exhibit “Frogs: A Chorus of Colours” promises more opportunities for active involvement with children and their families.

This fall, the RBG Board of Directors adopted a new Strategic Plan with four goals: to develop excellence in Guest Experience, Financial Sustainability, Environmental Leadership and Governance and Leadership. The Auxiliary was identified as a valuable resource and the Strategic Plan stated that RBG should “maximize Auxiliary involvement”. Accordingly, it can be expected that our group will be called upon for continued support to on-going as well as new initiatives. We look forward to and will welcome new opportunities for increased participation. We want to support RBG as it develops into an all-season, multi-purpose visitors’ destination. In anticipation of greater involvement, the time has come to dedicate effort toward significantly increasing our membership numbers. My challenge to you is to encourage a friend, neighbour or acquaintance to consider volunteering at RBG. Why not invite a guest to attend one of the upcoming Docent Meetings to learn more about the Auxiliary?

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Archives - Marie Minaker

An old adage states ‘anything worth having is worth waiting for’. Such was the case with the Archives group when RBG undertook an ambitious remodeling project of the old office area and library on the second floor of the RBG Center. Archives had been housed in the upstairs library, in a casual, cottage-like setting with mismatched chairs and tables of varying height, reposing on old dark broadloom. This casualness inspired volunteers to arrive early, in order to stake out comfortable seating with a compatible table. In preparation for the renovations, Archives was relocated from this area in February 2014 to the basement Auxiliary lounge for a guesstimated two months. Spring came and went, as did summer. Finally, in October, we moved back into the library, in a setting that can only be described as outstanding. Gone are the mismatched furnishings, replaced by sleek, contemporary tables and chairs. The lighting is subdued and the broadloom done in calm, neutral grays, creating a professional setting which befits RBG’s status. Of equal stature for the volunteers, is a long awaited, fire engine red step ladder, compatible with the upcoming Christmas decorations.

Many thanks are due to Dr. D. Galbraith who organized and physically assisted RBG staff in moving countless Archive file boxes from and back to the newly renovated library.

Archives temporary workspace in the basement Auxiliary lounge

Archives documents moved up to newly renovated library

Archives cataloguers, Shirley Jordan and Frances Smith

Archives cataloguers, Elizabeth Avery and Carol Ruggles

Elizabeth Avery using new red step ladder

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Every year valued members retire and we appreciate that new enthusiastic people join us so that we can continue to accomplish the goals that we have set for the Workshop.

As in previous years the two major activities for the fall are the Show and Sale (November 13-15) and the Evergreen Workshops (December 2-3). We also decorate the Colonnade.

Two new initiatives this year are flowers for placement in the public washrooms and helping to decorate the Allée part of RBG’s Holiday Traditions event.

Despite a rainy and weedy summer in the Auxiliary Garden the crop is bountiful and ready for use.

Auxiliary Workshop - Janet Stoddart

Christmas Show and Sale - Kathy Conway

The 2014 RBG Christmas Show and Sale was held from November 13-15. With the public being greeted by Auxiliary members dressed in Santa hats, it set the tone for a fun welcome to RBG. There was a hint of snow in the air and the chugging of trains in the background. How exciting it was for the members of the workshop who created beautiful designs along with urn inserts and fresh topiaries to see their products selling. Very popular again this year were the Amaryllis and Paperwhite bulbs along with boxwood wreaths and lemon cypress plants. Many vendors were happy with their sales.

We are very grateful for all Auxiliary members who worked in packaging, holding, selling on the floor, greeting guests and making products for us to sell.

We could not do the show without help from RBG staff and we thank them for their assistance.

While sales were good, they were not quite what we have seen in the past. We hope this annual event continues to be a valuable contribution to RBG.

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Christmas Show and Sale - continued

Docents - Cathy Cummins

Educational as well as entertaining speakers, tasty treats supplied by our social committee and details regarding upcoming events at RBG combined to make the fall meetings an enjoyable experience for Auxiliary members. The complexity of the Cootes to Escarpment Ecosystem and the planning behind the new Iris beds in Laking Garden were topics that gave everyone a greater appreciation of RBG behind the scenes.

Our most popular meeting and final meeting of the year is always November when we all bring in a plate of Christmas goodies and invite the staff to join us at coffee time. This November the speaker, back by popular demand, is Peter Thoem, an Auxiliary member, with his fabulous bird photography.

We’ll start again in January. All Auxiliary members are encouraged to join us the last Monday of each month.

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Horticultural Sales - Dan Totino It was both a busy and a lazy summer at the Arboretum. Busy in that we got a lot done; lazy in that the pace was considerably slower than in the winter and spring.

The Iris/Hemerocallis beds have been cleaned up and mulched – they look much better, and holes have been filled with new plants. Up in High Hill the crew there were busy pulling plants to be potted for next year’s Sale and replacing them with new plants to be bulked up. And of course weeding, weeding, and weeding.

