!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
Burnaby Rhododendron and Gardens Society MINUTES OF MONTHLY MEETING – June 5, 2013
Discovery Room, Burnaby Village Museum !!!!!!
BRAGS Annual Picnic …
This year our BRAGS annual picnic was held on August 10th at the home of our President, Verna Adamson, and her husband Graham. After record breaking heat and lack of rain during July, this day did not disappoint, - much to the relief of everyone who attended and it was even a tad cooler, especially under the shade of the cedar trees. About 20 BRAGS members and their significant others enjoyed an afternoon of socializing and visiting, not to mention feasting on the vast array of pot luck goodies!
Our hosts Verna & Graham
!
September 2013 Volume 11, Number 7 www.brags.ca
1.##Welcome#and#call#meeting#to#order!at!7:10!pm.!!!!2.##Adoption#of#May#1,#2013#Minutes#!Motion!to!accept!May!minutes!was!made!by!Don!Wrigley;!seconded!by!Bev!Glover.!!All!were!in!favor.!Reminder:!!meeting!minutes!are!posted!on!the!BRAGS’!website.!!The!password!is!updated!by!David!Forsyth.!!3.#Treasurer’s#Report!!!Susan!Brandl!provided!the!following!financial!report!for!May:!Revenue!(memberships,!raffle,!auction!&!plant!sale)!=!$2,122.62;!expenses!(Rhodo!fest)!=!$205.00;!revenue!over!expenses!=!($1,917.62).!!Bank!balance!as!of!May!31!=!$7,641.82.!!Motion!to!accept!this!report!was!made!by!Susan!and!Keith!Harris!seconded.!!All!were!in!favor.!! 4. Correspondence Verna received an email invitation from a former member, Tim Sargeant, to come to his home and dig up any plants that we want as he is moving into a condo. Date to dig: June 6 from 9 am – 8 pm, address: 7141 Halifax Street. Burnaby Village Museum sent a thank you to BRAGS for the plants left over from the Rhodo Festival. 5. Standing Committee Reports a)##Rhodo#Festival#–#Wendy#Thompson!We!had!fabulous!hot!weather!but!fewer!volunteers.!!A!huge!thank!you!to!all!BRAGS!members!that!helped!out!–!especially!John!Crawford!overseeing!the!parking!and!June!Dodson!for!her!efficient!supervision.!!Thank!you!letters!have!been!mailed!to!the!vendors.!!The!new!banner!looked!great;!528!people!voted!for!the!spring!bouquet!contest.!!Plants!at!the!silent!auction!sold!for!an!average!of!$14.00!each.!!!There!were!20!donors!this!year!–!a!decrease!from!last!year!and!less!donations.!!Wendy!requested!feedback!on!the!use!of!the!volunteer!room.!!Wendy!and!June!were!congratulated!for!another!successful!rhodo!festival.!!The#City#of#Burnaby#staff#will#be#reminded#next#year#to#print#and#give#the#8#½”#x#11”#posters,#the#small#posters#and#the#rack#cards#to#BRAGS#PRIOR#to#April.######b)##Plant#Sale#–##Verna#Adamson/#for#Lanny#Hui!Lanny!was!very!appreciative!for!everyone’s!
