AGM 2020
On December 10th we held our first ever virtual Annual General Meeting via Zoom. All the documents that we normally present to members during an in-person meeting were shared electronically, two weeks in advance, and members were invited to cast electronic ballots to approve the documents and vote on the new slate of board members. In total, 34 members voted their unanimous approval of the 2019 AGM Minutes, the President’s Address, the 2019-20 Financial Statement, and the new slate of board members.
The OHA’s District 3 Director, Sue Carew, joined the meeting and extended her greetings to KHS members. The AGM is also a time to recognize volunteers for their dedication and commitment. This year, the president recognized Veronica Butler and Denise Owsianicki with the Golden Trowel Award for their continued work behind the scenes these past couple of years and recognized Maureen Williams with the President’s Award for her years of service and continuing commitment to KHS. The AGM was concluded with a Year in Review presentation created by Grant LeDrew. After all we have been through, in a year overshadowed by COVID-19, it was nice to remember the times we did manage to share together.
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The New Board for 2021
Officers of the Board:
- President: Suzanne Maranda
- Vice-President: David Kelly (Communications / Publicity Chair)
- Secretary & Treasurer: Rebecca Kelly
Directors:
- Alita Battey-Pratt (Programme Chair)
- Denise Owsianicki (Membership Chair)
- Jean Barna (Past President & Outreach Chair)
- Maureen Williams
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President's Message
By Suzanne Miranda
Happy New Year to all!
No doubt we are all ecstatic to see the end of 2020 and have great hopes for 2021. The end of the year also brings changes to Gardening Kingston. This is my first president’s message and I thought I would start by thanking a few people.
First, Lorna Lee who was a board member for a couple of years: thank you for all your help during the meetings, planning the silent auctions, helping at the plant sales, weeding at the pollinator garden, and no doubt much more. I am counting on your promise to continue to help us… thank you!
Thank you to our out-going president, Jean Barna, who worked tirelessly for the past 3 years and brought many improvements to the society’s functions. The plant sales, the garden tours, the province-wide conference, the monthly meetings, and the workshops, all benefitted from your advice, your experience and energy. Yours will be a tough act to follow and I look forward to learning the ropes with you.
Thank you to the board members, new and returning: we have a great team to lead the way. However, we will need the help of many more, especially once we can start meeting in person again. In the meantime, maybe you can contribute a small story for the newsletter, or you know someone who could present online? All ideas welcome.
And of course, thank you to our members: without you, there would be no Gardening Kingston! Thank you for embarking on this online journey with us and, for those of you who have not yet tried it, I hope you will add a Zoom Meeting to your New Year’s resolutions. This could be the one resolution that won’t fizzle out by February!
So, I thank you all for joining us as we Learn, Grow, and Share together… online, for a little longer yet.
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Editor's Notes
By David Kelly
One of the really interesting things about last month's Zoom Meeting was seeing our speaker, Darryl Cheng, in his own home, surrounded by his own plants - not something we could have accomplished with a traditional in-person meeting. As it happens, I was quite impressed with the staghorn fern that Darryl had mounted on his wall. This inspired me to deal with the potted specimen of my own.
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The staghorn fern is an epiphyte, getting its moisture and nutrients from the air. In nature, the staghorn fern grows in a vertical position attaching itself to the side of trees.
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From the side, you can see the fingers of the metal bracket that hold the fern in place. For watering, the bracket can be detached from the cedar board and plunged into a bowl of water.
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COVID Gardening
By Maureen Williams
2020 has been a year full of cancellations and restrictions. Thankfully the spirit of giving and sharing can never be cancelled and gardening is a hobby that can easily adapt to social distancing. Think for a bit how to maximize learning, growing, and sharing without physically gathering.
There is Zoom! A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but I’ve been Zooming for many different reasons. It is definitely not the same as in-person communication, but it is better than nothing. In fact, I’ll guess that some aspects of distance learning and meeting will persist post virus.
If you, or someone you know, has been slow to sign on, ask for help, or offer your assistance to get someone started – social connection is just one click away.
Members of Gardening Kingston can take advantage of our monthly speaker series from the comfort of home. Then we can hunker down waiting for the vaccine; searching the internet or your garden bookshelf for inspiration.
 Remember, in last month’s issue, I suggested you buy lots of amaryllis bulbs? I did that – planning to gift most of them.
Alas, no holiday parties! No family gatherings!
I now have an amaryllis collection growing in my dining room and a new passion for indoor winter gardening. I’m thrilled at the variety in colour, size, and bloom time. Some early bloomers have finished, while others are still budding. Believe it or not, Bryan is asking if we could get more! |
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Suzanne also has a COVID Gardening video to share. Watch her amaryllis as it progresses over 39 days from bud to bloom.
Video: Suzanne Maranda
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Wattle Fencing - Zoom Meeting
Thursday, January 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Join in with our guest Anthony Thomson for a discussion on Wattle Fencing
During his talk, Anthony will discuss the origin of wattle fences and how to construct one. He will include details on the materials and construction method as well as examples of different styles of fences that he has built over the last decade.
