December 2010 - The Bulletin Magazine

December 2010
By Anne Hill
hort happenings
I’m writing this on a very grey November day, warm
enough to putter around in the garden without a coat.
This autumn doesn’t want to give way to winter, it
seems. Have you noticed all the shades of yellow,
bronze, orange and burgundy in the foliage of the
perennials this year? I leave most of the plants in my
garden over the winter; they will help to hold the snow
cover and provide interesting texture.
Now that the outdoor gardening is pretty much
finished the indoor plants get more attention and the
effort to keep certain things alive till spring begins. I
had a beautiful succulent plant outside in a pot this
summer and would hate to see it die over the winter
from lack of light so it’s gone to a friend’s southfacing
sunroom for the winter. Here’s hoping! It’s a
long time till spring.
Do you have a beginning gardener, or an experienced
one, on your Christmas list? Gift certificates for local
nurseries make great gifts; the gardener can use them
for plants or garden essentials in the spring. A gift
membership for East Gwillimbury Gardeners would
also be a thoughtful gift – it would entitle the recipient
to hear all our great speakers at no charge, they would
receive our yearbook and award-winning newsletter
full of garden ideas and news, get discounts at various
garden centres, borrow books from our library, learn
down-to-earth garden tips and green-thumb wisdom
and could participate in flower shows and
photography competitions. Membership for an
individual is just $20 per year, $25 for a couple.
Here’s a list of our upcoming speakers and some dates
to remember for the first few months of 2011:
Tuesday, February 15th, 7:30 p.m. “A Taste of
Summer”: author Moira Sanders will demonstrate
recipes from the Harrowsmith Fair Cookbook (What a
delicious way to spend a winter evening!) Free to
members, $3 for guests.
Tuesday, March 15th, 7:30 p.m: Jeff Marrin of Acorn
to Oak Tree Service will talk about trees - how to
select, plant, and care for trees successfully in our
environment. Have your questions ready!
Tuesday, April 19th, 7:30 p.m: Ken Brown, on
Vertical Vegetables – this will be an ideal opportunity
for anyone just getting into growing vegetables to
learn from the expert on getting the most from a small
space. Our annual photography competition will also
be held that evening.
All our meetings take place at Mount Albert
Community Hall, 53 Main Street. For more
information or to purchase a gift membership, please
call me at 905-478-8450 or check out our website at
http://www.gardenontario.org/site.php/mountalbert.
Best wishes for the holiday season.
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34 The Bulletin | DECEMBER 2010 www.TheBulletinMagazine.com