There were 177 entries for the fall flower and vegetable show of the Maryborough Horticultural Society held on Aug. 28. Judge Dorelene Anderson noted it was a very good showing considering the recent hot weather. She gave a number of suggestions on how to best prepare entries for showing.
Anderson’s pick for best dahlia went to Jo Houston, best gladiolus to Henny Hof, best design to Hannah Veld, best rose to Leonard Bauman.
Most points in the various sections were won as follows: vegetable – Emma Bauman; cut flowers – Clara Bauman; house plants – Rosemary Nibourg; design – Clara Bauman. These winners will each receive a gift certificate for “Blooms ’n Things”.
The speaker for the evening was Barry Hopkins, well-known columnist in the Wellington Advertiser, whose topic was “good bugs, bad bugs.” He started out by saying that there really was no such thing as a bad bug – all are here for a purpose. He went on to describe many of the common bugs that we know, what they are useful for and what to do if you don’t want them. Hopkins doesn’t believe in using insecticides and pesticides and has never used them.
A few of his suggestions were:
– to discourage potato beetles, put lots of mulch around your plants;
– don’t worry too much about cabbage butterflies, they also pollinate other plants;
– wasps and hornets are good because they eat other insects;
– welcome ladybugs because they eat aphids, and dragonflies because they eat black flies; and
– Hopkins keeps some goldfish in his rain barrel, they like to eat mosquito eggs.
He said everyone should plant flowers to encourage bees (90 per cent of food comes from pollinated plants).
At the end of his presentation, it was clear that Hopkins is a lover of insects.
During recess, lunch was served by Jo Houston and Renske Helmuth. Members took advantage of the opportunity to inspect the large number of entries for this show.
As part of the business meeting, Bauman reported on the 2012 Ontario Horticultural Association Convention held in Niagara-on-the-Lake. She related that the OHA has 30,000 members and in 2011 387,000 volunteer hours were put in by members of the association.
The Harriston Horticultural Society invited all the societies in District 7 for their 60th anniversary celebration on Sept. 10.
The next meeting will be held on Sept. 25 at the Moorefield Optimist Hall. Visitors are always welcome.
