Assistant Director Jane McDonald welcomed landscape designer Don Prosser to the Ontario Horticulture Association (OHA) District 7 president’s meeting held March 27 in Fergus.
Prosser is visiting many of the societies and encouraging them to give thought to two initiatives of the County of Wellington and solid waste services – trial gardens at six landfill sites and a backyard composting program.
The available land is fenced and ideally suited for societies eager to test varieties of heirloom seeds, flowers, plants, and trees.
Since 1974, the county has been promoting backyard composting as an effective way to divert organic matter from the landfill in order to prolong the longevity of the landfill site.
He hopes to create a three-day program to educate interested people in the community. Interest and commitment to the program will be valuable to the county, not to mention the environment.
He hopes the program will start by the fall.
Many assured Prosser they look forward to participating in both of the programs.
Ways of increasing membership to the societies was discussed as well as committee job sharing, society exposure, meeting flexibility, co-sponsored bus trips, area home shows, and stronger promotion of the Ontario Horticulture Association website, www.gardenontario.org.
The presidents will meet again in September to report on their findings.
