The gardening season is slowly kicking into gear, and it’s the time of year gardeners with the 14 horticultural societies in District 7 in Dufferin and Wellington counties have been waiting and preparing for.
District 7 is comprised of horticultural societies in Arthur, Clifford, Elora and Salem, Erin, Fergus, Guelph, Guelph Township (Guelph/Eramosa), Grand Valley, Harriston, Hillsburgh, Maryborough, Mount Forest, Orangeville and Shelburne.
The current board, named at the annual general meeting held April 27 at Melville United Church in Fergus, is made up of District director Jane McDonald, of Guelph Township, Dorelene Anderson, past District director from Harriston, Kathy Bouma treasurer from Fergus, secretary Laurel Strachan of Elora and Salem, and board members Clara Bauman, Maryborough, Beverley Farmer, Shelburne, Frances Bouma, Grand Valley, Marilyn Hodgins, Mount Forest, Peter Phillips, Orangeville and Karen Dowler, Clifford.
McDonald said the individual societies host a variety of events over the year from plant sales to garden shows. The events will differ from society to society.
“Every society does it a little different.”
A common thread among the societies is community beautification which involves planting and tending to gardens in the communities they serve.
For example, the Fergus society and its 110 members take care of about 22 gardens in the community, according to Doreen Telford who heads up its ‘diggin in the dirt group.’
Garden tending means lining up volunteers to take care of the gardens, planting, pruning and watering plants, shrubs and trees. Plants are purchased locally and, in many cases, societies receive plant donations from individuals and local organizations. In 2005 the group received a donated Magnolia tree from Melville United Church which was planted in the Templin Garden behind the local library.
“It’s a beautiful yellow,” Telford said of the tree that is about to blossom.
Fergus Horticultural Society president Roberta Vliestra said the society relies on its members and volunteers to work on the gardens.
McDonald, whose Guelph Township group has about 200 members, said societies in the district are always looking at ways to attract new members.
“Membership is a huge issue right now and that’s the same for any volunteer group,” she said.
As a district director, McDonald is charged with youth programs. The program aim is to bring in new, young members and teach them about gardening. It is hoped they will enjoy gardening and continue their membership with the local society. She’s proud to see some of the youth she worked with over the years getting work with greenhouses and other garden-related businesses
In District 7, societies in Guelph Township, Arthur and Harriston have youth groups.
McDonald figures membership numbers are down due to the wealth of gardening information now available on the Internet.
She hopes the draw to joining groups such as hers is the sense of community, noting that belonging to a society is a “hands on” experience. However, in her experience, clubs having difficulties with membership numbers often find someone willing to take on the task of rebuilding.
Loss of a society’s charter brings its own challenges.
“Once you lose your charter it’s difficult to get it back,” she said of charters that have to be sanctioned and approved by the Ontario Horticultural Society (OHA). “There’s a lot involved with the OHA supporting another group.”
Local societies generally meet monthly with an AGM held in the spring and District 7 hosting its general meeting in the fall.
Flower shows are also part of the AGM. At the recent Fergus meeting, judge Anna Peterson was brought in from St. Marys.
Judge Peterson has been a gardener since she helped her father plant beans and potatoes. Eventually she would turn her interest to flowers.
”I started gardening when I was five. It just sort of grows on you,” she said.
As a judge she is always looking for particular traits.
“You’re looking for plants that are typical of their type,” she said of grading the various entries.
As a judge, she looks for maturity in the bloom, little or no damage to the pedals and stems and the appearance the flower or plant has when it is placed on the judging table. It’s not enough to put a flower in competition expecting to have a judge envision what it will be or what it was just prior to entering.
“It’s what it is on the table, not last week and not next week,” she said. “It’s not what it is going to be, it’s what it is. It’s the hour, the minute.”
With her skilled eyes, she is quick to notice changes in the plants she judged about an hour prior.
Among the myriad of plants species, Orchids have become a popular flower among gardeners. At the AGM there were three examples of Orchids with their blooms flashing subtle colours.
Their popularity has grown over the past 40 years as heartier plants are bred.
“They’ve improved the variety so they’re much easier to grow,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll last three months depending on the variety. You just have to give them good light without direct sunlight and water them once a week.”
Her advice for growing flowers or other plants is simple.
“The thing with plants, you want to give them (growing conditions) that are closest to where they grow naturally.”
At the District 7 AGM there were several judging categories, including horticultural titled specimen, bloom, and design pieces under classes Whispering Wind, Family, and Standing Tall. Each category has its own set of criteria for judging. In the whispering wind class the plants look as if they are blowing in the wind and in the family class it’s a grouping of plants and materials that are judged. After the individual judging is done, Peterson picks the creation deemed the Judge’s Choice. The one chosen was by Belwood designer gardener Melanie Marjoram featuring a plant combination covered by a reed basket. Peterson pointed out the creation was difficult because the plant has to be undamaged when an object is placed on top of it in the design.
“I’ve tried to do it,” Peterson said. “It’s hard to put things on top without damaging the flowers.”
McDonald, herself a judge, said taking courses to become a judge is “intense.”
At any given show several of the categories will be chosen. Judges are generally chosen from outside the district where the show is taking place and have to follow the criteria for judging set out for each category.
“Judging is also very personal,” McDonald said, when it comes to the interpretation of criteria followed in a competition.
Erin Society president JoAnne Howes said her group’s work functions around “taking care of the rock garden built at McMillan Park.”
“We also will be holding two flower shows, a spring one May 11 and one on June 15,” she said.
In Fergus, the society is hosting a plant sale on May 11 and garden tour on June 23. The Harriston and District Horticultural Society is hosting its 12th annual Garden Festival on June 1.
For a full list of information on the individual societies in District 7, visit the Ontario Horticultural Association’s website at www.gardenontario.org.
