INSIDE - Calgary Herald

calgaryherald.com
Gardening
in Calgary
Thursday, April 10, 2014
N11
A Calgary Herald Sponsor Content
Publication in conjunction with
CALGARY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
2014 GARDEN SHOW
APRIL 12-13
SPRUCE MEADOWS
for a healthy life
INSIDE
for every life
Show
highlights
the pleasures
of gardening
Hot in 2014:
Trends to
watch for
this year
for sustainable life
for what life throws you
Families
that garden
together
grow together
The perks
that blossom
with a
membership
The benefits
of planting
your own
food forest
Why
gardening
is good
for your health
N12
GARDENING IN CALGARY
Thursday, April 10, 2014
calgaryherald.com
Show celebrates gardening lifestyle K
E
xpert speakers, chefs
ing communications manager.
preparing food fresh
Topics range from identifying
from the garden and
and controlling weeds to creatVenus flytraps are just some of
ing beauty in the garden on a
the highlights at the Calgary
budget.
Horticultural Society’s Garden
Keynote speakers are Donna
Show April 12 and 13 at
Balzer, Lyndon Penner,
Spruce Meadows.
Jane Reksten and Barb
“This show brings garHazenveld. Session
deners together to share
speakers include Carole
stories and ideas,” says
Dobson, Janet Melrose,
society executive director
Kath Smyth, April
Elizabeth Jolicoeur.
Demes, Elaine Rude,
Elizabeth
“The whole show is
Eliese Watson and Luke
about educating Calgary Jolicoeur
Kimmel.
gardeners to be successAbout 100 exhibitors
ful and to know that this is a
will be in the Equi-Plex and the
‘can-garden’ city.”
Blue Grass Garden Centre GarThe Garden Show offers two
dening Lifestyle Gallery.
full days of expert speaker preThis year, ATCO Blue Flame
sentations in Congress Hall, says Kitchen chefs will show the
Felicia Esposito, the HorticulEqui-Plex crowd how to whip
tural Society’s event and marketup delicious food using the
garden’s bounty. There will be
three cooking demonstrations
each day.
Other highlights include the
Eagle Lake Nurseries Display
Garden Competition in the
Equi-Plex and a new art-in-thegarden competition in Congress
Hall. As well, the Horticultural
Society will be selling memberships, signing people up for the
year’s workshops and offering
gardening information and resources in the Equi-Plex.
Expert advice will be close at
hand, with individual gardening
questions answered in the Gardeners Helping Gardeners area.
More help will be available in the
Community Gardens Resource
Network and YardSmart areas;
just look for the folks wearing
Ask Me badges.
Wicker
Wicker Land
Land Patio
Patio
Calgary’s Largest Patio Furniture Selection
Carrying the Best Names in Patio Furniture
Ratana, Ebel, Homecrest, OWLee, Telescope
403-258-2506
6125 Centre Street South
Spruce Meadows:
18011 Spruce Meadows
Way S.W.
Show Hours:
Saturday and Sunday,
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission:
$15 at the door,
$12 at greengate
garden centres
Members $10 with valid
membership
Free admission for children
12 and under
FREE PARKING
Hungry visitors can stop in
at the Equi-Plex concession and
on Sunday morning Let’s Talk
Gardening, a radio program on
CHQR News Talk 770, will
broadcast live from the show.
The Gardening Lifestyle
Gallery will feature the Burpee
Home Gardens Family Activity
Zone, the Venturers Society pollination demonstration garden,
exhibitors related to the gardening lifestyle and affiliate societies
such as the Calgary Rose Society,
Alberta Regional Lily Society,
Canadian Peony Society and the
Foothills Orchid Society.
The activity zone features free
hands-on activities for children
and adults including wooden
wind chimes and hanging
birdseed wreaths with ribbons.
An observation beehive will also
be on site.
Available for a fee are Venus
flytrap and fairy garden (a miniature garden in a container)
workshops for kids of all ages.
Registration is required at
calhort.org or at the show itself.
What’s hot for 2014?
New gardening trends this year
Indigo Rose, a purple tomato
are delicious, sweet and good for
high in antioxidants;
you, too.
n Wall gardening and pallet
“Anything that’s edible is algardening are big;
ways huge,” says John Duncan,
n Pollination gardens. They are
greenhouse manager at
designed for bees and
greengate Garden Cenpollinators — “because
tres, the presenting
the pollinating populasponsor for the Calgary
tion is dropping. Bees
Horticultural Society
are dying in massive
Garden Show.
numbers,” Duncan says;
“People want to know John Duncan n More and more men
where their food is comare getting into gardening from.”
ing as a hobby, “as a way of
Whether it’s growing kale for
relaxation and also being more
your smoothies, berries for your
involved with their food,” says
cocktails, or mint for mojitos —
Duncan, noting men aged 18 to
“it all comes back to knowing
34 are leading the way.
where your food comes from.”
