NEWSLETTER - North Bay Heritage Gardeners

April 2010
H ERI TAGE G ARDENERS
N EWSLETTER
New Gardeners
Gardeners
Welcome to new gardeners: Jessie Gray, Carlie
Stevens, Mathew Ward and Chantal Garcia who are
students. Welcome also to Adam Orszt, Lauren
Hocevar, Valeria Luciani and Kathy Rowe who are
also yet to be assigned to teams. I will be in touch
with team leaders and the new gardeners in the near
future to match these new volunteers to a garden
according to their availability.
Student Volunteers
Hi. My name is Brandon Harris and my partner is
Matthew Ward. I am writing to tell all North Bay Heritage
Gardeners that I and Matthew are doing a project called
YPI, (Youth Philanthropy Initiative). This project consists of
volunteering for our chosen charity. Not only that, but we
could win a grant of $ 5,000 that will help go towards the
North Bay Heritage Gardeners! The money can help by
getting a set of garden tools for all the Heritage Gardeners
that help volunteer at either the waterfront along the
Arboretum Walk or around the city of North Bay or to help
maintain the garden beds with new plants, soil or mulch.
Our Job is to make a Power Point presentation and to
present it to our class for Civics at Widdifield Secondary
High School. If our teacher picks us to be entered into a
chance to win the $5,000, we will present our Power Point
on our charity to five judges from Toronto who are from the
Toskan Foundation which looks into which YPI charities
could use the grant the most. All depends on how well we
present to them. We believe that by the end of March to
st
the beginning of the 1 of April, helping to support the
North Bay Heritage Gardeners by volunteering and
working together, we can succeed. Two citizens like me
and Mathew can make a difference for the North Bay
Heritage Gardeners with excellence and pride!
Annual Symposium
The Symposium/Volunteer Appreciation
Luncheon will be held on Sunday April 11, 2010 at the
Best Western on Lakeshore Drive. Our speaker Frank
Kershaw, will talk about some of Ontario’s Great
Public Gardens with an accompanying slide show.
Remember you have until Monday April 5 to cancel
your registration or if you decide that you want to
come after all give Monica a call at 472-4006
The Garden Market will have the following
booths: Greening Nipissing (environmental
information and natural gardening), Hibou Boutique
(see page 5 of this newsletter) , Near North Locavores
(information on local food),Golden Beef (frozen cuts
of beef and beef freezer orders), Pie Bird Bed &
Breakfast(seeds and teas) , Yellow and Blue Make
Green Bags (gardening aprons and bags) , Gulliver’s
Books (great selection of gardening books) and the
Warriors of Hope (gardening gloves fundraiser).
Please consider the environment and take
public transportation or get together will your team
members and car pool to this event!
Heritage Gardener Blank Note cards for sale
Left is Brandon Harris and on the right is Matthew Ward
Blank Note cards with photos of our waterfront
flowers are available for purchase from our
office: 4 cards for $5.00
At the Symposium, there will be some available
for purchase along with some packages of Purple
Coneflower Echinacea purpurea and Black Eyed
Susan Rudebeckia ‘Goldsturm’ which will sell for
$1.00 a packet.
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instruction on how to plant and assist with the trees and
shrubs.
Since this will be the first planting on
Community Waterfront Park, this event is hugely
significant and a sign of things to come.
In 2006 Nipissing Botanical Gardens
Committee along with several partners including the
City of North Bay, North Bay Mattawa Conservation
Authority, Eagle Tree Service and two brand new
teams of Heritage Gardeners, the Outlanders and the
Green Berets, planted 6000 shrub seedlings and 400
tree seedlings at two sites along Chippewa Creek at
Hammond St. and Second Ave. East. This was made
possible through funding from Trees Canada-Walmart
foundation and NECO. Four years later our “maple
and ash tree sticks” are 14 feet tall and more than
ready for their permanent home at Community
Waterfront Park.
We will be transplanting 200+ trees and
shrubs to Community Waterfront Park, east of the
underpass along the OVR fence, early spring - the
first actual plantings on the site. It may not mean a
lot to some but to the volunteers who have stewarded
this project, it means that a dream will, in fact come
to fruition.