Registration required by Wednesday, January 13th
After registering you'll be sent an email containing a web-link to the Zoom Meeting.
Not comfortable asking questions in a group?
Submit your questions in advance using the link below.
Learn, Grow, Share
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Never Zoom'd before and don't know where to start?
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Check out these resources:
- Zoom FAQ's
- Step-by-step Guide (PDF)
- Video and Tutorial
- Or send us an email kingstonhortsoc@gmail.com and we'll try to help you out
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OHA's Trillium Newsletter
Interested in seeing what other societies in the province are doing? Stay updated with the latest OHA news. Follow the link to the latest issue of the OHA’s Trillium newsletter. |
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Membership Report
By Denise Owsianicki
We’re excited to welcome back returning members and look forward to meeting new members on Zoom and in person when we can gather again. Currently we have 86 members, a bit lower than last year, however we're grateful that people have mailed in or dropped off their renewal forms. We had many renewals at the fall member plant sale and have welcomed 15 new members since September 2020.
Volunteer Hours for 2020
Even though our activities changed this past year, many of you still volunteered on committees, provided plants, or helped out during either the spring or fall plant sales. A few of you hosted workshops or worked in the public gardens to beautify our community. Some members may have even helped neighbours, family, or friends in their gardens this past year. While others wrote articles for the newsletter or did research. All those hours count as volunteer hours and we’re hoping you will submit them so they can be included in the President’s Annual Report due this month.
Submit by Jan 11th, 2021 to Veronica: verbutler@gmail.com
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Seed Catalogues
By Rebecca Kelly
In previous years, members have benefited from seeds and catalogues donated by various local retailers. Currently, Covid-19 restrictions prevent in-person meetings, so here are a list of some Canadian seed companies, with all their contact information. You can view their offerings on-line, or order a catalogue.
 Veseys Seeds (Charlottetown, PEI)
veseys.com/ca/ 1-800-363-7333
Separate catalogue for plants and bulbs
Halifax Seeds (Halifax, NS)
halifaxseed.ca 902-454-7456
Richters Herbs (Goodwood, ON)
richters.com 905-640-6677
Specializes in herbs
Stokes Seeds (Thorold, ON)
siegers.com/online-catalogue.html 1-800-396-9238
W. H. Perron (Laval, QC)
dominion-seed-house.com/en/ 1-800-723-9071
(10% discount for Horticultural Societies registered with the OHA)
William Dam Seeds (West Flamborough, ON)
damseeds.ca 905-628-6641
West Coast Seeds (Delta, BC)
westcoastseeds.com 1-888-804-8820
Organic, non-treated, non-GMO seeds |
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Summer Bulbs
By David Kelly
Over the next few months, in preparation for our first on-line sale of Summer Bulbs, we will bring you articles about the selections we've made and how summer bulbs can be incorporated into your garden plans. We've tried to bring you a broad selection, focusing on shorter varieties that can easily be accommodated in smaller gardens, and in most cases, patio and garden planters.
Here's a peak at the first few...
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Agapanthus 'Blue'
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Although its common name is lily of the Nile, it is neither a lily nor a Nile River native. It is in fact a native of South Africa and part of the Amaryllidaceae family and is certainly reminiscent of the Allium and Amaryllis which are also members of this family. Agapanthus features a clump of arching, green, strap-like foliage, and produces rounded clusters of funnel-shaped lavender blue flowers atop stiff, upright, leafless, fleshy stalks. Their dramatic appearance makes them a great addition to floral arrangements.
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Begonia 'Odorosa Red'
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The most noteworthy feature of Begonia ‘Odorosa Red’ is, as the name suggests, its fragrance. While there are a great many very showy begonias, finding a scented one can be difficult. This begonia features lush, medium green, serrated leaves with distinctive bronze markings. It produces both single male flowers and fully double female flowers up to 6” across with ruffled petals, and its trailing habit makes it an excellent choice for hanging baskets or for creating that ‘spilling effect’ over the edge of a large container. They are also quite shade tolerant so they can be useful in brightening areas with lower light.
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Zantedeschia 'Picasso'
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Commonly known as calla lilies or arum lilies, they are not true lilies, but are members of the Araceae family. Perhaps you are familiar with our native jack-in-the-pulpit and can see the similarities. They are stemless plants with flowers and leaves that rise directly from rhizomes. Zantedeschia ‘Picasso’ features large arrowhead-shaped, white speckled leaves. The flowers are composed of a yellow finger-like spadix surrounded by a white spathe with a violet-coloured heart.They make dramatic cut flowers and provide a great focal point in any floral arrangement.
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Gardener's Journal
Gardening Kingston Members tell their stories.
Learn along with them.
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John's Story
The Lakeside Community Garden was established in 2013 on a portion of the Collins Bay Prison Farm that is leased by the City of Kingston from the federal government. It’s just at the top of Bishop Street where I live. So, when I learned this, I asked the board whether they would like to have a butterfly garden there.
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Your Story
Do you have a story to tell about your garden? Share something you've learned or some project you're working on, so that we can all grow together. Contact me at columbine.editor@gmail.com
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