————
John Duncan speaks about
Here are some of the hottest
new trends for 2014 on
new garden trends for 2014:
Sunday, April 13 at 3:15 p.m.
n Watch for a new super fruit,
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
DONNA BALZER
Edible Landscaping
for Cold Climates
Sunday, April 13; 1:45 p.m.
Any good landscape can
be a great landscape.
One way to take it up a
notch is by adding edible
plants, says Donna Balzer,
garden consultant, author
and radio and TV personality, whose mission in life is
to help gardeners.
Edible landscapes can be
beautiful, they’re easy and
can be made in any space. It
can be as simple as a single
pot of herbs on your front
step —think mint for your
mojitos — or as intensive
as putting in an acre of sunchokes, says Balzer, whose
most recent book is No Guff
Vegetable Gardening, coauthored with Steven Biggs.
The most valuable edibles
people can grow for themselves are herbs, such as
mint, sage and lemon verbena, says Balzer, who will
discuss Edible Landscaping
for Cold Climates on Sunday.
Edibles for your garden
can also include fruits,
such as saskatoons, sour
cherries and haskap, a new
plant to Calgary that’s also
known as honeyberry.
Another highly recommended edible is garlic.
“It’s a beautiful, small
grassy plant. You can throw
it among your petunias and
pansies — it grows everywhere.”
Gardening in Calgary is a sponsor-content publication of the Calgary Herald in
partnership with the Calgary Horticultural Society and its 2014 Garden Show.
This content was developed by the Calgary Herald’s Special Projects Department in
collaboration with the Calgary Horticultural Society for commercial purposes.
Publication date: Thursday, April 10, 2014. Co-ordinator: Darren Oleksyn;
Manager: Barb Wilkinson, 780-429-5374, bwilkinson@edmontonjournal.com;
Writer: Jacqueline Louie
www.WickerLand.ca
Wicker Land Patio South
2014 Garden
Show
Wicker Land Patio North
403-258-2809
4625 Varsity Drive NW
CALCH135003_1_1
GARDENING IN CALGARY
calgaryherald.com
Sow family fun by
gardening together
L
ittle gardeners and their
families can have fun
planting a pizza garden
or a salsa garden, or growing
vegetables to make Grandma’s
favourite soup.
Gardening can offer a wide
range of life lessons for youngsters, beyond eating healthy
foods and being environmental
stewards. For instance, children
can learn about math and art
through gardening, and they can
learn about life by spending time
outdoors.
“It’s a great way for kids to
learn a little patience, with a very
high reward at the end,” says
Katie Rotella, Burpee Home
Gardens public relations, social
media and web manager.
At this weekend’s Garden
Show, the retailer is sponsoring
the Burpee Home Gardens Family Activity Zone, which offers a
variety of activities for families.
“We’re very excited to be the
sponsor for the Family Activity
Zone,” says Tim Duffin, Burpee
Courtesy, Burpee Home Gardens
Home Gardens brand manager.
“Burpee, which has been selling in Canada for years. It’s a
brand that has been trusted by
consumers for over 100 years.”
Burpee “encourages families to
fall in love with gardening, get
outside and have this wonderful
activity where they can actually
grow their own food and watch
it happen as they nurture it
along,” says Duffin.
The City of Calgary
and Calgary Horticultural Society offer composting workshops that
are open to everyone.
The next workshop is
slated for June 21 at the
Calgary Horticultural Society office, 208 50th Ave.
S.W. Visit, calhort.org.
Having a beautiful yard and
being kind to the environment
can go hand in hand, according
to the City of Calgary and the
Calgary Horticultural Society.
They’re working together
through educational workshops
to help Calgarians garden and
landscape in a sustainable,
cost-effective way.
The pilot program offers workshops for both beginner and intermediate gardeners in a limited
number of neighborhoods.
“We’re testing it out and hoping to build it for future years,”
says Michelle Mueller, City of
Calgary Water Resources public
program co-ordinator.
The goal of the YardSmart
Neighbours education workshops
N13
Exclusive Membership
ExclusiveMembership
Draws
Families can have fun planning and shopping for plants,
watching them develop fruit or
vegetables. They can pick it and
then eat it.
