Pine Ridge Garden Club News March 2026

by Helen Nicolaou

At last, it's official, Spring arrived, as of Friday, March 20th. Quickly, our minds begin to make notes, prioritizing garden duties. Carefully assessing the yard will help to decide which areas need attention.

The melted snow reminds us of the unfinished jobs, such as the fallen leaves which had been covered by the early snowfall, last November. Just a reminder, it's good to wait and leave the fallen leaves as cover for the sleeping pollinators until they awaken and move on.

Broken branches, caused by wind and snow, will need to be trimmed. After a long winter of sitting idle, remember your body has lost the stamina it had in the autumn, after being active and fit through a full season of gardening. Start slow and do some simple stretches, before and after gardening, to help prevent injuries.

The first meeting at the Nestleton Community Centre, on Tuesday, March 10th, was well attended. Our president, Libbi welcomed everyone and several new members. Libbi reminded the members of the upcoming Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) Convention, hosted by Districts 14 and 17. No hotel accommodations are required, as the Convention is located at the Oshawa Campus of Durham College, on July 24th to 26th. Volunteers are needed to assist in various areas. Schedule permitting, volunteers are welcome to hear speaker presentations, see gardens, view competitions etc.

Thank-you to Michael Burns for his excellent presentation that evening, with tips on growing and enjoying Dahlias in your own garden. A brief summary on dahlias would be, to, start dahlia tubers indoors in pots, in mid-April, and then transplant them into a sunny garden, once the danger of frost has passed. Once established, dahlias are a late summer bloomer which require a fertilizer high in potassium and phosphorous but low in nitrogen, to prevent leafy bushes with few blooms. Dahlias will produce many stunning flowers until the hard frost arrives. The tubers should then be dug up and stored in cool storage, until next spring. Many members purchased some of the specialty dahlia tubers Michael brought from his own collection. We look forward to seeing many dahlias entered, for the September Flower Show.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 7th, at 7:30 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Garry Edwards, his presentation will be on The Shade Garden. Join Garry for helpful ideas on what to plant to make your shade garden a place to cool as well an interesting space. The popular Garden Swap Night is back. Members bring in garden related items; so come early for best the selection. Swap items are located as you enter the hall. Members, please take your unclaimed items home at the end of the meeting.

Looking ahead, to the Annual Plant, Yard and Bake Sale Fundraiser, members are kindly asked for donations from their garden. You are reminded to think of dividing perennials, shrubs and start seedlings now. The date, for this year, is Saturday, May 16th, at the Nestleton Community Centre.

At each meeting refreshments are available. To become a member see Carolyn and Janice at the members table, and see Kim and Margaret for door prize tickets.

Be kind to the environment and Lug-a-mug. Guests are always welcome.