This Blog is no longer receiving active posts due to a family loss which lead to the forced sale of the Pollinator Potager's location.
I am pleased to relate that the garden is still being tended by the new property owner, for which I am grateful.
The memories of my Pollinator Potager Project will remain here, and in my heart.
Published in the HamiltonNews.com
at https://www.hamiltonnews.com/opinion-story/9059799-growing-green-joining-a-horticultural-society/
During the winter months, gardeners in colder climates find themselves having to fill the many hours usually spent tending their garden plots. It can be a relief for some and something akin to facing empty-nest syndrome for others.
Often gardening withdrawal doesn’t take root until after the holidays; so, before frigid temperatures and seasonal inactivity settle in, some forward thinking might help alleviate the dreaded mid-winter blahs.
When I joined the Mount Hamilton Horticultural Society last fall, I was unprepared for how much I would enjoy being part of the group: The comradery, interesting guest speakers, group activities and shared knowledge helped sustain me through the long winter months; and, provided me with great ideas for the gardening season to come. I’m considering expanding my participation within the MHHS and looking forward to continued involvement with the ‘Growing Green’ writing collective.
Having no previous experience in - or foreseeable aptitude for - a specialized gardening art I find fascinating, this year I joined the Bonsai Society at the RBG. My thinking is that winter seems as good a time as any to read and research Bonsai techniques and philosophy, attend meetings and workshops, and try my hand at keeping a few indoor plants alive.
Joining a horticultural society is a perfect way to expand your gardening joy and knowledge. Most groups offer a free first visit; and, the good ones will make you feel welcome right away. The two groups I chose certainly did.
As published in the HamiltonNews.com
https://www.hamiltonnews.com/opinion-story/9000786-growing-green-the-leaf-mulching-process/
In the summer of 2017, my thoughtful husband bought us, on sale, a leaf vacuum/blower/mulcher. When the leaves started falling from our large little-leaf linden tree, the new gadget made swift work of the leaf-mulching process.
The mulched leaves were placed in large trash cans, for storage and use in the garden once a heavy frost had come upon us, or so I thought. However, when I went looking for the finely mulched leaves, I discovered that they had been mistakenly put out for the city’s garbage and compost pickup.
Acceptance of the loss still left me with an urgent desire for more of the nutrient-rich soil-amending leaf mulch. Luckily, I was able to acquire six bags of leaves from a neighbour who had no plan to use them — and a new iteration of the saying, “One man’s trash ...” became “is this gardener’s treasure.”
So, over the next few days — thanks to our good luck, ingenuity and teamwork — my husband mulched his way through the bags of replacement leaves, and I set about spreading them on our front and side gardens. Mission accomplished: flora, fauna and garden soil would reap the benefits of our combined effort.
The memory of last year’s adventure returned to me just as 2018’s leaves started making their seasonal pilgrimage from branch to ground. It reminded me that persistence is important when faced with adversity, and that — pleasant or poor — I should embrace every day in the garden.
Growing Green is a regular feature prepared by the Mount Hamilton Horticultural Society (gardenontario.org/site.php/mhhs or Facebook). Member Nancy (Haigh) Gordon, the author of this article, also writes the gardening blog thepollinatorpotagerproject.blogspot.ca.