We will require 5 to 10 teams of 2 volunteers
in the morning (9 to 12) and 5 to 10 teams of 2 for the
afternoon (1 to 4). The plants will be bare-root
planted in an area that will have been prepared in
advance by Clearway construction. The area will be
staked for species and transplants will be labeled in
advance as well. Volunteers will plant, fertilize, and
mulch the trees into their final destination. The date
is yet to be confirmed as timing is critical and trees
need to be in a dormant state for optimum survival.
This year, with and ever changing climate, predicting
the best time to plant will be challenging, but is
tentatively set for Saturday, May 1.
We need a firm commitment from the
volunteers tentatively for Saturday, May 1, either
shift. If you feel you would like to participate, please
provide your name and partner’s name, (with
addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses) in
advance of the plant to Monica McLaren 472-4006.
Team leaders (Hal Falk, Peggy Walsh, Hariett
Madigan, Troy Storms) will be available to give
The City of North Bay and Community
Waterfront Friends applied for funding to berm, shape,
and green the rest of the park and we’re very hopeful
that we will be successful in our application, although
we have not received confirmation to date.
Imagine having a 33 acre park at our downtown
centre. Our own ‘Central Park’.
Thank you to the volunteers who initiated the
first nursery planting and the first ever nursery in the
city in 2006. I hope that you will consider taking part
in this next step.
In 2009, TD Canada Trust Friends of the
Environment Foundation donated $3000 which allowed
us to plant 7 caliper sized trees along the Kinsmen
Trail, home of the future Arboretum Walk.
Earlier this year, Nipissing Botanical Gardens
committee was successful as well in securing an RBC
Action Grant for $5000 for the Arboretum Walk from
Fisher St to the Waterfront. This grant will be
dedicated to signage to mark the entrances of the
Arboretum Walk.
Our vision for a park-like city instead of a city
with parks really is becoming a reality. Thank you to
the many partners who continue to support this vision.
Hariett Madigan
Chair, Nipissing Botanical Gardens Committee
Friends of the Environment Fund is celebrating its 20th
Anniversary in 2010. The Fund has contributed to over
18, 400 projects with over 50 million in funds
dispersed. Thanks TD for your contributions to the
Heritage Gardener’s Nipissing Botanical Gardens
Projects. Find out more from their “Taking Root
Newsletter”
(I have learned how to “hyperlink” to websites so if you see underlined blue
wording, you can go to a website by clicking on the words or the logo)
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A couple of weeks ago I took a look at the cuttings
and five or six were still firm so I potted them up and
about half are now growing leaves!
A few years back, my sister gave me some lemonscented cuttings in a container of water. The cuttings
stayed in the water all winter (the container went dry a
few times but I added water anyway). That spring I
potted the cuttings up and have enjoyed lemon scented
pelargoniums ever since.
Left is a photo of newly
potted pelargoniums.
They are really pale,
ugly and lanky to start
with but they soon leaf
out. I will take cuttings
from the new growth
and start new plants if I
have time! Cuttings can
be started anytime.
The Resilient
Resilient Geranium
The plant most of us refer to as “Geraniums”
are actually of the genus Pelargonium of which there
are about 200 species. To confuse things there is a
genus Geranium which many of us know as the
perennial geraniums or cranesbills. Originally when the
plants were first classified (in the 1600’s) they were
classified by Carl Linnaeus under one genus however
they were later classified under two separate genera in
the late 1700’s.
Pelargoniums are native to South Africa and are
very drought and heat tolerant. They can withstand a
light frost as well (leaves tend to turn reddish if set
outside too soon in cool weather) There are four
common types of pelargoniums; Zonal, Ivy -leaved,
Regal and Scent-leaved of which there are literally
thousands of cultivars. I have all four types in many
colours and scents.
The zonal type is the only one that loves full sun
in my experience, all the others enjoy shaded or
morning sun conditions. They are all pretty resilient
plants but the scented and zonals are the most resilient.
