Some Christmas Cheer

The Tweed and District Horticultural Society hosted their annual Christmas potluck dinner on Tuesday December 3, 2013. Beautiful poinsettia plants were placed on fresh evergreen boughs on the tables. Santa figurines of every shape and size were displayed among the evergreen boughs thanks to a member’s large Santa collection.

Besides being outstanding gardeners, the members also showed their culinary expertise with the variety of mouth watering dishes….vegetable casseroles, an array of salads, roast turkey with dressing, gravy and mashed potatoes, devilled eggs, cheese tray and a veggie platter with dips.  The dessert table was laden with homemade cookies, pies, cakes and yummy butter tarts!

After indulging in the feast, members were invited to relax and watch the video presentation which highlighted the club’s activities and guest speakers during 2013.  The members thoroughly enjoyed the video and many thanks to Linda Holmes for creating it!

Poinsettia plants, a colourful candy wreath and several books were won by lucky members.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014

SPECIAL ACTIVITY:

Before the Tweed Santa Claus parade, join members of the Horticultural Society for a special children’s Christmas activity at the Library on Saturday December 7^th at 10:30 am.

NEXT MEETING:

The next meeting will be Tuesday February 4, 2014 at the Tweed Library. Memberships will be on sale….$12.00 individual and $16.00 family

A Little Quick Cooking

Sujo Cassidy (left) with Joan Morton, President of  Tweed Hort.

The Tweed and District Horticultural Society welcomed Sujo Bae Cassidy as the guest chef for the November  meeting. Sujo, a French trained chef has been a resident of Tweed for 3 years.  What a delightful evening Sujo provided for the members as she shared her wealth of cooking tips with the group as she prepared a dish of garden veggies and noodles.

She sauteed the freshly cut produce….carrots, spinach, shitake mushrooms, peppers and daikon radishes in a little oil and salt. Next she mixed the veggies with noodles and a variety of seasonings…the recipe will be emailed to the members so they can try their culinary skills at home!

As she was cooking, Sujo gave numerous tips to the audience

·       Use noodles made with 100% sweet potato starch…great for gluten free diets…cook the noodles in boiling water for about 7 minutes….when you can “snap” a noodle, they are ready…overcooking turns the noodles to mush!

·       Ethnic products can be purchased at Quinte Global Foods on Mineral Drive in Belleville

·       Using plastic gloves for mixing…this ensures that that the seasonings are well mixed throughout

·       Use your hands clad in the “famous plastic gloves” to measure a “handful”…saves on dish washing!!!

·       100% rice brand oil is great to use for cooking

 Sujo spent time demonstrating the use of a tool called the “Mandolin”….great to shred veggies and a real time saver. In fact one member of the audience admitted that she had one at home in the original box in her kitchen cupboard…after seeing the demo, she said that she will definitely be using the tool!

 Members and guests were invited to sample the vegetable/noodle dish…using either forks or chop sticks! By the look of the empty pan, the dish was certainly a hit with the members present!

 COMING UP….

November 15…Deadline for Volunteer Hours for December 2012-November 2013…call 613-478-5535 for more information.

December 3 @ 6pm….Christmas Dinner

Celebrate the Christmas season with members of the Hort Society. Spouses are invited! There will be a video presentation highlighting the many activities and guest speakers during 2013! Bring your favourite pot luck dish, plate, cutlery and wine glass for a fun filled evening!

December 13…Christmas Luncheon at Club 213 at Loyalist College. Cost is $17.00. For more information, contact Linda @ 613-478-6850

Adam Haley from Stirling was the guest speaker at the October meeting for the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Since it is now October, pumpkin carving was the topic of the evening’s presentation. Adam’s pumpkins certainly brought out the “wows” from the audience! He even had a sculpture made from a huge squash! As Adam says you can use pumpkins, squash, watermelons, melons and even strawberries!

Adam started carving pumpkins using simple kitchen knives and spoons. He has since progressed to clay carving tools….very simple tools considering the masterpieces that he creates!

As Adam said, “carving is a subtractive art” and this was evident as he turned a small pumpkin into an amazing face through his various carving techniques…always carving away pieces of pumpkin!