Perennials were started from seed for next year, and the Shop @ The Gardens team was busy tending our plants there and keeping the Shop well stocked.

On October 14 RBG staff installed the new cover on #7 so we now have a place to store our plants for the winter. Our team had previously replaced the old rotting wood along the base with new lumber.

We have started the process of planning for 2015. We are working with Jodi Healy (Manager of Gardens) and Jon Peter (Curator and Manager of Plant Documentation) this year to coordinate ordering. This will help us to be more efficient, and save money.

Gardening Information - Darlene Leduc Gardening Information has had another interesting season. The public has brought us numerous mysteries to solve which proves to be fun and educational. Dr. David Galbraith has introduced us to a plant identification website that has been most helpful.

I am pleased to introduce two new members to our committee. Angele Krasznai has been with us for the past several months. She is a very talented researcher and has a pleasant and helpful manner dealing with the public. She is working with long time member Margaret Davidson. Patricia Ferguson has just joined our group bringing with her much valued computer skills. She and Joan Leigh-Bell make a great team.

If you have any gardening questions don’t forget to contact us (1-800-694-4769 or 905-825-5040) and tell all your friends we are there to serve them.

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Library - Diane Proper

The library volunteers are very happy to once again be in the renovated space of the main library where the books are back on the shelves. Below is a photo of 2 volunteers in front of the book shelves.

The computer is still in LARC however, so we are working in two locations.

We have had several book sales to sell donated books that the library already owns. Below are Brenda and Diane, two volunteers, helping to organize the sale books.

Information Desk - Pat Barton

Volunteering on the Information Desk is like being on a permanent roller coaster but not quite as exciting as the midway. Visitors either come in droves or are totally absent and the time of day or day of the week doesn`t seem to make any difference except that weekends are usually busier. Some volunteers fill more or less regular shifts but others come and go. They disappear to fill other roles or travel the world and then reappear.

In October we had a coffee meeting mainly to meet each other as of course we never work together. We discussed concerns, shared tips for working more effectively and enjoyed some amusing stories. Lesley Massard, our RBG contact, filled us in on the many upcoming events happening over the next few months. We will be busy.

If you would like to join the front line for welcoming visitors don`t hesitate. We always need more volunteers especially as “snowbird” season is approaching.

Library volunteers, Diane Proper and Brenda Deacoff

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Policies and Procedures - Gabrielle Adams

The Policies and Procedures Committee met on August 13, 2014, for the mandatory annual review of all Policies and Procedures and to consider proposed changes to policies brought forward by the Auxiliary Executive.

Primary changes were in Policies 1, 4, 9 and 11 to have committee members-at-large appointed by current Chairs rather than elected. Other matters included clarifications in Policies 2 and 3 and the addition in Policy 8 of the new apparel available to Auxiliary members for identification purposes. A few changes were also made to ensure consistent wording across all policies.

The Committee’s recommended changes were approved by the Auxiliary Board of Directors at its September 9, 2014, meeting and by the Auxiliary membership at the September 11, 2014, General Meeting.

Membership - Linda Heaver

As of the end of October, the Auxiliary had a total of 332 members and we continue to interview prospective members for our monthly New Volunteer Orientation sessions. A highlight of orientation for new volunteers is the special tour of the gardens including the Arboretum, Hendrie, Laking and Mediterranean gardens provided by Auxiliary Tour Guides Toni Carson, Jo-Ann Price and Peter Thoem.

We’re excited about re-opening opportunities for our members to volunteer in the Herbarium, under the guidance of RBG’s new Herbarium Curator, Nadia Cavallin. Volunteers are needed for data base entry and for mounting plant specimens from the herbarium collection. Training is being provided. Please contact the Membership Team if you are interested.

Our President, Roxine Bisson, and Vice-President, Jean Crowe, are actively searching for new volunteer opportunities for our members. As a result, starting on Sunday afternoons in November,

members can provide guided tours of the Mediterranean Garden focused on the theme “Primping with Plants”. This involves a Discovery Cart that encourages visitors to explore how plants are involved in making products for beauty and hygiene for use every day. Training and resources are available. If you are interested in trying something new, please contact Jean Crowe.

We are always looking for new volunteers to support the RBG. Please consider inviting a friend, neighbor or relative to join you in volunteering with the Auxiliary. You know how much you enjoy the experience!

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Social Committee - Janice Cooper

The fall season has been extremely busy for the Social Committee. We are a small group of very enthusiastic members who provide coffee and refreshments for the monthly Docent meetings. The September and October meetings were very well attended. The successful Fall Breakfast was also organized by our committee. Upcoming events that we are planning for are the Christmas Show and Sale and the Evergreen workshops. If you enjoy planning and providing hospitality in a fun atmosphere think about joining us.