assistance.!!There!were!20!plants!left!over.!!The!indoor!plant!sale!was!very!successful!and!the!BRAGS!stickers!applied!to!the!pots!was!a!great!idea!!!$582.00!was!raised!by!the!plant!sale.!!Thank!you!to!Lanny.!!c)##Welcome/Attendance#–#Sheila#Chowdhury/for#Faye#Kilpatrick#Sheila!reported!that!there!were!26!members!in!attendance.!!!!d)##Speakers#–#Bev#Glover#Bev!announced!that!the!annual!picnic!will!be!held!at!Verna!Adamson’s!home!on!Saturday,#August#10th!at!4781!McKee!Street,!Burnaby.!!This!will!be!posted!on!the!BRAGS!website!and!handouts!were!circulated.!!In!September!there!will!be!NO!speaker!but!members!were!requested!to!bring!their!own!notes!on!their!gardens!–!success!and!not!so!successful!stories!!!On!Saturday,#September#21!Bev!has!organized!a!wine!tour!–!South!Fraser!Wine!Tours;!includes!5!wineries;!$69.00!plus!GST!per!person;!a!van!will!be!booked;!this!is!an!all!day!trip;!you!will!start!at!the!Skytrain!Station!at!Scott!Road!in!Surrey.!!If!interested,[email protected]!!by#June#15.!The!following!are!confirmed!upcoming!speakers:!October!–!Diane!Gage,!“Spring!and!Fall!Bulbs”;!!November!–!“Winter!Colour”;!!January!–!“Walk!on!the!Wild!Side”;!February!–!“Early!Season!Pruning”;!March!–!“Cherry!Blossoms”;!April!–!“Rhododendruns”!and!May!–!B.C.!Land!Conservatory.!!6.##New/Other#Business!Sheila!Chowdhury!was!contacted!by!Stoney!Creek!Elementary!School!for!funding!for!gardeing.!!The!Grade!5!and!grade!6!and!Kikids!!are!working!on!a!plot!within!the!community!garden!at!the!school.!!They!need!to!purchase!supplies!from!their!“wish!list”!and!they!are!requesting!$300.00.!!!Motion!was!made!by!Sheila!to!donate!$300.00;!seconded!by!Therese!Pope.!!All!were!in!favor.!!Sheila!will!find!out!if!other!gardening!supplies!are!needed!and!whether!BRAGS!members!could!donate!some.!!!This!item!will!be!brought!forward!to!September’s!meeting.!!!!Meeting!was!adjourned!by!Wendy!Thompson!and!guest!speaker!Alec!Globe!presented!on!“Old!Garden!Roses”.!!
!!
Thank you to everyone who came!
Minter Gardens Closing... Most of you have probably heard the sad news that after 33 years, Minter Gardens is closing with a scheduled final day of October 14th. If you haven’t yet visited this amazing 32 acre show site, or if you are planning a return visit, NOW is the time to do so. Visit their website @ www.mintergardens.com for further details and hours. !
Send to Cheryl Fiddis @ [email protected] We would love to have more members share their ‘secrets’ and garden/nature thoughts. If you have
something interesting to share, whether from a locale far away, or right here at home, please share with us!
BRAGS Membership:!Annual membership cost $12. Members share various gardening interests and enjoy monthly guest speakers, plus are entitled to a 10% discount of regularly priced items at Garden Works by presenting their membership cards. All meetings start at 7 pm at the Burnaby Village Museum, - Main Building, 2nd floor. It’s centrally located and there is ample parking. Refreshments are served. All are welcome. Bring your own mug to be eco-friendly! Bring a friend next time!
Upcoming Meetings
September 4, 2013 Meeting As per past Septembers, this meeting will be an interactive one with members sharing their garden successes and failures over the summer. If you have bounty to share, please bring it along!
October 2, 2013 Meeting This month we welcome Dianne Gaines:
“Bulbs - Spring to Fall”. Dianne is a lifelong gardener with a major in Microbiology, a minor in Botany, and currently employed as the Marketing & Packaging Manager for Van Noort Bulb Company.