“It’s all a great family activity.”
Studies show that when children grow food themselves and
know where it comes from, they
are more likely to eat it.
“They will understand where
food came from — not just
from the store when mom goes
shopping and food magically
appears,” Rotella says.
At the Garden Show, Burpee
will provide plants for families
to plant in the demonstration
area of the family activity zone.
They will also be able to take
the plant home for their own
garden.
Even though it’s only midApril, plants can be started in a
pot and then transplanted when
the weather warms up.
For more information about
Burpee, visit burpeehome
gardens.ca.
Learning to be YardSmart
Find out How to Be
YardSmart at calgary.ca/
yardsmart. Kath Smyth,
horticulturist with the
Calgary Horticultural
Society, explains what a
YardSmart garden is and
provides tips and tricks
on how to create one.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
is to help Calgarians garden
while following sustainable and
cost-effective practices.
The Beauty on a Budget
workshop offers basic guidelines
for beginners, for example. There
are also other opportunities to
learn key steps for building or
transforming a yard, with handson experience coming in the
intermediate-level Digging In
workshop.
The City of Calgary and the
horticultural society encourage Calgarians to take steps to
compost, improve biodiversity,
reduce water use and protect
waterways — “all those kinds
of sustainable measures that can
make a big difference,” Mueller
says.
Draws
WIN A BUTCHART
GARDEN GET-A-WAY
FOR TWO
PLUS gift cards and baskets from
The Calgary Horticultural Society is a registered
charity, supporting gardening in Calgary.
Members receive year round benefits.
Join us today!
Go to www.calhort.org for more information.
Become a member today or at the Garden
Show and you can enter to win this
fabulous prize from the Butchart Gardens
ALL CURRENT AND NEW MEMBERS CAN
ENTER THE DRAW ONLY
AT THE GARDEN SHOW
The Grand Prize
Butchart Gardens Package:
Admission & Afternoon Tea at Butchart Gardens Membership benefits
and price
Budget Car Rental (pick up at the airport)
2 Nights' Accommodation at
information here
The Royal Scot Hotel & Suites
Admission to:
Royal BC Museum
IMAX Theatre
Shaw Ocean Discovery
Victoria Butterfly Gardens
Craigdarroch Castle
Horticulture Centre of the Pacific
Includes $800 for airfare
can put Student/Senior
together and delete
Community Garden
membership
Thank you to our friends at Butchart Gardens
and our Past-President, Scott Gedak for this
fabulous prize.
Draw Date: Wednesday, April 30th
Gardening for Life!
Gardening for Life!
CALCH133815_1_1
N14
GARDENING IN CALGARY
Thursday, April 10, 2014
calgaryherald.com
sHOW AT A GlANCE
April 12 & 13, 2014
spruce Meadows
18011 spruce Meadows Way s.W.
EQUI-PLEX
North
N
- Calgary Horticultural Society area
- Garden display competition
- ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Stage
- Live 770AM “Let’s Talk Gardening” show
- Exhibitor demo stage
- 50/50 draw
- Concessions & beer garden
x
Equi-Ple
Entrance
Stairs
from Parking
Lot CLOSED
BOOTH#
Kwik Kerb Scenic Acres
24
Lakeland College
19
Herons Nest Landscape
1
The Landscape Artists Inc.
39
Greater Landscapes by Design
2
Larchwood Nurseries
46
Year Round Landscaping Inc.
3
Lee Valley
Scottish Gardens Ltd.
4
Living Soil Solutions
504
More Than a Garden
21
My Garden Creations
17
EQUi-PlEX EXHiBiTOrs
12/13
Amazon Iron
P6
Naiad Irrigation
Apiaries and Bees for Communities
10
Natural Light Patio Covers
The Arbourest Expert Tree Service
31
Olds College Continuing Education 505
18
Courtyard
Arborcare Tree Service
231/232
Ornamental Landscape Maintainers Ltd. 36
The Awning Factory
219/220
Ornamental Stone
44/45
ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen
P8
Patioline
Blue Grass (sponsor)
P7
Pisces Exotica Pet Emporium Ltd.
& Front of Gallery
221-224/217/218
P4
209/210
32
The Pottery Cupboard
229/230
Brassard Greenhouses Ltd.
23
Pressed Wishes
Brothers Two Small Engine
P10/P11
Butchart Gardens
Bylands
Calgary Herald
Calgary Plants
16
1
503
27
Red Barn Mercantile
Regency Irrigation Ltd
Chinook Honey Company
509
Sud-Z Distribution Ltd.