Shop @ The Gardens - Janet Hutton

It's that time of year again - Christmas!!! We will be having our members appreciation where you will receive 20% off your entire purchase, no exceptions.

There will also be a day to bring family and friends and they will also receive your discount. We look forward to seeing you all out doing your Christmas shopping and enjoying the extra savings.

Members Appreciation will be on December 4-6, 2014.

Family and Friends Day will be on December 4, 2014.

Services - Dan Totino The 2014 Holiday Traditions is once again featuring the Holiday Train display. The Auxiliary “Train Team” - a team of volunteers consisting of train experts, as well as enthusiastic non-experts - assisted RBG staff to put up the display. There is always MUCH work to do. From basic set up and making sure the track is level, to repairing the “Icons” – those marvellous buildings made from plant material – it’s amazing the wear and tear the equipment and displays see over the 6 weeks or so the exhibit runs.

This year there will be some tweaks to the main display – we are always striving to improve the visitor experience. Of course the Med House display will be back. This year RBG has planned a major addition to Holiday Traditions by moving Santa to the Turner Pavilion. To keep the train theme going a new train display is being added there to enhance the area where Santa will be appearing. This train features “Thomas The Tank Engine”. This is in addition to “Percy”, which we introduced last year.

The route to the Turner Pavilion and Santa will be decorated and lit with many, many lights. Your grandchildren won’t want to miss it!

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Special Events - Peter Thoem “Voyage to Paradise”

Two waterways and summer’s days, highlights of volunteering:

Two historically connected waterways. First: the Grand River, a Canadian heritage river, which is a picturesque recreational asset.

Second: Cootes Paradise, which, two centuries ago, was a long portage trail away from the Grand River, Lake Erie, Lake St. Claire and so on.

RBG was approached by Grand Adventures, a Paris-based canoe-adventures company, to join forces in a novel, two-day historic-waters package. The first day was to be a canoe trip on the Grand River complete with a riverside lunch; the second an exploration of Cootes Paradise by canoe, also including more epicurean delights.

RBG needed a handful of willing volunteers to be hosts, guides and interpreters for the second day. Three Auxiliary members offered to take up the challenge.

And so, your intrepid Auxiliary friends set out to sample the hardships of a pioneer's life. On the first day we drifted the tangled wilds of the Grand River and ate a river-bank lunch, all in the name of a historic experience.

On the second day we were paddled around Cootes Paradise whilst talking about its history, natural riches and RBG’s restoration efforts. The lakeside lunch was tasty and enjoyable — hardly a hardship at all.

Now that's volunteering !

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Special Events - continued “The Enchanted Garden Weekend”

RBG’s Enchanted Garden Weekend has been running for three years now, going from strength to strength. In fact it’s been so successful that it had to be scaled back from two weekends to one to avoid burning out all the young staff who have so happily played various fairy roles.

We persuaded RBG to include members of the Auxiliary in more front-line roles; we can do more than collect tickets after all. We can be Fairy Godmothers, Silver Queens and Wise Wizards if we put our minds to it.

And so on that wonderful August long weekend we worked alongside RBG staff-fairies. We helped make wishes: Dorothy was Penny the Peonia Fairy, Barbara became Collita the Summer Polinator Fairy and Isabel a kindly sprite who made magic things with piles of twigs. Me? I was the Fairy Queen’s gardener (Ret’d).

And the winner? Hundreds of enchanted children who know there are fairies in the garden, and always have been.

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How great to see so many children cuddling their Teddy Bears at RBG’s Teddy Bear picnic. Imagine the thrill of being a “Qualified Teddy Bear Doctor” and the excitement of the children bringing their own Teddy Bear for an assessment and an operation on Teddy if needed.

We had a team of Doctors at a Teddy Bear Clinic where we would examine each Teddy with a stethoscope where the children could listen to their Teddy’s heartbeat. By using a slight thumping with the Doctor’s finger under the stethoscope the children were wide eyed with excitement to hear their Teddy’s beating heart! Of course any slight cut or tear was fixed with a Band Aid but a major wound on the Teddy required an operation and stitches. Many Teddies got a clean bill of health and a little Band Aid.

What a wonderful reward to have this RBG “Medical Experience” and see the reaction of the children’s faces upon leaving the Teddy Bear Clinic.

Special Events - continued “Teddy Bear Picnic”

Special Gardens Tours - Jean Crowe

Circle Tuesday, June 23, 2015 on your calendar [or enter it into your smart phone] and join us for a tour of wonderful gardens at Niagara on the Lake. We have chosen a variety of gardens, large and small, with a huge selection of plant material and interesting designs. We will lunch at Niagara College's Benchmark restaurant.

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With the cooler temps this past summer, it was a real pleasure for us to hike the RBG trails searching for potential safety hazards. Many new Trail Watchers enrolled to assist in keeping our trails, which overall were in good condition, safe.