Each fall I take most of my zonals out of their pots,
shake off most of the soil, place them in paper bags and
tuck them into a cool dark spot in my basement. I don’t
cut anything back at all as the more plant there to start
the more capable they are to survive the winter. In
early to mid- March, I pot them up in fresh soil and
place them in a bright window or under grow lights in
the basement (or in a window here at the museum).
Last June I trimmed back some of the growth so
I could fit them into my planters and left the
trimmings in a container thinking I would pot them up
later when I had some time. In the fall most of the
cuttings were still alive (but not in pots) so I put them
in the basement too.
Right is one of the miracle cuttings
from last June. If you don’t want to
over winter whole plants, start new
cuttings in August but you will need to
keep them in pots and growing in good
light over the winter.
The ivy and regal geraniums need to be
overwintered in pots. The longer day length at this time
of year gets all the plants started on a new growth spurt.
Pinch out the growth tips to make the plants less leggy
and prevent blooming. The plants will then get bushier.
Local Events
hosts a dinner dance on April 23 at the
Legion, Branch 23, starting at 6:30
p.m. Music by the Whitfields. Tickets must be
purchased at Deegan's Shoe Store by Noon, Tuesday,
April 20. Cost $90.00 per couple. For more information
call Julie 752-3185 or Ralph 472-8560.
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September in Tuscany
Watercolours by Edna Scott
At the Art on Main Gallery, 143
Main St W. March 26 to April
28, 2010
Page 3 of 6
Gulliver’s Book Swap
Celebrate Earth Day by sharing one of your
favourite books, and finding a new favourite.
On Friday, April 23, from 7:30-9:00 pm,
Gulliver’s will be open in the evening for a
special private party, to which you are invited. Each person will
bring a favourite book to swap. Refreshments will be served.
Attendees will assemble into small groups to sample gourmet
treats, and chat about their books for 20-30 minutes; then the
participants will move to different groups to repeat the process.
Everyone gets to talk about the book he/she has brought. The
evening concludes with the book swap, during which one book
may be “stolen” from the first person to choose, but to ensure
that everyone leaves with a book they will enjoy, Gulliver’s
will provide some extra books, as well as discount coupons for
use in the store. Participants must register in advance by calling
474-7335 or emailing mail@gulliversbookstore.com.
Cost is $10. Limited to 30 guests. Register soon.
North Bay and Area Community
Foundation Dinner Friday, April
9 at Clarion Pinewood Resort in
support PADDLE, Northstars,
West Ferris Scouts, Nipissing Family Program &
Affirmative Dynamic Industries, tickets $100 with
$50 charitable receipt. Phone 495-3737 or
www.nbacf.com for details.
The Volunteer Centre of the Blue Sky Region is
hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Tea on Wednesday,
April 21st from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. (guest
speeches: 3:15 P.M.-3:45 P.M.) at Discovery North
Bay (Museum) 100 Ferguson St. To R.S.V.P.
before April 16th 2010 or for more information
contact Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Department
200 McIntyre Street East, 2nd floor, (705) 474-0400,
ext. 2329 or 2335
Gardening Events
North Bay Area Master
Gardener’s Garden Party
Sunday May 30, 2009 from 1pm-4pm
join the North Bay Master Gardeners
for a question and answer afternoon at Monica McLaren’s
garden at 153 First Ave E. North Bay, ON There will be a
plant sale and refreshments. Cost is $5.00. Come out and
support your local Master Gardeners.
North Bay Horticultural
Society’s Annual Spring Plant
Sale takes place on Saturday
June 5, 2010 at Christ Church , 890 Vimy
St., North Bay from 9 until 12 (usually sold out early).
Callander Horticultural
Society’s Annual Spring
Plant Sale is set for May 29,
2010 from 8 until sold out at the
Callander Community Center, Swale St.
Powassan Horticultural Society’s Annual Spring
Plant Sale will take place on Saturday
June 12, 2010 from 9 until 12 at
Memorial Park in Powassan.