14
30
40/41
201
Tom Boy Tools
11
P2
Top Spray
42
City of Calgary Water Services
P1
Tractorland
P5
CLS Landscape Supply
P3
Two Foot Gardener
34
Countryside Garden Centre
20
203/204
Landscape Supply
3
White Owl Ceramic Studio
Wickerland Patio
Wild About Flowers
502
101-104
213/214
Wild Strawberry Gardens
37
225/226
Winged Weeder / Klipper Distributor Ltd.
Eastern Slopes
22
25
Everything Concrete
26
Garden Retreat
Garden Scents Garden Centre
Garden West Magazine
The Gardener for the Prairies
105-108
15
33
207/208
greengate Garden Centres
Front of
Holt Fine Art
Incredigrow Garden Centre
Kayben Farms
2
Your Tree Doctor
P12
Ziegler Stone Designs
506
202
GR Distributors Inc.
Helgor Marketing Inc.
Worms at Work
AFFiliATEs iN THE GArDENiNG
liFEsTYlE GAllErY
Alberta Invasive Species Council
415
Equi-plex
Alberta Horticultural Society
417
43
Alberta Regional Lily Society
406
507
211/212
9
Botanical Gardens of Sliver Springs 413
Calgary Rock and Alpine (CRAGS)
Calgary Rose Society
402
400
MAIN
ENTRANCE
BLUE GRASS GARDEN CENTRE
GARDENING LIFESTYLE GALLERY
#3
Hocker
Tent #4
Natural Light
Patio Covers
Ticket
Booth
Main Entrance
Ticket
Booth
- Demonstration garden display
- Concessions
- Burpee Home Gardens Family
Activity Zone
- Free activities
- demo garden
- workshops
CONGRESS HALL
Volunteer & Exhibitor
Parking Lot
Congress
Hall
EQUi-PlEX
gardening for life
OVERHEAD
DOOR #2
EXIT
- Speakers
- keynote
- how-to
- Art in the Garden Competition
- Concessions
- tea garden food area
EXIT
EXIT
KITCHEN
DEMO STAGE
P8
P7
036 037
040 041
044 045
035 038
039 042
043 046
P10
215 216
030 029
219 220
P11
214 213
031 028
218 217
P6
Door
P5
414
401
500 510
413
402
501 415
412
403
502 416
411
503 417
410
404
504 418
409
405
505 419
408
Competition
Garden
2
406
506 420
Demo
Garden 1
Pollinating
Garden
By The
Venturer’s
Society
507 421
211 212
033 026
223 224
210 209
034 025
222 221
207 208
017 016
227 228
206 205
018 015
226 225
203 204
020 013
231 232
021 012
230 229
Competition
Garden
4
10'
Seating
Area
Competition
Garden
1
019 014
10'
202 201
P4
508 509
P3
Burpee
Home
Gardens
Family
Activity
Zone
Competition
Garden
3
032 027
10'
022 011
10'
50 / 50
Draw
103 102
023 010
107 106
104 101
024 009
108 105
10'
Cappuccino
Cart
Society
Greengate
Registration for
Booth Workshops
P12
Gardeners Helping
Gardeners
& Yard Smart
001 002 003
P2
407
Gardening
Lifestyle
Gallery
10'
Blue Grass Booths
ATM
Outdoor
Demo Ring
EXIT
Eagle Lake Professional
Western Canada Garden Soil
400
Power Supply
Eagle Lake Nurseries Ltd.
Hocker
Tent #3
Concession
Overhead
Door
Creative Iron Work and Design Ltd. 35/38
Western
Canada
Garden
Soil
#2
CONCESSION
AREA
205/206
Door
April 12 & 13, 2014
Spruce Meadows
Outdoor
Display
DEMO STAGE
and Recycling Services
Cobblestone Garden Centre
greengate
Hocker
Tent #2
BlUE GrAss GArDEN
CENTrE GArDENiNG
liFEsTYlE GAllErY
508
Soil Kings Inc.
