Cuttings
Barrie’s Garden Club
http://www.barriegardenclub.com
Open Meeting Tuesday, January 06/09
7:15 PM
Southshore Community Centre
Joint Meeting with the Brereton Field Naturalists
Speaker will be Clare Mitchell of Ontario Nature
Topic: Boreal Birds in your Backyard
Who are the Brereton Field Naturalists?
The Brereton Field Naturalist’s Club is a non-profit
organization located in Barrie, Ontario. They are
dedicated to acquiring & disseminating knowledge of
the natural history of the Simcoe County area. Their
primary goal is protection of the area’s wildlife through
stimulating public interest in nature & its preservation.
To become a Club member, attend any of the meetings
held at Northwest Barrie United Church, 464 Ferndale
Drive North in Barrie. Or contact,
Brian Gibbon: bwg@backland.net or
Lynne Gibbon: lgibbon@sympatico.ca
Membership fees are $30.00 for family, $25.00 for
individual, $10.00 for student, $15.00 for corresponding
New Board for 2009
The new board members are as follows:
Chairperson
Catherine Waffle
Vice – Chairperson
Vacant
Past- Chairperson
Jean Varep
Treasurer
Jean Varep
Recording Secretary Catherine Waffle
Programme Co-ords
Catherine & Jane
Member 2+ years
Clarinda Hamilton
Member 2+ years
Gail Barr
Member 2+ years
Jane Falls
First year
Susie Bruce
First year
Joan Nieman-Agapas
First Year
Hala Saab
We thank the outgoing Board for all their efforts this
year – it was a small group which worked very hard. We
thank those who came forward to steer the club for the
next year.
January 2009
Your New ‘Cuttings’ Editor
Hello, my name is Joan Nieman-Agapas, & I have
volunteered to be the new editor of the newsletter.
Let me tell you a bit about myself. My husband & I have
lived in the east end of Barrie for 22 years. I garden on
a subdivision lot that consists of sun in the front yard &
lots of shade in the back. Every year I try to expand
the garden footprint & eliminate a bit more grass – still
have a long way to go. In 2000, I completed the
University of Guelph’s Master Gardener`s certificate
course, so I am an active member of the Simcoe County
MG`s group, as well.
My dream job would be the guest speaker on a cruise
ship (any cruise ship) & talk about the flora & fauna to
be found at each of the destination stops the ship made.
Seriously tho, my aim for the newsletter is to make it
informative & fun. If you wish to see anything specific
in the newsletter on a regular basis, just e-mail me your
ideas at jnabarrie@yahoo.ca
Canada Blooms Bus Tour
Catherine Waffle is looking into a bus tour to the
popular Canada Blooms exposition in Toronto. The trip
will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2009. We have
no details yet about costs or times, but please let her
know if you are interested in principal.
The Envelope Please..................
The winners of this year’s photo contest are as follows:
‘In Your Face’ category – Pat Tracey
‘Wildlife in My Garden’ category – Pat Tracey
‘Colours in My Garden’ category - Bill Nolte
Congratulations to Pat & Bill
Remember - keep your camera handy throughout the
season to record how your garden grows. Then you will
have lots of material to submit for next year’s contest.
Get snapping!!
Coming Meetings
Feb 3, 2009
7:15 pm Open Meeting
Dr. Kevin Snelgrove will give chiropractic advice for
gardeners, so we can survive the rush of activity when
the weather warms up.
Marilyn Ruyter of ‘Flower + Sense’ will present an
introductory Flower Arranging 101 – good for all those
who thought they weren’t artistic – that’s me
Book Review
I recently purchased the book `Making the Most of
Shade` by Larry Hodgson. The author is a freelance
writer & photographer who makes regular contributions
to Canadian Gardening as the Quebec regional
correspondent in the magazine`s TransCanada feature.
The book is well organized with delightful pictures and
covers the spectrum of shade plants: perennials,
annuals, ferns, grasses & climbing plants. I especially
liked his `Garden Notes`, Kissing Cousins` & Smart
Substitutes` which gave additional information on the
item he was featuring.
I wasn`t thrilled he used USDA Plant Hardiness Zones
references - I have a hard time converting them to
meaningful Canadian Hardiness ratings – but if the book
is to sell in the US, a bigger market than Canada, you
gotta to what you gotta do. The book sells for
approximately $25.00 plus taxes, or check out the local
Library for a copy. Until the seed catalogue arrive,
paging through gardening books is a great way to
eliminate the winter blues – if you`re not a `snowbird`!!
Which leads me to my next topic................
Natural Resources Canada (NRC) versus USDA
Hardiness Map
Q: How does one convert the information from one to
the other?
A: You don’t
The United States Department of Agriculture hardiness
map & the Canadian hardiness map, produced by Natural
Resources Canada, shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
The two maps are based on entirely different criteria.
The American hardiness zones are based strictly on
average annual minimum temperature. The map is
divided into eleven zones – 1 thru 11, eight of which
are subdivided into colder (a) & warmer (b) areas.
USDA hardiness zone map is found at
usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
The NRC map, on the other hand, uses a variety of
factors, such as minimum winter temperatures,
maximum summer temperature, length of growing
season ie frost free days, summer rainfall, wind speed
& snowcover.
It uses this data to define the country into nine zones –
0 thru 8. These, in turn, are subdivided into colder (a) &
warmer (b) regions. There is approximately a two week
difference between zones & a one week difference
between sections ‘a’ & ‘b’ within zones.
The Canadian plant hardiness zone map can be found at
canadiangardening.com/zones .shtml.
Thus, the two systems can differ anywhere from half a
zone, warmer or colder, to as much as two zones,
preventing an exact exchange or even a standard means
for conversion. Therefore, the best way to use USDA
plant hardiness zones when NRC information is not
available is to locate your garden on each map & note the
corresponding zone. Also, always find out which
hardiness system is being used by your local nursery –
If it’s USDA, ask them for the corresponding NRC
hardiness zone information.
It’s a Wonderful World.........
True violets, versus pansies or violas, produce two very
different kinds of flowers. Their spring flowers have
scented petals, which attract insects as pollinators,
But, during the summer they often produce cleistogamic
flowers: hidden flowers, with no petals, generally
concealed among the leaves. Cleistogamic flowers , from
the Latin for ‘cloistered’, never open. They selfpollinate without any insect help. This is an advantage,
as there are fewer insects in a shady garden. Also, if
the spring is cool or rainy, violets can reproduce without
the aid of insects. They can wait for the following
spring to be cross-pollinated.
The Last Word
`We make a living by what we get, we make a life by
what we give`
Sir Winston Churchill