a word from the president - hudson garden cluba word from the president 2015 was a very successful...
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NEWLETTER 2016 NEWSLETTER 2016
A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
2015 was a very successful year for the Hudson Garden Club. We had a
superb day for the Garden Party which was held on the lovely property of
Louis and Mary Leprohon. The Flower Show was well attended and the
day trips to the Gatineau and the Botanical Gardens were enjoyed by all.
Our Local Garden Tour was a little soggy . . . alright, a lot soggy; but the
goodies offered at the Tea Garden buoyed everyone's spirits. A warm
thank you to all the Executive and the Members - all this would not have
been possible without you and all your hard work!
2016 sees Christine Gibb busy organizing a fabulous slate of Speakers
for our monthly meetings. For one, we shall be listening to the always
personable Alexander Reford from Reford Metis Gardens! We will be having Fun with Fungi at
another. Unfortunately, due to the lack of response to our request for gardens and volunteers,
we will not be holding our usual local garden tour this year. As a result, your Executive is busy
planning wonderful Day Trips to see private gardens in quaint Knowlton in the Eastern Townships
and in charming Chelsea in the Gatineau region. There will be superb lunches; for example, we
shall dine at the renowned L’Orée du Bois in Chelsea. Those who subscribe to both events will
receive a discounted rate.
Again, because of lack of volunteer response, there will be no Garden Party this summer; howev-
er, in November, we are organizing a lovely luncheon and a demonstration on the creation of
Holiday decorations (centerpieces, wreath making etc.) More on this to come.
Personally, I plan to do a garden makeover this season . . . anything from a simple plant de-
cluttering to a major redo of main garden areas. Perhaps we all could have a similar resolution
and then attend monthly meetings to learn how to accomplish this and go on the Day Trips to see
how others do it!
Plan to help grow our membership by bringing new gardeners into the Club to share ideas and
our Garden Bounty (a new happening at our Summer and Fall meetings.) Plant everything you
buy; if not, give them to a neighbour or a new gardener who will appreciate them. So, in March,
come to the first of our monthly meetings - the third Tuesday of every month - and bring a friend!
This year's Flower Show theme is “Tchin Tchin” so let's raise our glasses to another successful
gardening season!
Lorrie Phelan
President
To create a little flower is the
labour of ages.
William Blake (1757—1827
“To create a little flower is the
labour of ages.”
William Blake (1757—1827)
English poet and mystic
Please Note:
Meetings are held on the Third
Tuesday of each month from
March to November at St.
James’ Church, 642 Main
Road, Hudson.
Guest fee for regular meet-
ings is $5.
Meetings now commence at
7:30 pm; invited speakers
begin promptly at 7:45 pm.
Tous les membres sont les
bienvenus. Veuillez toutefois
prendre note que nos
conférenciers feront leurs
discours en anglais.
Remember: Instead of waiting
until the holidays, non-
perishable food items will now
be collected at each meeting
and donated to Le Pont
Bridging throughout the
year.
Mission Statement
The goals of the Hudson Garden Club are to:
1. Share horticultural knowledge
2. Promote enjoyment of gardening and its related
activities
3. Encourage awareness of our environment
Board Members
President Lorrie Phelan 450-458-4032
Vice President Margaret Waller
450-458-7615
Past President Deborah Barclay
450-458-2476
Treasurer & Membership Bill Osler
450-458-3548
Secretary Caroline O’Connor
450-202-1013
Directors
Kathy Conway 450-458-7604
Michael Hickman 450-458-1298
John Hill 450-458-4431
Kathy Leech 450-458-4491
William McCann 450-458-1819
Important!! Please advise us promptly if
either your mailing or e-mail
address has changed; we
will correct your address for
the next mailing.
FLOWER SHOW - 2016 Cheers, and Happy New Year to
everyone! Toasting everyone at special events with sayings
such as cheers, Santé, and Tchin Tchin is what inspired the
Hudson Garden Club’s 2016 Flower Show Tchin Tchin!