Spruce it up Garden Centre
Canadian Peony Society
410
Common Digs
421
Foothills Orchid Society
405
Fort Calgary
414
Friends of Reader Rock
403
Green Calgary
418
ISA Prairie Chapter
420
Lougheed House Conservation Society
416
Master Gardener Association
404
Nature Calgary
401
Pincher Creek and District
Historical Society
419
The Ranche at Fish Creek
Restoration Society
408
Ten Thousand Villages
411/412
Stampede City African Violet Society 409
Venturers Society
407
227/228
Silver Solution / Bead Buzz
215
Hocker
Tent #1
501
Sculpture Garden
Calgary Zoo
City of Calgary Waste
28/29
BOOTH#
To Riding
Hall
Plantation Garden Centre
Bow Point Nursery Limited
COMPANY NAME
12'-11"
12'-11"
Memberships
& Workshop
Sales
13'
Fairy
Garden
Workshop
Door
Show Service Contractors
780.992.0404
Fort Saskatchewan,AB.
www.superiorshow.com
"Your success is our Reputation
Venus
Flytraps
Workshop
Food
Area
Door
Garden Show
April 12 & 13, 2014
Spruce Meadows Gallery on the Green
P1
Bags & Guides
Ballot Drums
Greengate
EXIT
Legend:
Single Booths
Double Booths
Perimeter Booths
Quad Booths
Floor plan is Show
intended
for the Contractors
sole use of
Service
our Clients and
is subject to change.
780.992.0404
Fort Saskatchewan,AB.
Revised By E. O.
Rvsd; Mar 31/14
ATM
ATM
EXIT
OFFICE
DisPlAY GArDEN COMPETiTOrs
Display
COMPANY NAME
EXIT
BOOTH#
OVERHEAD
DOOR 1
COMPANY NAME
2014 Garden Show
Presented by
greengate Garden Centres
MAIN
ENTRANCE
TO UPSTAIRS LOUNGE
Garden Show
April 12 & 13, 2014
CGRN
Legend:
Single B
Double
Perimet
Quad B
Floor plan is intended for the
our Clients and is subject to
GARDENING IN CALGARY
calgaryherald.com
2014 GARDEN SHOW KEYNOTE SPEAKERS — CONGRESS HALL
Thursday, April 10, 2014
N15
Generously sponsored by
SATuRDAY, APRiL 12
Time
9:30 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
Speaker
Lyndon Penner
Jane Reksten
Presentation
The Sisters of Lilies: Mysterious and Unusual Bulbs for your Garden
Growing Pains: Lessons from the Botanic Gardens at Olds College
Time
10 a.m.
1:45 p.m.
Speaker
Barb Hazenveld
Donna Balzer
Presentation
Integrating Permaculture within your Existing Landscape
Edible Landscaping for Cold Climates
SuNDAY, APRiL 13
HOW-TO SPEAKERS — CONGRESS HALL
SATuRDAY, APRiL 12
Time
11 a.m.
11:45 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
3 p.m.
3:45 p.m.
Speaker
Eliese Watson
April Demes
Janet Melrose
Elaine Rude
Kath Smyth
Presentation
How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden
How to Identify and Control Weeds in Your Garden
How to Control Pests in Your Garden
How to Create a Beautiful Garden Using Tough Love
How to Create Beauty on a Budget
SuNDAY, APRiL 13
Time
noon
12:45 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
Speaker
Luke Kimmel
Carole Dobson
John Duncan
Presentation
How to Plant a Food Forest
How to Create a Green Roof in Your Garden
What’s New in 2014
ATCO BLuE FLAME KiTCHEN DEMONSTRATiONS — EQui-PLEX
SATuRDAY, APRiL 12
Time
11 a.m.
1 p.m.
3 p.m.
SuNDAY, APRiL 13
Topic
Rhubarb
Garden Fresh Herbs
Versatile Tomato Recipes
Time
12:15 p.m.
1:45 p.m.
3:15 p.m.
Topic
Squash
Working with Tomatoes
Quick Pickles
CHiLDREN’S WORKSHOPS — GARDENiNG LiFESTYLE GALLERY
SATuRDAY, APRiL 12
Times
Topic
Host
Price
10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. Venus Flytrap Workshop
greengate Garden Centres $15
9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.. Fairy/Gnome Garden Workshop Blue Grass Garden Centre $35
SuNDAY, APRiL 13
Times
Topic
Host
Price
10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. Venus Flytrap Workshop
greengate Garden Centres $15
9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.. Fairy/Gnome Garden Workshop Blue Grass Garden Centre $35
FREE CHiLDREN’S ACTiViTiES — GARDENiNG LiFESTYLE GALLERY
SATuRDAY, APRiL 12
Time
10 a.m. - noon
1 - 3 p.m.
Topic
Hanging a Bird Seed Wreath with Ribbon
An Observation Hive and Bee Colouring Poster
Time
10 a.m. - noon
1 - 3 p.m.
