Paul's Talk

Linda Holmes, Paul Zammit and Joan Morton



Paul Zammit, Director of Horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden drew record crowds to the May meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Paul’s energetic presentation was filled with a wealth of information for the avid gardeners attending. His talk was entitled “New and Amazing Annuals and Perennials worth the Hunt!”


The days of gardening with a vegetable patch at the back of the garden are long gone. As Paul said “Mix everything up…perennials, herbs, annuals and vegetables.” A popular plant he shared for doing this was basil and planting it among your perennials for colour and texture and as an added bonus…. fragrance.

Paul admitted that he was guilty of cutting flowers off plants (especially geraniums) when he was working at Plant World in Toronto….he simply wanted the customers to enjoy the wonderful foliage these plants can contribute to a garden. Mix Indian Dunes Geranium with Oxalis Zinfandel for a real wow punch! Paul suggested planting Geranium Roxanne for those gardeners who want a perennial geranium that blooms all summer.

Hostas can add great colour and texture to a garden through the variety of foliage they offer. Varieties “worth the hunt” are….Dark Star, Halcyon, El Nino, First Frost, June, June Fever, Remember Me. Purple Heart Hosta and Raspberry Sundae Hosta have a touch of red in their leaves which adds interest to the plant….according to Paul, “a touch of colour when it is least expected”

Paul cautioned the audience to read labels. All plants are small when you buy them at the Garden Centre in the spring…however, Baby Tut will grow to be 4 feet while King Tut can grow to 16 feet..and they are the same size when purchased in the spring! Read those labels!!!!

Watering, if you really have to do it should be done early in the morning and at the base of the plants. This will help to prevent mildew and fungus from growing. Plants need good circulation so just cut away some of those stems!

Paul’s enthusiastic presentation had the audience laughing but at the same time nodding their heads as they agreed with some of the things he was talking about…always using a Dracaena in the centre of a pot of annuals! How many gardeners are guilty of that? The wealth of knowledge Paul shared during the evening had the audience eager to start looking for some of those “amazing annuals and perennials worth the hunt.”

AWARD

Penny Stewart, Secretary of District 3 presented the Tweed Horticultural Society with an award for the garden at the Municipality of Tweed Public Library. The garden, funded by the Tweed Hort Society, was planned by Jean Clark and many members assisted with the planting and maintaining the garden. Congratulations!

JUNE MEETING…Tuesday June 6, 2012

Gardening with Stones…..Elizabeth Otonicar of Creative Gardens Landscaping of Westport will show members how to use stones in the garden, walkways, patios and walls.

PLANT SALE

The annual plant sale will be held at Tweed Memorial Park on Saturday May 19 starting at 8am. There will be lots of perennials to purchase.