The Sudbury Master Gardeners & the Sudbury
Horticultural Society present a Spring Gardening
Seminar: Sunday, May 16th, 1 pm to 4 pm – CNIB on York
Street Speakers: John Renaud – ‘Myke’ and the Soil
Food Web; Suzanne Hanna – If Weeds Could Talk and
Ron Lewis – The Challenges of Organic Vegetable
Gardening Admission is $10 at the door, and includes
light refreshments (no need to preregister). For further
information, contact Linda Hugli at
webmaster@sudburyhorticulturalsociety.ca
Naturally Native Gardening Seminar!
Sponsored by the City of Greater Sudbury, Vale Inco and
Xstrata Nickel
Date: Saturday May 15th, 2010
Time: 10:00 am-12:30 pm
Location: Science North, Laamanen Room
Want to know how you can improve the environment
starting with your own backyard? Curious about how you can do your
part for Sudbury’s Biodiversity Action Plan? This workshop will focus
on educating everyone from patio to avid gardeners. Attendees will
learn the importance of gardening with native species, benefits to
local wildlife, a wide range of suitable natives from the yard to
lakeshore and exotics to avoid. Participants will learn hands-on how
to identify local native species, collect their seeds, landscape and care
for them. Attendees will leave the workshop with their own starter kit
of native seeds and the know-how to start their own native garden.
Please note: much of the workshop will take place outdoors rain or
shine therefore participants should come appropriately prepared.
To register for this Native Plant Workshop in Sudbury,
contact Carey Roy at roy@sciencenorth.ca or at 705-522-3701
extension 222. There are only 50 spaces so, register today!
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Royal Botanical Gardens’ First Garden Show:
Friday April 23 to Sunday April 25th
http://www.rbg.ca/pages/GardenShow.html
Meet the authorities on hot topics: sustainable
gardens; building a meadow; and the evolution of trees
Hands-on demonstration garden
Feature gardens: East meets West
Display of new perennial introductions
Garden-friendly vendors including plants
Master Gardeners and info booths staffed by experts
from plant societies
Plus ... learn how to prune lilacs, care for orchids and
much, much more
Includes admission to the outdoor gardens which are
all OPEN FOR THE SEASON
Seedlings Story time
a joint program with the North Bay Horticultural
Society and North Bay Public Library
May 6 through September 2, 2010, 6:30 to 7:30PM.
Children ages 7 and up are invited:
Join in, make new friends, and discover the magic of
starting plants from seed!
Each Thursday evening (6:30-7:30PM), children will learn
about gardening and our environment through hands on
garden activities, crafts, and stories. Our Summer Youth
program builds on a love of nature and reading, and is
always FUN! Children will discover where food comes from
by starting seeds indoors, designing and planting their own
gardens at the Sweetman Garden, and harvesting what
they have produced. Other topics include: how to care for
a garden, attracting birds, butterflies, and friendly bugs,
growing native gardens , working with nature,and growing
photos, paintings, prints and poems.
If you have any questions, call Adelaide Saeger 476-3696
or Janet Vos at 756-1826.
Registration begins March 19th at the North Bay Library
Children’s Department 474-4830
Cost $40.00 (includes a Junior membership in the N.B.
Horticultural Society)
Spaces are limited, so register early.
ENVIRONMENTAL TIPS
HOME RENOVATIONS AND FURNISHINGS:
• Choose natural materials as flooring and floor
coverings such as hardwood, bamboo, cork, linoleum
and wool, sisal and cotton rugs.
• Choose natural wall coverings: no or low voc paints or
wall paper made of real paper or natural fibres.
•
•
•
•
Buy antique or vintage furniture which are usually made
from solid wood and made to last (that is why they are
still available)
When you replace your shower curtains, replace with
material curtains rather than plastic (surprisingly the
water still does not end up on the floor!).
Choose Canadian made renovation products whenever
possible and let your hardware store know that you
would like to have a Canadian choice.
Let manufacturers know that you wish to buy appliances
and furniture that is built to last by writing or e-mailing
them.