Topic
Natural Dye Painting
Wood Wind Chimes and Planting Sticks
Sponsor
Alberta Children’s Hospital
Chinook Honey
SuNDAY, APRiL 13
The Perennial of the Year
Veronica whitleyi
Common name: Whitley’s
speedwell
Family: Plantaginaceae
Zone: 3
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 5 to 10 cm
Spread: 30 to 60 cm
Whitley’s speedwell is a beautiful
mat-forming perennial for the
sunny garden. Masses of sapphire blue flowers with white
centres cover the soft grey-green
foliage in late spring and then
bloom sporadically until fall.
Excellent as a ground cover or
low edging, it is an undemanding, drought-tolerant, deer- and
rabbit-resistant plant.
Sponsor
Perennial
Green
CalgaryPlant of the Year
Lougheed House
2014
Perks of membership
B
uying a Calgary Horticultural
Society membership supports a
charitable organization that promotes gardening and brings many benefits,
says executive director Elizabeth Jolicoeur.
“Our mission is to encourage gardening,
for the enhancement of our environment
and quality of life,” Jolicoeur says.
The best way to promote that message,
she notes, is to have people working in a
garden, learning in a hands-on way.
“It promotes good health and it
promotes good gardening.”
The perks of membership include:
n Eight issues per year of a gardening
newsletter — Calgary Gardening — filled
with content written by local gardeners;
n Open Gardens, where Society members
tour private gardens around the city;
n Two Society plant-share events each year
to help members build their gardens;
n Shopping discounts of 10 per cent
and up at a variety of garden centres and
gardening-related stores around the city;
n A new online discussion forum, which
Jolicoeur calls “another way for members
to engage with other members;”
n Volunteer opportunities year-round;
n Calgary-specific programming for
beginner, intermediate and advanced
gardeners, with plenty of opportunities to
connect with and learn from others;
n Outdoor workshops focusing on edibles,
water-wise gardening and other topics.
Horticultural Society memberships start
at $25 per year for seniors and students.
Adult and affiliate memberships are
$45 while family memberships are $55.
“It’s very affordable. You get a lot of
benefit for the money that you pay.”
Volunteer spotlight
For Calgary Horticultural Society volFort Calgary, where she is head gardener.
unteer Carole Moore, planning for the
“Working with other people and creatGarden Show starts in the fall.
ing something beautiful is very
“This show is in my head
satisfying.”
year-round,” says Moore, who
A member of the Garden Show’s
has helped design the Calgary
core committee, Moore handles
Horticultural Society Garden
venue decoration for the show floor,
Show booth for the past dozen
including the
years.
society’s booth and several stages.
Carole Moore
“It intrigues me, and it’s a creAt this year’s show, the Society’s
ative outlet for me,” adds Moore, who also booth will include an orchard with fruit
volunteers at the Deane House at
trees in full blossom and a fruit stand.
N16
K
Thursday, April 10, 2014
GARDENING IN CALGARY
Plant your own food forest K
W
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
BarB
Hazenveld
Integrating Permaculture
Into Your Existing
Landscape
Sunday, April 13; 10 a.m.
Horticulturalist Barb
Hazenveld talks about the
benefits of permaculture
— a design system that
integrates people and the
landscape in a better way.
“It’s about growing the
maximum amount of food
in any given area. It has
to do with green buildings
and technology, as well as
sustainability,” says Hazenveld, a garden consultant,
designer and teacher.
“Permaculture gives
some of the answers to
the pressing questions of
the day, such as how to
become more self-sufficient
in your own yard, whatever
the size.”
Permaculture is “smart
design for sustainability,”
adds Hazenveld, who holds
a horticulture diploma, has
worked with permaculture
movement co-founder Bill
Mollison and taught the
subject internationally.
Hazenfeld will discuss
how Calgarians can practise
permaculture.
ant a yard that
built around more
than grass?
Maybe it’s time to create a
food forest.
Food forests, low-maintenance
perennial gardening systems
based on woodland ecosystems, will be the topic of a
presentation by Luke Kimmel,
co-founder and designer with
Calgary-based Leaf Ninjas.
Kimmel will discuss design
and goal setting, plant selection,
spacing and other landscaping elements such as pathways,
rockwork, retaining walls and
social spaces for food forests,
which can include fruit trees,
berry shrubs, herbs and vines
and perennial vegetables such as
sunchoke, rhubarb, horseradish
and edible ferns.
“The food forest is one way for
people to not feel guilty about
living on planet Earth; you
can have one anywhere there is
land,” says Kimmel, who runs
an urban farm and does edible
landscaping.