Some advice Adam offered to potential carvers…

·       Pumpkin should be cold

·       Use a spray bottle of water to keep the pumpkin moist

·       Best to have a tall skinny pumpkin with a fat stem

·       To clean out the pumpkin, simply cut out the back….this will help you to gage the thickness of the pumpkin as you carve

·       “the possibilities are endless!”

COMING UP….

 October 12 @10:30….A children’s workshop on pumpkin carving will be held at the Library. Adam Haley will be demonstrating his amazing techniques to the children. Volunteers are needed at 10:00 to set-up for the program and to help the children during the workshop.

October 19 @ 9 am….Fall clean-up of Moira Garden, town beds and Cenotaph.

October 26 ….District 3 Fall Meeting at the Library. Only the President and Secretary can attend.

November 5…Enjoy a cooking demonstration with Steve Nicholson, Chef at Loyalist College. Steve will present new ideas on cooking our summer produce….and everyone gets to sample!!!   Pumpkin display…if you attempted to carve and sculpt a pumpkin, you are invited to share your creation at the meeting.  Annual General Meeting will be held.

November 9 @ 10:30…Children’s Workshop…Seed Art at the library.

November 15…Deadline for Volunteer Hours for December 2012-November 2013…call 613-478-5535 for more information.

December 13…Christmas Luncheon at Club 213 at Loyalist College. More info and signup sheet will be available at November meeting.

Tiny Plants for Dry Places

Judy Wall with some of the rock garden plants and concrete garden decorations she brought to show and sell. 

Judy Wall of Rock Wall Gardens in Perth spoke about landscaping with alpines and unique rockery plants at the September meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Through her power point presentation, Judy shared the many different types of hardy drought tolerant plants available for rock gardens.

Judy, a Master Gardener started Rock Wall Gardens in 2000. Her property located east of Perth off Highway #7 was an open farm field when she and her husband purchased the land. The soil was sandy and rocky and in a drought zone! With so many challenges to face, Judy certainly rose to the occasion as evident in the later photos of her outstanding gardens.

 When planning her gardens, Judy always looks for plants with interesting foliage…after the flowers die there is always foliage to create interest in the garden.

 The slide presentation also highlighted one of the newest trends in gardening… “Crevice Gardening” (turning flat stones, like flagstones, on edge in the garden to create more depth for roots) which is great for the alpine and rockery plants.  Hypertufa Container Gardening is also another way to showcase these interesting plants. Judy teaches a course in making Hypertufa containers from June-September.

 Judy provided members with a list of alpine and unique rockery plants that are available at her nursery. She displayed some of the interesting garden art that she has created and is for sale. She also teaches a stained glass workshop using old window frames….don’t throw out those window frames! For more information, please call 613-267-6684 or email….jpwall@ripnet.com. Her website is www.rockwallgardens.com

 Her store in Perth is open from May 1-mid-August on Tuesday-Sunday from 9am-5 pm.

 COMING UP….

 October 1… Pumpkin Carving and Sculpting ….Adam Haley from Stirling will share some of his techniques for pumpkin carving.

Members are asked to bring a pumpkin related food item to share at break.

 October 12 @10:30….A children’s workshop on pumpkin carving will be held at the Library. Adam Haley will be demonstrating his amazing techniques to the children. Volunteers are needed at 10:00 to set-up for the program and to help the children during the workshop.

 October 19 @ 9 am….Fall clean-up of Moira Garden, town beds and Cenotaph.

 October 26 ….District 3 Fall Meeting at the Library. Only the President and Secretary can attend. Volunteers are needed to help with the lunch.

The Winner Is...

Shawna Kinlin and Lincoln were the winners of a beautiful plant basket on Canada Day. The free draw was part of the Tweed Horticultural Society's annual Flowerama show at Stocco Park. the park was filled with flower displays and artists to celebrate Canada's birthday.

Flowerama is on the Horizon

From Linda Holmes:

July 1st is coming soon. Does any one have pictures that can be used for the display.  Please
call Joan so she can organize the boards.
At 7 am on the 1st we will be setting  up the tent and many hands will make light work.
Any cut flower arrangements, vases, planters, house plants, roadside arrangements will
be greatly appreciated.
This may be the last year unless we can get more volunteers
Hope to see you there.
Please pass this message along to other members
Linda

Penny Vance (left) and Donna Fano with the mushroom display board.