Heritage Gardener Discounts
Hibou Boutique
Hibou is French for “owl.” It was chosen for the shop’s name
because it is a universal symbol for wisdom and nature. These
words reflect the shop’s purpose & hopeful vision; to provide and
inspire people to make wise & sustainable consumer choices and to
take the environment into consideration with all consumer
purchases. Hibou Boutique is owned and operated by, Liz Lott, who
also is a Heritage Gardener. Hibou Boutique also carries
independent designer & handmade goods by: Local makers:
Phreaky Boutique, Aum My Goddess, "Made for you by Roo”,
Simply Suds, “Tortured Forks" Drop by Liz’s shop at 170 Main St W
on the second floor above Antiques at Deegans and get 10% off
Kleen Kanteen water bottles, stainless steel food containers and
“Earth-in-Wear Jewelry. This offer runs until December 31, 2010
Simply Suds Handmade Soaps
Simply Suds is a home-based, small business providing handmade,
natural bath, body, baby, laundry and cleaning products for the
whole family. It is owned and operated by Leslie Delorme of North
Bay. Buy natural and shop locally; do something good for your
planet, your community, yourself! Visit Leslie at North Bay’s
Farmers Market from May long Weekend until the October long
weekend and present your membership card to receive one free
bar of soap.
The Swiss Pastry Chef
The Swiss Pastry Chef is owned by Rebecca and Urs Reisen and
features baked goods made fresh on location, using the finest allnatural ingredients with NO preservatives. Taste the difference
quality and creativity make -- whether it's a custom wedding cake,
fancy cookie platters, fine pastries or fresh breads and rolls. They
now have two locations one downtown at 126 mains St. East and in
the North Bay Mall on Lakeshore. Visit either shop or see them at
the Farmer’s Market throughout the entire season. Present your
membership card for 10% off not including already discounted
items, cakes or platters. This offer runs until December 31, 2010
Check our website for an updated copy of
merchant discount offers .
(or call me if you want a paper copy mailed
to you)
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Volunteer Hours
Don’t forget to fill in hours for any gardening
educational events that you attend this winter. If you
have already submitted your form just e-mail or call
to add the extra hours. Bring your filled in form to the
symposium in April, or mail or drop of the form
before the symposium. So far 80 gardeners have
returned their hours form this year with an average of
31 hours donated per gardener.
Note: Volunteer hours for other organizations do not
count towards your Heritage Gardener commitment
even if the time is spent gardening.
Signs of
Snow drops have been blooming at the corner of Fraser
and Third for about two weeks now, Crocuses are starting
to bloom at the waterfront, Tulips and daffodils (about to
bloom along the boardwalk as I write this) are up, sedum
and phlox are poking out of the ground. On CBC`s Ontario
Today Ed Lawrence call in on Monday, Geri Opensaw
reported that she has seen lily beetles in her garden, so
keep a watch out for them and squish them as you see
them to prevent them from reproducing!
Many of the spring birds have returned; I saw and heard
Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds (my hubby Michael`s
Spring indicator), Song Sparrows (my indicator of early
spring) and a mourning dove. My favourite spring bird is
the Wood Thrush with its lovely flute-like sounds. We have
one that comes to the backyard in the early spring
(I only hear it once or twice so I think it is just passing
through).
Photos by Monica McLaren and Michael
Puccini at the waterfront Sunday March 28, 2010.
Learn more about pollinators at these
websites:
http://www.pollination.com/
http://www.pollinator.org/
http://www.seeds.ca/proj/poll/
http://www.nappc.org/
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/ejournal/pgs_
03/pgs_03.html
http://nature.berkeley.edu/urbanbeegardens/
http://www.pollinator.ca/guelph/
Learn how to make a “Bee Barn” at this site:
http://www.foxleas.com/bee_house.htm
If you don’t have a computer or access to the internet
and are interested in the above information please
contact me and I will send you a print out on
pollinators and/or how to make a bee house.
Submissions for the Next Newsletter
Deadline for the May newsletter is April 16, 2010 for
publication by April 30, 2010.
Unless otherwise indicated this newsletter is written by
Heritage Gardener Coordinator Monica McLaren.
North Bay Heritage Gardeners
100 Ferguson St., North Bay, ON, P1B 1W8
Telephone: 705-472-4006 Fax: 705-476-9300
Email: heritage.gardeners@heritagenorthbay.com
Website: http://www.heritagenorthbay.com
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