“It all comes together to create the feeling that people want
to cultivate in their yards,” says
the entrepreneur who is deeply
moved by the idea of helping
people connect with nature.
A food forest offers a diversity
of fresh, locally grown, quality
organic food grown in a lowmaintenance way.
The presentation is for people
“interested in figuring out what
to do with their yards beyond
just grass — whether they are
a new gardener, an experienced
gardener, a commercial developer
or on an acreage,” Kimmel says.
“I think that having a strong
sense of place and grounding is
something we can gain in a food
forest.”
“It is an example of human
design that has a positive impact
on ecological health, and that
translates into human health.
It’s also inspiring — it’s nice to
have something we can do that’s
practical.”
————
luke Kimmel speaks about
How to Plant a Food Forest
on Sunday, April 13 at noon.
Excess snow does have benefits
While a heavy snow year
brings a lot of shovelling, it can
also give the garden a boost
come spring.
“We’ve got to conserve that
moisture. If I’ve got extra snow,
I’m going to throw it under the
trees to get the added benefit of
the extra moisture,” says Kath
Smyth, horticulturist with the
Calgary Horticultural Society.
If there is an area in your
garden you want to cultivate, or
if you’re planning to put in new
perennials, “you want to get that
soil nice and moist and full of
nutrition.”
“All sorts of extra action will
be going on because of the
added moisture,” she adds.
One note of caution: Because
Calgary has seen a lot of snow
this past winter and is getting
a lot of sunlight now, Smyth
warns of snow mould, a long
and stringy fungus that forms
circles with a pinkish-white tone.
If you see snow mould on your
lawn, Smyth advises letting it dry
out for a couple days and then
sweeping it away with a broom.
“Don’t get panic-stricken and
let someone talk you into spraying something on the lawn,” she
says. “It’s a dust pan job.”
In her garden show presentation — How to Create Beauty
on a Budget — Smyth will
explain how to design a beautiful
border, front garden or an entire
yard as inexpensively as possible.
One suggestion she offers is
sharing costs with friends and
neighbours by buying in bulk.
Smyth will show gardeners
how to produce a plan, no matter the size of their yard, and
how to create a good plant list
“so when you go shopping you
know what you’re looking for;
then you go in with a
purpose.”
————
Kath Smyth speaks about
How to Create Beauty on a
Budget on Saturday, April 12
at 3:45 p.m.
calgaryherald.com
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jane reKSTen
Growing Pains: Lessons
from the Botanic Gardens
at Olds College
Saturday, April 12; 1:30 p.m.
The Olds College Botanic
Gardens and Treatment Wetlands are a hidden southern
Alberta gem, says the woman who manages them.
Covering approximately six
hectares, the gardens include
more than 20 specialty plots
and collections. The wetlands — featuring a series of
ponds and hundreds of trees,
shrubs, native plants, perennials and wetland plants — treat
runoff water from the college
campus and provide wastewater treatment research
opportunities.
“These gardens serve a
multitude of purposes, as
do our home gardens,” says
writer and speaker Jane Reksten, who manages the Olds
gardens.
In Reksten’s garden show
presentation she will share
lessons the college has
learned.
“It’s applicable to anyone
who gardens,” she says.
“They are gardens that
share the same successes
and challenges that lots of
prairie gardens would face.”
403.452.LOAM (5626)
QUALITY LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES -- BUY IN BULK AND SAVE!
screened topsoil - garden mixes - mulch - aggregates
Visit our booth at the GARDEN SHOW at Spruce Meadows
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(403) 816-5508 www.yourtreedoctor.ca
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GARDENING IN CALGARY
Landscapers go shovel to shovel
COOKING TIPS
ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen
chefs will be offering helpful
tips at the garden show on
what to do with the garden’s
bounty.
The chefs will be doing three
half-hour cooking demonstrations each day. Sessions will
cover quick pickling, tomatoes,
herbs and rhubarb.
“You can use it in a lot of
ways,” J.P. Gerritsen, culinary
programs team lead at ATCO
Blue Flame Kitchen, says of
rhubarb.
Courtesy, Blue Grass
Nursery & Garden Centre
Fairy gardens come in many
shapes and sizes.
————
Blue Grass Nursery &
Garden Centre presents a
workshop on Fairy Gardening for children of all ages at
this weekend’s Garden Show.
Registration for the workshop,
which costs $35, is at the
workshop location in the
Gardening Lifestyle Gallery.
such as a club. There are about
140 public and private community gardens in Calgary.