All arrangements will be in an assortment of glassware and
depict various drinks. We hope that the information sheet
that is on our web site now will inspire you to enter one or
more of the categories (the show’s booklet will be ready in a
few weeks).
The flower show will be held at the Stephen F. Shaar
Community Centre (394 Main, Hudson). Registration will be
on Friday, July 15 from 5:00 to 8:30 pm and the show will
open to the public at noon on Saturday, July 16.
We encourage everyone to take part – enter one or more
sections (floral arrangements, cut flowers, roses, vegetable,
potted plants and veggie critters) – and you might win a rib-
bon and/or trophy. For further details please consult our web
site or contact Kathy Conway at 450-458-7604
Hudson Garden Club
Schedule of Events
March 15 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Note: please come early to re-
new your membership and re-
serve a place on the bus for our
day trips.
Tereska Gesing
Topic - Garden pests and
disease control
Tereska Gesing is the owner of
Urban Seeding, a company that
helps Montrealers grow food in
the city by planting vegetable
gardens and doing edible land-
scaping in yards, schools and
work sites. Tereska’s talk will
help you defend your vegetable
garden against unwanted
pests, critters and diseases.
March 19
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Please come and join us in this
community event and proudly
display your “green thumbs”!
For details contact Lorrie
Phelan - 450 - 458 -4032
April 19 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Annual general meeting, in-
cluding election of officers.
Doug and Judy Harvey
Topic - Ponds, pools,
and other water features
in the garden
For over 20 years, Doug and
Judy Harvey (Pond World Inc.)
have been the Canadian
leaders in creating stunning,
one of a kind water
environments that allow home-
owners to reconnect with na-
ture, create their own peaceful
oasis, while adding beauty
and splendor to their proper-
ties. Their talk will inspire you
to introduce a pond, pool or
small water feature into your
garden.
May 17 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Alexander Reford
Topic - Les Jardins de
Métis/Reford Gardens
Les Jardins de
Métis/Reford
Gardens are the
extraordinary
achievement of a
passionate gar-
dener - Elsie Reford. In the
summer of 1926 at the age of
54, she began transforming her
fishing camp on the Métis River
in northeastern Quebec into a
garden. Come and listen to
historian and Reford Gardens
director Alexander Reford’s
fascinating tales of the gardens
over their 90 year history.
June 21 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Orysia Krywiak-Valenti
Topic - Flower Arranging
A demonstration of how to
make award winning arrange-
ments.
This meeting is open to the
public at no charge.
July 15/16
Flower and Vegetable
Show
The theme of this year’s show
is Tchin Tchin. Please refer to
the Floral Arrangement sheet
for a description of the Arrange-
ments and start planning your
entries.
The show will be held Saturday
July 16, at the Stephen F.
Shaar Community Centre, with
registration the evening of July
15 (5:00pm to 8:30 pm).
The complete schedule book-
let will be available on our
website soon. Please contact
Kathy Conway at 450-458-
7804 or at
you have any questions. The
show is open to the public
noon to 4:0 pm.
July 19 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Pierre Noël and Judith
Noël Gagnon
Topic - We put the
“fun” in Fungi
Pierre and Judith run, a fam-
ily business specializing in
everything related to
mushrooms. Come and
discover the frontiers of the
“fun”gi world, from the forest
to the kitchen, from the
garden to the workshop!
July 23
Trip #1- Chelsea, QC
(near Ottawa) Garden
Tour
No local garden tour in
Hudson? So come and enjoy
the charming village of
Chelsea and four local
gardens. La Chasse – Gardée
du Marais and three other
private gardens. Lunch will be
at L’Orée du Bois Restaurant.
This is truly a day not to be
missed.
Come on both trips this year
and take advantage of a dis-
count.
Reservations with payment by
cheque, to Hudson Village
Travel 450-458-7041. Price
including lunch or excluding
lunch TBA. There will be only
one bus, seats are limited, so
it will be first come, first
served. If there is still availa-
bility on June 23, seats will be
offered to non-members.