Donna Fano spoke about mysteries of mushrooms in the Quinte area at the June meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Through her power point presentation, Donna shared many types of mushrooms with the audience.

 Often people don’t want mushrooms growing in their lawns. According to Donna, mushrooms help to gather water for trees, plants and lawns…so they are a good thing to have growing in lawns. In return for providing water, the trees and plants produce carbohydrates for the mushrooms that are unable to do this.

Donna provided the audience with several keys to mushroom identification…caps, gills, attachment to cap, stalk, base, smell, taste(be careful of this!!!), habitat and season of growth. Donna continually cautioned the audience about tasting mushrooms….start by tasting a very small amount to ensure that your digestive system can tolerate it.

Numerous photos showed the audience the wide range of mushrooms that grow in the Quinte area.

COMING UP….

July 1^st… Flowerama at the Park

Tent set-up….7:00 am

Bring groupings of cut flowers, house plants and planters for display under the Big Top! Remember to pick up plants at 4:00 pm

Photo display…submits 4x6 photos (not used in 2012) on 5x7 card stock. Include name on back. Hand in to Library or call Joan for pick-up by June 15^th.

July 6^th…Friends of the Tweed Library Garden Tour. Call Terry daSilva for more info-613-478-1791

August 6^th...Pot Luck Dinner. Bring chair, cup, plate and cutlery and your favourite pot luck dish and dessert to share! Don’t forget your appetite!

August 17^th…Clean-up of town flower beds prior to Elvis Festival…9 am

September 3^rd...Judy Wall of Rock Wall Gardens in Perth will be the guest speaker at the meeting. Judy will suggest hardy drought tolerant plants for rock gardens.

A Story About Thugs

Kathleen Lang was the guest speaker at the May meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Kathleen, a graduate of Algonquin College Horticulture and Landscaping Program is also a Master Gardener with Lanark County. Her presentation entitled “Poison Ivy and other Thugs” informed the audience about poisonous plants in our communities.

The audience was astonished to learn the dangers of wild parsnips. The sap from this plant gives an acid-like burn and can scar for life! Kathleen drew gasps when she stated that a man had died within 4 days due to toxic shock from this plant.  How do we get rid of it? Cut the plant in June and again in late August/early September before it flowers. Since it is an annual, with no seeds from the flower heads, there will be no plants the next year. Since many municipalities have cut back on mowing the sides of the rural roads, this plant is invading our landscapes. Kathleen suggests that the cuttings need taken to the dump to ensure that they seeds do not spread.

The motto for poison ivy, “leaves of three, let it be!” Not all poison ivy looks the same so beware!

Other poisonous plants Kathleen shared in the power point presentation included Queen Anne’s lace, cow parsley, poison hemlock and stinging nettle.

Kathleen suggested tips to prevent injury…

- Never weed or use string trimmers without covering up…long pants, long sleeve shirt, gloves and eye protection are a must!!!!

-Wash garden clothes thoroughly after gardening to remove potential nasty plant compounds-this is what Kathleen called “secondary transfer”.

- If you develop a rash or blisters, seek medical help immediately.

Websites to check out….

- www.poison-ivy.com

- Agriculture Canada website

- University of Guelph’s agricultural information website

 Kathleen shared a recipe for getting rid of garden pests like slugs, beetles.etc….shred rhubarb leaves into a bucket (do not use the bucket for anything else). Add boiling water. Leave to steep overnight. Keep mixture in a well labeled bottle. Mix “2 fingers” with 2 gallons of water and spray. Do NOT spray on any fruit trees or vegetable crops….very toxic.

June Meeting:

Guest speaker, Donna Fano will give a slide presentation on the mushrooms of the Quinte region.