The Community Gardens Resource Network, a project of the
Calgary Horticultural Society, is
supported by the Alberta Real
Estate Foundation, TD Friends
of the Environment and The
Calgary Foundation.
This year, the resource
network is working with
20 neighbourhoods looking to
start new community gardens.
————
The Community Gardens
Resource Network presents
Plot Your Success: Getting
the Most Out of Your Community Garden Bed at this
weekend’s Garden Show.
Stampede City
African Violet Society
Society
36th Annual Show & Sale
Friday May 9th - 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday May 10th - 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Northland Village Mall
5111 Northland Drive N.W.
Information on Membership, Meetings & Events is available on our website:
http://www3.telus.net/scavs
E-mail your questions to: violets@telus.net | Telephone: (403) 241-8300
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Trees • Shrubs • Perennials • Annuals • Hanging Baskets • Garden Accessories
Phone: (403) 234-9190
E-mail: gardenscentsgc@gmail.com
234011 RR 284,
Rocky View, AB
On the corner of Glenmore Trail
& Range Road 284 (116 Street SE)
3.2km East of Stoney Trail on Glenmore
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➡ Calgary
HeatherGlen
Golf Course
Glenmore Trail
Langdon
➡
Professional landscapers will
faceoff this weekend in a display garden showdown in the
Equi-Plex.
Under the theme Gardening
for Life, they’ve been asked to
show how to use their favourite
recyclable materials to create
focal points in a garden, and to
create an outdoor living space
that a family might use.
“We’re looking for something that will add to the garden besides the flowers, the
trees and the edibles,” says
Janice Bakal, Garden Show
program co-chair.
Community gardening offers
a great way to get to know your
neighbours while enjoying nature and growing healthy food,
says Gael Blackhall, the co-ordinator the Community Gardens
Resource Network.
“Community gardens are becoming hubs where people can
enjoy the outdoors, learn how to
garden and have fun with people
of all ages,” says Blackhall.
“You can learn something
relaxing and good for your
health. You can taste something
fresh and feel the accomplishment of growing it yourself.”
Public community gardens
are open to everyone while
private community gardens
typically serve a defined group
Chestermere
Author and CBC Radio
gardening columnist Lyndon
Penner will discuss some
special lilies at the Garden
Show on Saturday.
The discussion centres on
small bulbs in the lily family
— known as fritillaria — that
are perfectly suited to our
climate.
“A lot of things in that
family are spring bloomers,”
explains Penner, whose
first gardening book — The
Chinook Short Season Yard:
Quick and Beautiful in the
Calgary Region — is on sale.
Fritillaria flower quickly,
then go dormant and disappear, he says.
“A lot of them have really
elaborate patterns. Winters
are long in Canada and we
are very hungry for flowers
in the spring, so it’s nice to
have things like that,” says
Penner, a lily fan who has
been growing fritillaria since
he was a teenager.
“There is nothing not to
love about lilies — they are
wonderful.”
“It’s a great show,” she says.
“It’s a fantastic venue. There are
neat things to see, and new plant
material to look at. And it’s fantastic for the kids.”
A new gardening trend youngsters can enjoy is fairy gardening.
It involves creating a miniature
garden in a container.
“It’s a way to enjoy plants
inside your home,” Pieper says.
“For the little people, I think
it’s fantastic. They can do benches,
arbours, pathways, gnomes and
mushrooms, and put real plants
in to create their own little gardens,” Pieper says.
“Fairy gardening allows them
the opportunity to get in there
and get their fingers in the dirt.”
Range Road 283
(Rainbow Road)
The Sisters of Lilies:
Mysterious and Unusual
Bulbs for Your Garden
Saturday, April 12;
9:30 a.m.
G
ardening is good for
people of all ages and
stages.
“Gardening is always great for
health or for enjoying the outdoors in any form,” says Linda
Pieper, buyer and garden centre
manager for Blue Grass Nursery
& Garden Centre, the sponsor
of the Gardening Lifestyle Gallery at this weekend’s Garden
Show.
“It’s calming. It can be such a
great relaxant,” she says.
“Nature always has a calming
effect on your health.”
Pieper encourages all gardeners and would-be gardeners
to come out to this weekend’s
event.
N17
Communities form
around the plants
Range Road 284
(116 Street SE)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
LYNdON
PeNNeR
Build a garden
in miniature
100 Street SE
K
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Stoney Trail
(Fall 2013)
calgaryherald.com
➡
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N18
Thursday, April 10, 2014
calgaryherald.com
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