August 13
Trip #2 - Knowlton, QC
Garden Tour
Our second garden tour will be
in the area of Knowlton/Brome
Lake. Three privately owned
gardens will be opened for us
to visit. Lunch will be at Le Re-
lais Knowlton. On our return
we will stop off at a vineyard
for a wine tasting!! Another trip
not to be missed.
Come on both trips and take
advantage of a discount.
Reservations with payment by
cheque, to Hudson Village
Travel 450-458-7041. Price
including lunch or excluding
lunch TBA. There will be only
one bus, seats are limited, so it
will be first come, first served. If
there is still availability on July
13, seats will be offered to non-
members.
August 16 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Edith Smeesters
Topic - Backyard Composting
Edith Smeesters is an author,
environmental activist and re-
spected lecturer on ecological
approaches to landscaping. Her
talk will unveil the fascinating
world of backyard composting.
Her practical tips will cover what
to compost (or not!), how to
avoid unwanted smells and ani-
mal visitors, how to handle sum-
mer grass clippings, autumn
leaves, winter branches and
much more.
September 20 - Meeting
7:30 pm
Céline Arsenault
Topic- Botanical Prints
Céline Arsenault is a botanist
and worked as chief archivist
and historian at the Montreal
Botanical Garden for 30 years
before retiring. Her talk will
cover the history of botanical
illustration and how botanical
prints contributed to the
development of botany
throughout history.
October 18 - Meeting
7:30 pm
André Poliquin
Topic– Orchids for Everyone
André is Président, Société
des Orchidophiles de Montréal
and Directeur, Orchidexpo In-
ternational de Montréal, He is
an avid gardener and a spe-
cialist of orchids and roses.
He will share his extensive
knowledge of and passion for
orchids.
November 19 DIY
Holiday Décor Demo
On Saturday, November 19th.
the HGC will host a lively
luncheon, which will include
Michael's famous homemade
soup. Lunch will be followed
by a workshop on how to
create Christmas decorations/
arrangements. More
information and tickets will be
available at Garden Club
meetings. This promises to be
a super event. So mark your
calendars!
“In the garden, more grows
than the gardener sees.”
A Spanish Proverb
Hudson Garden Club Gives Back
HGC is a non-profit organization, but sound management means
that we occasionally accumulate a budget surplus beyond our
operating needs.
HGC is a vibrant part of the community in which we live and in
the spirit of giving to our community the HGC gave donations to
the following in 2015:
• Nova Hudson, in memory of our deceased members
• Le Nichoir
• Ecomuseum
• The Lambert de Wit Education Grant
The Lambert de Wit Education Grant
The Hudson Garden Club (HGC) is pleased to announce it
will again offer an education grant in 2016 to a student in the
field of horticulture or environmental studies. The $500 grant
will be awarded in May by the HGC Selection Committee, to
a student chosen who meets the following criteria.
The student’s home is located in Hudson or Saint-
Lazare or Rigaud, and is a high school student who
has been accepted in a CEGEP, college or university
programme related to horticulture or environmental
sciences.
OR
A student who is currently registered in a CEGEP,
college or university programme related to horticulture
or environmental sciences.
Past applicants and winners may apply again.
The application form may be requested by sending an
e-mail to [email protected]
Deadline for receipt of the submission is April 23, 2016.
Discounts for Members
As a member of HGC and
through HGC’s membership in
the FSHEQ, 2016 membership
card holders may be privileged
to receive varying discounts
from participating suppliers.
Present your card to the cash-
ier BEFORE your order is rung
up.
Please check with suppliers as
to which items the discounts
apply, as not all items are sub-
ject to their discounts.
We thank the following compa-
nies for their generosity:
Champs de Rêves, Hollandia
Fleuriste, Les Serres
Vaudreuil (Daoust), Pepiniere
Chantal (Rigaud), Cité des
Jeunes (Saint-Lazare) and
Fleuriste Rita(Saint-Lazare).
Merci beaucoup !
Tell Us!!
