Cuttings
Barrie’s Garden Club
http://www.barriegardenclub.com
Open Meeting Tuesday, March 06/2012
Southshore Community Centre 7:15 pm start
Miriam Goldberger is our speaker for the evening & her
topic is ‘Wildflower Gardening for Different Conditions’
Miriam Goldberger is the co-owner of Wildflower
Farm, one of North American’s leading wildflower
nurseries, which specializes in sustainable landscaping
solutions for North America, offering hardy perennial
wildflowers, native grasses, seeds, meadow mixes and
its low maintenance turf grass, Eco-Lawn.
Wildflower Farm Farm’s unique approach to landscaping
requires no watering, fertilizing or the use of dangerous
herbicides or pesticides. www.wildflowerfarm.com
Out and About – Other Events
Peterborough Garden Show from Thursday,
April 5th, 5-9 pm, Friday, April 6th, 10 am-6 pm,
Saturday, April 7th, 10 am-4 pm at Evinrude Centre,
911 Monahan Road, Peterborough, Ontario.
Admission = $6.00
See www.peterboroughgardens.ca for more details
March 2012
Canada Blooms is in its 16th year & is bigger than
ever this year, having partnered with the National
Home Show. Your ticket gets you into BOTH parts
of the show – where else can you get a deal like that?
The theme is ‘Breath of Spring’.
See www.canadablooms.com for details.
The bus departs on Saturday, 17 March 2012.
(Yes – it is Saint Patrick’s Day – green is appropriate)
WHERE: behind the Kozlov Mall (rear entrance of the
Metro grocery store – near Heather Street)
WHEN: gather around 8:15 am, departure by 8:30 am
WHAT: show tickets will be distributed on the bus
COMING HOME: bus will depart the show from the
designated meeting spot at 5:00 pm
To book a seat – call Catherine Waffle 705 725-0472.
Barrie Garden Club’s Tenth Annual
Spring Gardening Seminar
Held on Saturday, 14th April 2012.
This year’s theme is ‘The Garden through the Seasons’
Venue is the Tangle Creek Golf Course.
Continental breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The following fabulous speakers are featured:
Frank Ferragine ‘Preparing Your Garden for the Spring’
Lorraine Mennen ‘Dining Alfresco in the Garden’
Diane Pooke ‘Autumn Glory’
Tickets: $45.00 members
$50.00 non-members
Admission includes continental breakfast & lunch.
Tickets available at the March Open Meeting.
Pansy Trivia
As pansies are one of the first annuals to be available
in the garden centres, here are a few interesting facts
about this cheery harbinger of spring.
 The 15th century origin of the word ‘pansy’
derives from the French word for penser – to
think. The idea is that the face of the flower
looks like a person in thought.
 In the Victorian language of flowers, a pansy
signified ‘I am thinking of you’.
 Pansies don’t like heat & are happiest in filtered
light. Keep them evenly moist in the dog days of
summer, dead-headed when in bloom & shear
back if they get too unruly.
 Pansy blooms are edible & make a salad
absolutely delectable. Freeze in ice cube trays
& use to cool your summer libation.
 Canadian grower Fernlea developed a series
called Icicle Pansies about 10 years ago. Plant in
the fall & they bloom right up to a hard frost.
If You’ve got ‘em, Plant ‘em
This is the particular time of year when
gardeners get itchy – itchy to get their hands & knees
dirty by playing in the dirt (sorry – soil!!). With the days
now noticeably longer & the sun higher & stronger in the
sky, we know it can’t be long now before the first
returning songbirds are heard & gentler, warmer
breezes grace our days.
Hold that thought – Mother Nature may well not
be done with us yet.
What’s a person to do? Start some seeds!!
Starting your own seeds is not only therapeutic,
but economical. Also, it gives you tremendous scope to
experiment with varieties of annuals & vegetables not
easily found in garden centres.
You only need four things to start seeds: soil,
moisture, light & love!! Oh yeah – seeds too.
Prowling the big box stores, there is already a
huge selection of seed starting paraphernalia. But, be it
fancy or plain; begin with the correct soil for
germinating seeds. It is different from potting or triple
mix as it is lighter & formulated specifically to ensure
a good start for the seedlings. Avoid planting a seed
deeper than it is wide. A seed planted too deep will use
up its stored energy before it reaches the surface.
Read the seed package directions as some seeds require
light to germinate & are just sprinkled on the surface of
the soil.
Consistent moisture prior to & immediately after
germination is a must. Once the seeds have germinated,
remove the plastic dome covering or you may wake up
one morning to find all your seedlings flopped over,
victim to the dreaded ‘damping off’ disease. Watering
from the bottom is preferable as it doesn’t dislodge soil
& seeds. Provide a weak dose of fertilizer when the
first true leaves appear to help your seedlings along.
Light is important & the longer the better.
Should you be the owner of a plant stand with
adjustable lights, ensure they are as close as possible to
the tray prior to germination & raise the lights as your
plants grow. Install a timer the ensure 12 – 14 hours of
light daily. If you are growing a small tray in a sunny
windowsill, rotate your seedlings every couple of days, so
they don’t grow in one direction only. Once your plants
have their first set of true leaves, you might wish to
place a fan, on low speed near the seedlings. The gentle
breeze encourages strong stems.
Some plants are better just direct planted into
the soil as soon as it can be worked. These include:
beans (bush & pole), beets, carrots, corn, peas, radishes,
spinach & turnips. Plants that are slow to germinate or
need a long extended period of warmth to fruit &
mature are good candidates to start from seed. These
would include all herbs, watermelon, cantaloupe, squash
& pumpkins, cauliflower, peppers, eggplant & of course
tomatoes.
Generally, the last frost date for the Barrie
area is around 26 May – yes after the 2/4 weekend.
It might even be a good idea to hold off planting until
the beginning of June. But before this date, you have
been ‘hardening off’ your seedlings. This involves
gradually acclimatizing the tender darlings to the
outside environment. Do this over a period of a week,
first setting them in a shady, sheltered spot, then
giving them slightly more sunny exposure each day.
If the weather turns coolish overnight, whish them
inside for their own protection.
The best condition to plant your seedlings
outside is an overcast day, preferable with showers in
the forecast. If Mother Nature doesn’t co-operate,
you will have to provide the showers – water your
transplants in well with a dilute fertilizer solution to
ensure a good start. Good luck & have fun!!
Putting in the Seed
You come to fetch me from my work to-night
When supper's on the table, and we'll see
If I can leave off burying the white
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea);
And go along with you ere you lose sight
Of what you came for and become like me,
Slave to a Springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.
Robert Frost (1874 – 1963)
The Last Word
She who plants a garden, plants happiness.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden.
Old Chinese Proverb