Helen Nicolaou, Pine Ridge Garden Club
Like the seeds in spring are ready to come out of dormancy, so are the members, of Pine Ridge Garden Club, anxious to see and visit their gardening friends.
Board Members have been working hard to fill the upcoming gardening season calendar, to bring you Interesting Speakers, Floral Design Demos, the Annual May Plant, the Yard and Bake Sale and a Workshop for members to create their very own "Autumn Centrepiece."
The Garden Centre shelves are stocked full with packages of seeds, ranging from perennial and annual flowers to vegetables and herbs. Starting seeds can be exciting to watch, as the seed pops through the soil into a plant which will grow to become a flower or vegetable to enjoy. Most seeds will quickly germinate, needing only a brief germination period in warm soil. Other seeds, mainly trees, shrubs, perennials and wildflowers, require cold, moist stratification, where the seed experiences conditions which will break its normal dormancy period to germinate.
The package instructions will mention the requirements for successful germination.
One method to cold-stratify your seeds is to set the seeds on a moist, folded paper towel, placed in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for a period of a few weeks. The seeds have now been stratified and can now be brought out. By following the directions on the package, you can plant the seed indoors in warm conditions into cell packs. This process will speed up the success of germination, allowing you the chance to plant varieties not sold at garden centers. Maybe grandma has some heritage special seeds, passed down for generations, or you may have other unique varieties you have found at seed exchanges and can grow.
The winter is often a hard season, causing damage to key landscape trees and shrubs. Broken branches: due to snow; strong winds; heavy ice or wind burn; even overcrowded branches, to evergreen shrubs and cedars, can cause damage and disease which may often shorten the life of a tree from stress and improper airflow.
If these are some of the problems challenging you this spring and you are not sure how to correctly prune, then be sure to come out and join us, on Tuesday, March 12th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nestleton Community Center, to hear the expert. David Retallick from Davids Garden Service, will be presenting "Pruning 101." There will be a question-and-answer time to follow.
Enjoy Refreshments and a Finger Food Buffet, then sit back and relax to be inspired about getting out in your yard to trim those trees and shrubs.
Members, remember to be kind to the environment and Lug a Mug. Guests are always welcome. Join us for a fun and informative evening.
We are all growing and learning. See you there.
To become a new member, visit our website, at pineridgegardenclub.com.
Pine Ridge Garden Club – Where Gardeners Come To Bloom