Upcoming Meetings and Events
We meet at on the 4th Monday of the month from September to
May at the Bedford Hammonds Plains Community Centre, next to
the CPA High School at 202
Innovation Drive from 7:00-9:00 pm.
May 27, 2024
7:00 pm
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Tattooed Gardener
and Closing Social and Plant Exchange
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Join us in person for a watch party and end of season
social! The Tattooed Gardener, will present to us
virtually from Ontario.
SHADY BUSINESS: gardener-style! Powerful Plants,
Tantalizing Textures, and Cohesive Combinations. Find
out why Paul loves gardening in the shade, learn about
his favourite lower-light plants, discover how to
improve a dark corner in your home garden; and make
the most out of a shady situation. Hello, Darkness, my
old friend!
With over 30 years in the Horticulture Industry, The
Tattooed Gardener is currently the Vice-President for
the Etobicoke Horticultural Society, and has
experience as the Director of Horticulture at the
Toronto Botanical Garden, and Curatorial Gardener at
the Toronto Zoo. And bring a couple of plants and go
home with a couple of new plants through our plant
exchange!
This is our last meeting of the season. We'll return
in September!
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Recent Past Meetings
April 22, 2024
7:00 pm
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Taking Care of Garden Tools
Sherry Chaisson
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We'll welcome back Sherry Chaisson for a very
informative presentation on how to properly clean,
oil, sharpen and store gardening tools and
pruners.Sherry is a Senior Instructor in the Plant,
Food and Environmental Science Faculty at Dalhousie
Agricultural Campus in Truro.
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March 25, 2024
7:00 pm
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15 Trends and Challenges in Gardening
Llyod Mapplebeck
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We'll welcome back Llyod Mapplebeck to talk about
gardening trends that are both general and specific to
our area, and include dealing with deer; planting for
sun following Hurricane Fiona's destruction; interest
in gardening for pollinators and with native plants;
increasing interest in organic and food gardening;
online purchasing; how garden centres and nurseries
may be changing how they operate; and the increase in
conjecture and mis-information.
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February 26, 2024
7:00 pm
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Paul Manning
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Paul Manning, assistant professor in Dalhousie's
department of plant, food and environmental sciences,
will talk to us about dealing with Japanese Beetles.
The invasive pest has been increasing in number and
spreading throughout the province, and sadly is here
to stay.
The February meeting will be offered virtually
only. February often has bad weather and the
ability to watch from home will be a cosy option!
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January 22, 2024
7:00 pm
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Lynn Brooks
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We'll welcome speaker Lynn Brooks who’ll talk about
using perennial plants to create plant communities that
provide a home for nature. Lynn will explain what a
"designed" plant community is, and will introduce us to
plant selections for a resilient landscape. This is a
change in how you view your garden - not just as a
collection of plants but as a community of plants that
support each other. Lynn considers herself an aging
gardener, and says these gardens require less weeding
and are better for the environment, but still look like
there is a person in charge!
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November 27, 2023
7:00 pm
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Christmas Social
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We will get in the mood for the coming holiday season
with our Christmas Social! We'll socialize over festive
snacks, hold a Yankee Gift Swap, a seed exchange, and
give out our Christmas member gift of Muscari bulbs.
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October 23, 2023
7:00 pm
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Preserving the Harvest
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We'll learn about Preserving the Harvest. Want to save
your garden harvest and save money on groceries this
year? Our guest speaker will go over the many ways to
"put up" veggies for winter, including canning,
dehydrating, freezing, and natural cold storage.
Elizabeth Peirce is the author of several books on
vegetable gardening and preserving, including Grow
Organic: A Simple Guide to NS Vegetable Gardening
(winner of the APMA Best Atlantic Published Book) and
You Can Too! (a guide to preserving).
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September 25, 2023
7:00 pm
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Welcome Back and Member Slideshow
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We're connecting with our gardening community to share
our stories and love of gardening. What a gardening
season we had this summer with drought, wildfires,
evacuations, heavy rainfalls with washouts and most
recently tropical cyclones. Gardens were impacted for
sure, however, the damage/loss of homes, emotional
stress and shock to family and friends all played a
toll. But we are a community of gardeners with years
of optimism and resourcefulness to see the potential
of turning small seeds, plants into vivid
floral/produce dreams. We are resilient and strong
when we are together!
We'll present the slideshow that was scheduled for our
May meeting - members will show what they were up to
in the garden this year. Come and catch up,
party....there will be food! Let's be together again!
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May 29, 2023
7:00 pm
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Member Slide Show
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Cancelled due to Tantallon Wildfire.