Out & About Customer Appreciation Days at GardenWorks: September 19th & October 17, 2013 Be sure to mark the dates for GardenWorks 15% savings all day. South Burnaby Garden Club Fall Fair September 7 & 8th, 2013 This long time favorite in Burnaby is back again. Visit their website for details: http://southburnabygardenclub.org Then followed that beautiful season…Summer… Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; And the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
BRAGS
EXECUTIVE
President Verna Adamson 604-294-5550
Vice-President Wendy Thompson
604-420-6513 Treasurer
Susan Brandl 604-433-4250
Secretary Linda Cholette 604-298-9059
Past President Judy Wellington 604-434-8287
. . . . STANDING COMMITTEES
Membership Anne Forsyth 604-298-6350 Nominations
Judy Wellington Publicity VACANT
Rhododendron Festival
Wendy Thompson 604-420-6513
. . . . OTHER COMMITTEES
Garden Tour Vacant
Plant Sale Lanny Hui Newsletter
Cheryl Fiddis 604-435-2801
Anne & David Forsyth 604-298-6350
Welcome Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921
Sheila Chowdhury 604-298-1196
Raffle Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921 Refreshments
VACANT Speakers Bev Glover
604-540-2883 Website
David Forsyth 604-298-6350
UNIBUG - The User Network for Insect Biology in the Urban Garden Douglas College’s Institute of Urban Ecology is enlisting the help of backyard biologists to study how urban plantings affect insect populations in our gardens. If you’ve ever wanted to be a scientist, or if you’re just interested in the environment, this is your chance to get involved. The UNIBUG project is tracking the number of beneficial bugs attracted by insect-friendly plants. Volunteers of all ages collect data on ground beetles by placing Styrofoam cup traps in the garden, either near or away from nectar sources such as yarrow and alyssum. Participants are trained to recognize the most common ground beetles – which are great predators - and regularly check and report which and how many are found in each area. They also place sticky cards strategically around their yards to monitor flying insects. The beetle data and cards are examined and compiled by biologists at Douglas College. Besides gathering bug statistics, Unibug wants to engage the urban community in ecological initiatives, especially the use of non-chemical pest control. There are opportunities for people to meet and exchange ideas through Facebook and live events like educational forums. Last February volunteers gathered at Douglas’s New West campus to hear talks on beneficial insects and sustainable urban agriculture as well as have a coffee and chat with other gardeners. It’s not necessary to be a scientist or even to be particularly knowledgeable about plants and bugs to participate. In fact, because so many of us garden organically and plant for birds and bees already, we might not see as much difference as others would. So if you can, talk your non-organic neighbours into joining. To sign up or find out more, contact [email protected] , visit http://www.thedclab.org/unibug/unibug-forum/ or check them out on Facebook.
Happy Bug Hunting! Susan Brandl ~Thank You Susan! What A Summer It Was! As I write this newsletter, it’s still warm outside but the record breaking heat has broken and there’s a light rain falling. The topic of every conversation is still the wonderful weather we had during July. Amazing! I’m looking forward to hearing the success (and failure?) stories from the members at our September meeting…could there really be any failures this year? Can we call our brown lawns a failure? I think not. We know those lawns will once again turn green. For me, this was my first year of planting Kale, and what a bumper crop it was. I had to resort to begging my neighbours to please come and take some more! Who knows what our Fall will be like, a surprise no doubt, but I find myself thinking, aren’t we lucky to live in such a wonderful place to experience all seasons? Enjoy! CF
!!
Thank you to everyone who came!
Minter Gardens Closing... Most of you have probably heard the sad news that after 33 years, Minter Gardens is closing with a scheduled final day of October 14th. If you haven’t yet visited this amazing 32 acre show site, or if you are planning a return visit, NOW is the time to do so. Visit their website @ www.mintergardens.com for further details and hours. !
Send to Cheryl Fiddis @ [email protected] We would love to have more members share their ‘secrets’ and garden/nature thoughts. If you have
something interesting to share, whether from a locale far away, or right here at home, please share with us!
BRAGS Membership:!Annual membership cost $12. Members share various gardening interests and enjoy monthly guest speakers, plus are entitled to a 10% discount of regularly priced items at Garden Works by presenting their membership cards. All meetings start at 7 pm at the Burnaby Village Museum, - Main Building, 2nd floor. It’s centrally located and there is ample parking. Refreshments are served. All are welcome. Bring your own mug to be eco-friendly! Bring a friend next time!
