HELEN NICOLAOU,
Special to The Standard
In the prime of summer, we can now sit back with a cool glass of lemonade and take pride in our handy work, while surrounded by blooming flowers, graceful flowing grasses and bold annuals. It is also a time to take self-guided garden tours.
The season has been a nice blend of hot days, cool nights and rain arriving just in time to bring relief from the daily chore of watering. The early spring vegetables have finished, and we look forward to; harvesting the first vine-ripened tomato, tender potatoes, lettuce, and the roadside stands loaded with heaps of local fresh sweet corn. We can keep the veggie garden working for us, well into late autumn, by planting cool weather crops next month, from early to mid-August. Lettuce, spinach, kale, and bok choy thrive in cooler temperatures. Radish, green beans and snow peas are crisp, requiring less watering. Carrot varieties which mature quickly are super sweet when left till the frosts pull up.
Enjoy the experience of bringing in your freshest and tastiest crops just steps from your kitchen door.
On July 9th the Orono Horticultural Society hosted and celebrated their 100th Anniversary, with their Annual Garden Tour showcasing seven local gardens. These gardens offered informal relaxing sun/shade spaces with wildflowers, hostas, native plants and berry-producing shrubs, creating peaceful habitats attracting birds, pollinators and small wildlife. Several properties used key artifacts and art for visual appeal, to accent their homes, while another highlighted a Traditional English style rose and perennial garden with a Moongate backdrop. It was a lovely day spent close to home.
A must-see worthwhile trip to the Montreal Botanical Gardens has an amazing opportunity to experience a fantasy and science phenomenon which could be right out of a Jules Vern novel.
The L’Expedition Vegetale, originating from France, has made its first stop in Montreal. The structure is a massive four-storey Flying Steampunk Greenhouse, which produces electricity from the living plants on board. A team of French scientists will be conducting scheduled public experiments, during their stay, until July 31st. Tickets need to be purchased online from https://espacepourlavie.ca/ to view this unique exhibit.
We thank Brenda Near for her presentation, on July 5th, about Bringing Bees and Insects with Native Plants to your garden. The Best Fascinator of the evening was Anna-Liza Kozma with her Fedora-designed Fascinator. The July Flower and Vegetable Show featured many lovely entries, with Anna Spencley receiving The Best in Show in the Horticultural Division for her exquisite yellow miniature rose and Norma Haney receiving Best in Design for her Monochromatic entry.
Port Perry High School student Katerina Triesleman was the recipient of the 2022 Bursary for continuing her studies.
On August 2nd, we will be celebrating the 45th Anniversary, serving refreshments, door prizes and a PowerPoint presentation on “Spring Gardens at Leeds Castle” by Libbi Hood.
Pine Ridge garden Club “Where Gardeners Come to Bloom.”