Trail Watchers enjoyed the monthly guided hikes conducted by RBG terrestrial ecologist, David d'Entremont. He brought with him a butterfly net this summer and captured a Giant Swallowtail and a Red-spotted Purple. It was amazing to watch him capture and then display the butterflies for us.

Trail Watcher Bill Bright spotted the nest of a pair of Green Heron over Grindstone Creek in Hendrie Valley. The five hatchlings flourished and we were able to watch them grow as they hopped along a fallen willow tree, gaining strength and learning to watch for minnows swimming beneath them.

As usual there is plenty of nature to be found on RBG’s trails. Don’t forget the free, guided hikes every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. until the end of May. These one and one half hour hikes are guided by knowledgeable Auxiliary Trail Watchers and change location each Sunday during the month.

1st Sunday=Hendrie Valley, 2nd Sunday=Princess Point, 3rd Sunday=North Shores (Nature Interpretive Centre), 4th Sunday=Sassafras Point (Aviary in Westdale) and if there is a 5th Sunday=Rock Chapel.

Trail Watchers - Catherine Shimmell

Tour Guides - Liz Visentin

Another summer has come and gone quickly. We were fortunate this year to not have endless heat waves and most of our tours were conducted under pleasant weather conditions. Even though some blooms like the lilacs were delayed this year due to the long, cold winter once nature awoke, the gardens were beautiful this year. Most impressive were the roses, some of which were still blooming into September. We did miss giving tours of the Rock Garden, but are looking forward to resuming our tours there once it reopens.

Even though the number of tours this year were down from previous years, the enthusiasm of both our guides and our visitors were not! This year, we had the opportunity to meet and interact with groups of people from all over Ontario and the United States. We were fortunate to also have the Earth Art exhibit and the sculptures to include on our tours in the latter part of the season. For many of the groups, it was their first time ever visiting Royal Botanical Gardens. Thanks to the expertise and enthusiasm of the Tour Guide volunteers, the groups were impressed with the gardens and facilities and raved about their tour experience. The Tour Guides are planning on continuing to work in the Mediterranean Garden on Sunday afternoons throughout the fall and winter season. All are welcome to sign up. There will be more information forthcoming in the weekly updates.

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Trail Watchers - continued

Giant Swallowtail Red-spotted Purple

Juvenile Green Heron Baby Green Heron

Bill Bright

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An average of 20 Auxiliary members assisted in the gardens during this season in Laking Garden, Hendrie Park and the Arboretum.

In Laking, the new iris beds are looking weed-free and awesome. Next years’ bloom should be something to behold.

Volunteers working at Hendrie Park spent time in most of the different garden areas. The cool spring & summer weather were perfect for growing weeds and there was no shortage of them. Mulching of the roses on the east side as a trial seemed to help. The installation of 5 sculptures donated by Dan Lawrie added to the overall pleasure in this garden.

The largest piles of unwanted vegetation were definitely created in the Synoptic Shrub Collection in the Arboretum which we focused on after lilac season. A definite improvement in this area can be seen with a promise of more additions to the collection coming.

Earth Art installations were much appreciated by the volunteers. And volunteer gardeners are much appreciated by the staff.

Volunteer Gardeners - Joyce Vanderwoude

Caged Volunteer

Weeds with Joyce

Members’ Contributions

New Sculptures in the Gardens Thanks to a Generous Donor - Yvonne Cunnington

Sculpture in the garden is an old tradition being given new life at RBG. Thanks to the generous gift of Burlington resident and Hamilton businessman, Dan Lawrie, the first works that will grace the Gardens for years to come were unveiled in Hendrie Park in late summer.

Mr. Lawrie has donated $1 million towards the purchase of numerous sculptures created by local and international artists that will find a permanent home in the gardens of RBG. The first works include pieces by Canadian, American, Zimbabwean and Spanish artists.

Dan Lawrie says the plan is to grow the collection to about 20 pieces over the next 10 years. As he explained: "I wanted to find a way to give back to the communities I've had success in. It will be a great place that draws people from all over the world and where people can learn about and become inspired by public art."

To help select the works, Lawrie and the RBG enlisted Jeremy Freiburger, a cultural strategist with Hamilton's Cobalt Connects. Their goal was to select pieces that relate to RBG’s site and mandate. For example, one notable sculpture made from recycled steel is "Pollinators" by Hamilton-born David Hind. "It is a beautiful silhouette of hands, which represent the workers at the RBG who help to pollinate the earth," said Freiburger.

The selection team looked at many pieces before narrowing the choices down to 15. Together with the RBG board and staff they chose six sculptures best suited to the gardens.

Documents

The AUXILIARY of Royal Botanical Gardens Fall … RBG Auxiliary Fall 2014 President - Roxine Bisson The RBG Auxiliary Fall General Meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2014 was well