Upcoming Meetings
September 4, 2013 Meeting As per past Septembers, this meeting will be an interactive one with members sharing their garden successes and failures over the summer. If you have bounty to share, please bring it along!
October 2, 2013 Meeting This month we welcome Dianne Gaines:
“Bulbs - Spring to Fall”. Dianne is a lifelong gardener with a major in Microbiology, a minor in Botany, and currently employed as the Marketing & Packaging Manager for Van Noort Bulb Company.
Out & About Customer Appreciation Days at GardenWorks: September 19th & October 17, 2013 Be sure to mark the dates for GardenWorks 15% savings all day. South Burnaby Garden Club Fall Fair September 7 & 8th, 2013 This long time favorite in Burnaby is back again. Visit their website for details: http://southburnabygardenclub.org Then followed that beautiful season…Summer… Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; And the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
BRAGS
EXECUTIVE
President Verna Adamson 604-294-5550
Vice-President Wendy Thompson
604-420-6513 Treasurer
Susan Brandl 604-433-4250
Secretary Linda Cholette 604-298-9059
Past President Judy Wellington 604-434-8287
. . . . STANDING COMMITTEES
Membership Anne Forsyth 604-298-6350 Nominations
Judy Wellington Publicity VACANT
Rhododendron Festival
Wendy Thompson 604-420-6513
. . . . OTHER COMMITTEES
Garden Tour Vacant
Plant Sale Lanny Hui Newsletter
Cheryl Fiddis 604-435-2801
Anne & David Forsyth 604-298-6350
Welcome Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921
Sheila Chowdhury 604-298-1196
Raffle Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921 Refreshments
VACANT Speakers Bev Glover
604-540-2883 Website
David Forsyth 604-298-6350
UNIBUG - The User Network for Insect Biology in the Urban Garden Douglas College’s Institute of Urban Ecology is enlisting the help of backyard biologists to study how urban plantings affect insect populations in our gardens. If you’ve ever wanted to be a scientist, or if you’re just interested in the environment, this is your chance to get involved. The UNIBUG project is tracking the number of beneficial bugs attracted by insect-friendly plants. Volunteers of all ages collect data on ground beetles by placing Styrofoam cup traps in the garden, either near or away from nectar sources such as yarrow and alyssum. Participants are trained to recognize the most common ground beetles – which are great predators - and regularly check and report which and how many are found in each area. They also place sticky cards strategically around their yards to monitor flying insects. The beetle data and cards are examined and compiled by biologists at Douglas College. Besides gathering bug statistics, Unibug wants to engage the urban community in ecological initiatives, especially the use of non-chemical pest control. There are opportunities for people to meet and exchange ideas through Facebook and live events like educational forums. Last February volunteers gathered at Douglas’s New West campus to hear talks on beneficial insects and sustainable urban agriculture as well as have a coffee and chat with other gardeners. It’s not necessary to be a scientist or even to be particularly knowledgeable about plants and bugs to participate. In fact, because so many of us garden organically and plant for birds and bees already, we might not see as much difference as others would. So if you can, talk your non-organic neighbours into joining. To sign up or find out more, contact [email protected] , visit http://www.thedclab.org/unibug/unibug-forum/ or check them out on Facebook.
Happy Bug Hunting! Susan Brandl ~Thank You Susan! What A Summer It Was! As I write this newsletter, it’s still warm outside but the record breaking heat has broken and there’s a light rain falling. The topic of every conversation is still the wonderful weather we had during July. Amazing! I’m looking forward to hearing the success (and failure?) stories from the members at our September meeting…could there really be any failures this year? Can we call our brown lawns a failure? I think not. We know those lawns will once again turn green. For me, this was my first year of planting Kale, and what a bumper crop it was. I had to resort to begging my neighbours to please come and take some more! Who knows what our Fall will be like, a surprise no doubt, but I find myself thinking, aren’t we lucky to live in such a wonderful place to experience all seasons? Enjoy! CF