Looking Ahead:

May 18…Plant Sale at Tweed Memorial Park. Please have plant material at the park by 7am. If you have a large quantity of one plant, having a colour photo wrapped in plastic will help to entice the buyers!!! For more information or if you need your plants picked up,  please contact Joan@613-478-6115

May 29…Bus Trip to Ottawa…opportunity to explore several nurseries and shop, shop, shops for plant materials. Cost is $45.00 per person. For more, please contact Linda @613-478-6850.

Apples, Rocks and Streams

Don DeGenoava, Cathy Anderson from the Tweed Public Library and Diana Cassidy-Bush.

Don DeGenova of Tweed was one of the guest speakers at the April meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. Don and Diana Cassidy-Bush of Fresh Landscape showed a clip of Don’s garden that was featured in the television show, My Backyard in an episode that focused on “Mega Garden Makeovers”. After viewing the clip, members agreed that this garden certainly underwent a “mega makeover”. When Don approached Diana to work “her magic” on his garden his only request was to keep the setting looking natural. Two ponds with fish, a river bed flowing among evergreens, vegetable gardens and a wildflower garden were incorporated into the landscape. Diana, known as a “rock artist” invited Don to accompany her to select the “perfect” rocks for the limestone waterfall. The wildflower garden is filled with milkweed, golden rod and asters with pathways meandering throughout. Through careful planning, flowers bloom at different times of the year ensuring that the garden always has colour. Diana’s design has created rooms within the garden for the owners to relax and enjoy the marvelous views of the surrounding area.



Colin Campbell, Campbell Orchards in the County.

 Colin Campbell, of Campbell Orchards on Rednersville Road in the county was the second speaker for the evening. The orchard has 12-15 acres with 25 varieties of apples, vegetables, cherries, strawberries, pears and peaches. There is a store on site that sells the fruit and veggies and homemade pies as well as small gifts. Space is also rented off site for storage. According to Colin, it is very difficult for the average homeowner to grow apples. At his orchard he is always trying to improve the quality of his apples through grafting, pest control and balancing his fruit crop. New apple varieties that are coming soon are “zestar” and “snow sweet”. Colin did give the members a hint about apple pies…..use a variety of apples and even toss in a pear….delicious!


May Meeting:

Kathleen Lang, graduate from the Algonquin College Horticulture and Landscaping Program and Master Gardener will speak about poisonous plants. Through her presentation, she will discuss how to identify these plants, precautions to be taken and what to do if you come in contact with them.

NOTE: The presentation will be at the White Building at 7 pm. Admission $3.00 for non-members.

Looking ahead…..

Peterborough Garden Show at Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough. Friday April 12-Sunday April 14. Cost is $6.00 per person.

David Morgan of Lee Valley Tools will speak at the Land O’Lakes Garden Club on April 11, 2013 at 7 pm. He will speak about how to irrigate your garden.

District 3 Spring AGM on April 27, 2013 in Brockville.

May 4…Spring Clean-up of flower beds in Tweed. Meet at the Moira Garden at 9am with your tools and lots of energy!

May 18…Plant Sale at Tweed Memorial Park. Please have plant material at the park by 7am. If you have a large quantity of one plant, having a colour photo wrapped in plastic will help to entice the buyers!!! For more information or if you need your plants picked up, please contact Joan@613-478-6115

May 29…Bus Trip to Ottawa…opportunity to explore several nurseries and shop, shop, shops for plant materials. Cost is $45.00 per person. For more, please contact Linda @613-478-6850.

Pruning Shrubs and Dahlia Delights

Conrad Grol discusses sharpening pruning tools during his recent talk for the Tweed Horticultural Society.

Tweed and District Horticultural March Meeting really had its members gearing up for spring with two speakers. Conrad Grol started the evening by talking about pruning shrubs. According to Conrad shrubs should be pruned to improve their appearance both visually and artistically. Clean plants look better to the eye than shrubs filled with dead wood. Another and more important reason to prune is what Conrad calls the “3Ds”….disease, damage and dead wood.


He provided many pruning tips for the members….

