What's Growing On - Winter Newsletter

Master Gardeners of Ontario

Serving Ontario for Over 25 Years

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Clivia

In this Issue....

Split-leaf Philodendron

21 Indestructible Houseplants

Thomas McCavour, Simcoe County Master Gardener

I challenge anyone to maim, injure or destroy my houseplants. I will give the first person that succeeds one half of my favourite Coffee Crisp chocolate bar. Read more...

The Fourth Gardening Season

Alexandra Wiens – Prince Edward County

Ficus Benjamina

This is the fourth season in the gardening calendar: the time when houseplants refresh our senses. Whether it is a window ledge with several different colors of African violets, or a clump of paper white narcissus or the glossy green leaves of the Benjamina fig; indoor plants bring a little of summer to our environment during the cold season. Most gardeners are familiar with several of the more common houseplants sold at nurseries and garden centers. At one time or another, most of us have own a spider plant... Read more...

What do House Plants Know?

Edythe Falconer - Ottawa

Book Review “What Plants Know” by Daniel Chamovitz

If “intelligence” is a biological property how does it work in plants? Current research is subjected testy dialogues over interpretations where disagreement rests not as much on results as it does on interpreting them. Having read “What Plants Know” I wonder if I’ve been taking plants for granted... Read more...

We Are Hanging Up the Pencil

Dianne and Gary Westlake, Editors

This will be our last issue of the Master Gardeners of Ontario Newsletter. It has been 7 years since we took over for Lorraine Flanigan, and after this one, we will be retiring to take on other tasks. To all those of you who provided us with articles and information on your activities over the years, and to Kelly Noel who checked the text and gave us many helpful suggestions, a big thank you. We are off to Key Largo for a week or so of R&R. In future you can get us through our website dianneandgarywestlake.com and for future submissions to the newsletter use editors@mgoi.ca

MGs in Action

Prince Edward County – is doing a radio segment once a month on County FM 99.3.

Milestones

New MGiTs

Grey County – Roseanne Illman

London Middlesex – Monica Delmage, Jennifer Houston, Jane May

Prince Edward County – Julia Lamoca, Susan Warrack

Successfully Completed MG course

London Middlesex – Lee Anderson, Cheryl Losch

Successfully Completed the Certification Exam

Haliburton – Carolyn Langdon

London Middlesex – Sarah Ragalyi, Amy Turnbull

5 Years

Grey County – Karen Young

Prince Edward County – Kevin Bazkur, Sandy Goranson, Kathy Macpherson

10 Years

Quinte Tweed – Cathy Pogue

20 Years

Stratford – Kim Brodhagen, Gord Piggott, Ruth Seyffert,

25 Years

Prince Edward County – Barbra Stock

London Middlesex – Jennifer Grant

30 years

London Middlesex – Eva Norman-Vestergaard, LMMG is privileged to have such a knowledgeable, dedicated person as our member. Eva brings vision, inspiration, skills, advice, experience and friendship to our gardening community.

Transfers

London Middlesex welcomes Anne McFee

Peterborough welcomes Sue Flinders-Adams who transferred from Haliburton

Emeritus

Halton Region – Lorne Sparrow (a member since 1987)

Events

January 26 

8:00 p.m. at St. Luke's Lutheran Church 3200 Bayview Avenue (north west corner of Finch and Bayview) – Photography in the Garden – Laura Mills

February 23

8:00 p.m. at St. Luke's Lutheran Church 3200 Bayview Avenue (north west corner of Finch and Bayview) – Dwarf Conifers – Darren Heimbecker

March 5 - 8

The 15th annual ever-popular Stratford Garden Festival and the Stratford Master Gardeners’ who have been there from the beginning will again welcome winter weary gardeners with plenty of free advice. For details and a list of exciting speakers, check out http://www.stratfordgardenfestival.com/

March 7

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Seedy Saturday at Carling Heights Optimist Centre, 656 Elizabeth St, London ON. London Middlesex Master Gardeners host their 8th Annual Seedy Saturday offering "Seeds to Buy or Swap, Plants, Supplies, Exhibits, Free Advice, Speakers and Demonstrations". Cost for entry is $5.00 Adults, Children under 12 free. Interested Vendors or non-profit Exhibitors may contact us at lonmidmastergardeners@gmail.com or register online at www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

March 7

All day Saturday from 8:30 - 2:15 talks by Peterborough and Area Master Gardeners on Landscape Design, Soils (including Composting), Pruning, Square Foot Gardening, Edible Forest Gardening, Herbs. Cost $30 which includes lunch. Activity Haven 1280 Barnardo Ave, Peterborough. register at www.peterboroughgardens.ca/courses

March 10, 17, and 31

7:00 p.m. – Gardening in the City at Central Library, 251 Dundas St, London ON. ‘Gardening in the City’ Talks are free, fun and informative.
March 10 – Are you Ready for Spring? – Rhonda Persichilli
March 17 – How to have the best Vegetable and Herb Garden Ever! – Ron Rossini
March 31 – Taking the Mystery out of Garden Structures – Curtis Peterson
No pre-registration required. Information www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

March 17 - May 7

Tuesday’s, March 17 to May 5 OR Thursday’s, March 19 to May 7, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Seeds to Table, 2015 – at the London Civic Garden Complex, 625 Springbank Drive, London ON. Classroom instruction and hands on workshops cover everything from soil preparation and seed selection to planting, maintaining, harvesting and preserving. The focus is on gardens you can EAT as well as colourful and helpful companion plants. Cost of $100 for 8 sessions will include some basic planting supplies plus consultation for one growing season. Information lonmidmastergardeners@gmail.com Registration www.londonmiddlesexmastergardeners.com

April 2, 3, 4

Thursday, Friday, Saturday of Easter weekend The Peterborough Garden Show with two large arenas full of gardening related vendors, informative speakers all day Friday and Saturday, bus shuttle to parking and many more features.  Over 8000 gardeners come to this show annually - don't miss out. For more detail www.peterboroughgardenshow.com or www.peterboroughgardens.ca