We welcome your ideas and
input. Here is how to get in
touch with us:-
Web site: http://hgc.fsheq.net
E-mail:
Snail-mail: PO Box 573, Hud-
son, QC, J0P 1H0
HGC now on Facebook
- hgcquebec “There ‘s something soothing about firming seeds in the
soil and tending plants under the glass of your green-
house while raindrops and snowflakes fall against the
panes.” George Abraham-born 1928, American Gardener
MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION
$25 Annually – Per Household
($20 if paid before March 31, 2016)
Complete both parts of this form and
mail it to us at:
Hudson Garden Club
PO Box 573 – Hudson – QC J0P 1H0
If you wish to receive your card by mail,
please INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED,
STAMPED ENVELOPE. Otherwise, you may
pick up your membership card at any
meeting.
*OR*
Bring the completed form to the March 15
2016 meeting
Name__________________________________
Name of additional household member who re-
quires a membership card
_______________________________________
Address
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
Postal Code_____________________________
Telephone______________________________
E-mail (please print clearly)
_______________________________________
Please note that by providing your email
address you are choosing to receive club
communications by email only.
To ensure a speedy registration process for every-
one, please come early and bring your completed
form and cheque to the March 15, 2016, at
7:00 pm, St James’ Church, 642 Main Road,
Hudson.
You can pick up your 2016 membership card at
the March 15 meeting.
Membership Inquiries
Bill Osler – 450-450-3548 - or -
Kathy Conway - 450-458-7604 - or -
Help with one of our many Hudson Garden
Club activities by volunteering for a work
group. Generally, this requires very little of
your time and it will be greatly appreciated.
Please indicate how you want to help:
__Administrative work __Computer help
__Flower Show helper __Flower Show Tea
Room hostess/server __Local Garden Tours
helper __Plant sales (Spring _____ Fall _____ )
__Telephone Committee __Wine & Cheese Par-
ty helper __Programme coordination
__Help organize bus tours __Other (please
specify)_______________________________ Helping Hands
We thank all the enthusiastic
volunteers who work tirelessly with
HGC directors to bring you our many
activities throughout the season.
Thank you
“I don’t know whether nice people tend to
grow roses or growing roses makes
people nice.” Richard A. Browne,
American Professor
Reading a Fertilizer Label
The three numbers on a fertilizer bag (called N-P-K numbers) give the percentage makeup by weight of the three components in the fertilizer:
N (for nitrogen) - promotes leaf development;
P (for phosphorus) - promotes root, flower, seed and fruit growth;
K (for potassium, sometimes called potash) - promotes root development, movement of water through the plant and resistance to diseases.
A bag of fertilizer marked "10-8-10" contains 10% nitrogen, 8% phosphorus and 10% potassium . . . the other 72 percent of the bag’s content is usually composed of inert filler materials like limestone or clay.
Animal manures as fertilizers are classified as either HOT manures or COLD manures. Hot manures such as horse, pig and chicken are high in nitrogen and need composting to pre-vent burning plants. Cold manures like cow, sheep or rabbit can be added directly to the soil.
Despite providing nutrition to plants, fertilizer in excess amounts can be detrimental to the same plants causing loss of leaves or even death.
Titbits
Tips with Bulbs
Some of the easiest bulbs to grow include Allium,
Chionodixa, Crocus, Lilium, Narcissus, Galanthus
Pushkinia, and Tulipa.
Buy the largest bulbs
available. The bigger the
bulb, the more years they
will flower without you
having to fuss over them.
Plant daffodils at least 15
cm deep and if the soil is heavy, place a layer of
sand at the bottom of the hole to provide good
drainage, which will prevent the bulbs from rotting.
Plant lily bulbs on a mound of grit to prevent water
logging, which they hate and work more grit into
the soil around them.
Most ornamental alliums have unattractive leaves,
so hide them with a planting of annuals.
Deadhead your bulbs
after flowering to pre-
vent them putting
energy into producing
seeds when they
should be putting it
back into the bulbs
for the following
years’ flowering.
If established clumps of bulbs fail to flower, feed
them with a liquid fertilizer, wait for the leaves to
die down, then lift the clumps before replanting
them. “Love of flowers and vegetables is not
enough to make a good gardener. He
must also hate weeds.”
Eugene P. Bertin, American horticul-
turist