•roses-cut out dead damaged wood, diseased wood, and then shape leaving 4-5 canes

•dogwood-cut back to 6 inches above ground; clean out all dead wood

•spirea-blooms on new wood; prune after blooming just under the flowers; prune the roots using a sharp spade about 18 inches out

•weigela-blooms on last year’s wood; need to be thinned out in the spring; prune roots

•potentilla-blooms on new wood; prune after flowering; does not need a lot of fertilizer

•boxwood-prune only an inch at a time to keep its shape

•forsythia-prune when flowers are done; very short window to prune; needs granular feed

•junipers-cut long tips; may not look great when you prune but will grow back next year; can prune in spring or fall

According to Conrad, sharp shears are key to successful pruning. He also reminded members that shrubs are like humans…they need food and water!

John Bagshaw

The second presenter for the evening was John Bagshaw who shared a video on Dahlias. John is the Hort Group’s “dahlia expert” as he is always offering advice and recommendations to the members who strive to grow dahlias like his…which are outstanding! The excellent video demonstrated the journey of the dahlia from the single eye of the tuber, to the beautiful plant in the summer/fall and storage techniques for winter. John has donated the video to the Library for the public to borrow.

Here's short three minute video of dahlias in a U.K. garden for you to watch.


April Meeting:

Colin Campbell of Campbell Orchards, Belleville will discuss growing fruit trees in our area.

Don DeGenova of Tweed will share a video of his garden that was part of a gardening show, My Backyard, in an episode that focused on “Mega Garden Makeovers”.

Looking Ahead:Bus Trip to Canada Blooms and Toronto Home Show at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto on Friday March 15, 2013. Cost $55.00. Price includes admission to both shows and motor coach. For more info call 613-478-6850.

Peterborough Garden Show at Evinrude Centre, 911 Monaghan Rd, Peterborough. Friday April 1Sunday April 14. Cost is $6.00 per person. Members are invited to car pool on Saturday April 13. Meet at the Boldrick’s Parking lot-leaving at 8:40 am. For more information, call 613-478-6850.

David Morgan of Lee Valley Tools will speak at the Land O’Lakes Garden Club on April 11, 2013 at 7 pm. He will speak about how to irrigate your garden.

District 3 Spring AGM on April 27, 2013 in Brockville.

Winter Talk about Wildflowers



Elizabeth Churcher (left), Joan Morton (President), George Thomson.



George Thomson and Elizabeth Churcher presented a power point presentation entitled, “Wildflowers through the Seasons” at the February Tweed and District Horticultural Meeting. Both George and Elizabeth’s love of nature was evident as they spoke and shared outstanding photos taken by George. This passion for nature started when they were young children. George grew up in the Toronto area and he would bike through the many ravines in Toronto to get his “fill of nature” whereas Elizabeth who spent her early years growing up east of Bancroft merely had to step outside “get her fill”.

Now, Elizabeth and George are fortunate to be surrounded by nature at their home in Tweed known as Hepatica Hill -named after the white, pink and violet wildflowers that bloom there on sunny spring days.

Their presentation took the members on a walk through the seasons to see the many wildflowers that grow in our local area. Interesting details were given about each wildflower as it was shown on the screen and heads nodded in the audience as members recognized them.

The information provided for each wildflower displayed the presenters’ wealth of knowledge on the subject; for example,
• trout lilies can live more than 100 years
• Jack in the Puplit can be male or female in the same year
• the Ontario trillium grows very slowly and will have only one leaf for 6 years
•purple asters attract butterflies while white asters attract bees
•orange hockweed attracts butterflies due to its colour not the nectar
•native people ate succulants as a vegetable as it is high in Vitamins A and C

Their talk highlighted the colour, structure, pollination, habitat and even uses of some of our local wildflowers.

As Elizabeth said at the conclusion of the presentation, “You simply have to look to enjoy the wildflowers as they are everywhere!”.

March Meeting:

Conrad Grol, past owner of Brighton Garden Centre, will speak about pruning techniques. John Bagshaw will show members how to start their dahlias for summer and how to store the bulbs over winter.

Looking Ahead...

Bus Trip to Canada Blooms and Toronto Home Show at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto on Friday March 15, 2013. Cost $55.00 or $50.00 if purchased before Feb.9, 2013. Price includes admission to both shows and motor coach. For more info call 613-478-6850.

The Garden in Winter

Hydrangeas and sedum still look great in January in front of the brick wall at the Tweed Public Library.