The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a slide
show of what members have been up to in their
gardens. Get inspiration for gardening projects or
favorite garden spots!
Masks are required.
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April 24
7:00 pm
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Margan Dawson
Healing Plants in Your Garden
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On Monday, April 24 (7:00 - 9:00 pm), the Hammonds
Plains Area Garden Club will welcome one of our
members, Margan Dawson, to tell us about Healing
Plants in Your Garden. As an herbalist with an aim to
provide community education on herbs for health and
well-being, Margan will share ideas on how we can
include healing plants in our day-to-day lives. From
her two gardens (one in Hammonds Plains and one in
Mahone Bay) Margan grows herbs used in the preparation
of herbal remedies, and loves to share her passion and
inspiration with others.
Masks are required.
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March 27
7:00 pm
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Steve Farley, creator of "The Optimistic Gardener"
YouTube channel
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Steve Farley, creator of "The Optimistic Gardener"
YouTube channel on vegetable and flower gardening,
will share his observations on the physical and mental
benefits of gardening and how he believes gardening
saved his life.
Steve will also answer questions about his "The
Optimistic Gardener" Youtube channel, his experience
with his greenhouse build where he encountered permit
difficulties, and learning to garden in a different
climate after moving to Nova Scotia from London,
England.
Masks are required.
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February 27, 2023
7:00 pm
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Permaculture Principles and experience on the Eastern
Shore of Nova Scotia
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Jenni Blackmore, certified permaculture designer, and
author of Permaculture for the Rest of Us, and The
Food Lover’s Garden, will introduce us to the
principles of Permaculture and tell us about her
efforts here, on an island off the Eastern Shore of
Nova Scotia. Starting out as a single mom with a very
limited budget Jenni was forced to use what was free
and readily available to transform a barren acre into
a fertile homestead, the now remarkably-fertile garden
beds of QuackaDoodle Farm.
We’ll also hold a general gardening Q&A session
after our speaker. We’ll see what advice other members
can offer 😊
Masks are required.
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January 23, 2023
7:00 pm
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Jaimee Morozoff
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will welcome the
speaker originally planned for November. Jaimee
Morozoff, Nova Scotia Program Director with the Nature
Conservancy of Canada, is a biologist with an
expertise in pollinators and a passion for gardening.
She will discuss how to make your garden more
pollinator friendly, and explore native plant options
to increase biodiversity in your yard. She will share
her own successes including Monarchs (and flops) with
native plants and pollinators in Nova Scotia and
provide some key considerations for making a garden
benefit both the garden and the gardener. Jamie will
also share her amazing documentation of Monarch
Butterflies in her garden (she had about 80 Monarch
caterpillars this year!)
We will also hold a seed swap.
Elsa Phil shared a
presentation on the seeds in this year's seed
order.
Masks are required.
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November 29, 2022
7:00 pm
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Member Tips and Tricks
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Club members share gardening tips and tricks,
including self sufficiency ideas such as solar power
and water conservation, and commiserate over Hurricane
Fiona impacts to gardens and yards.
Masks are required.
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October 24, 2022
7:00 pm
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Charlie The Tree Guy
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HPAGC is pleased to welcome Charlie Baird, known
locally as Charlie the Tree Guy. Charlie has a large
collection of trees and flowering shrubs for sale at
great prices. He shares advice for choosing the proper
tree for the conditions it will be growing in. Pruning
and feeding instructions are provided as well.
He will discuss his new venture, growing trees with
healthier roots by using grow bags instead of pots.
We are late to celebrate National Tree Day - Sept
21,2022, however the time is still ideal for planting!
Join us to learn more about this aspect of gardening!
Masks are required.
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September 26, 2022
7:00 pm
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Cancelled.
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This meeting was cancelled by Hurricane Fiona.
Masks are required.
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June 4, 2022
9:00 am to 12:00 noon
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Club Plant Sale
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club is holding our
annual Plant Sale at the Bedford Hammonds Plains
Community Centre, at 202 Innovation Drive, in the
former Preschool Room, located just to the right of
the entrance doors on the main floor. Great prices on
shrubs, perennials and vegetable and flower
transplants grown by members.
Masks are required.
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May 30, 2022
7:00 pm
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Dave Belt of Seafoam Lavender Company
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will welcome Dave
Belt of Seafoam Lavender Company and Gardens. Located
on the pastoral shores of Nova Scotia’s Northumberland
Strait, on a lush escarpment overlooking Prince Edward
Island, lie the beautiful rows of lavender at Seafoam
Lavender Gardens. They are a small, family-owned and
operated agricultural business, producing
direct-from-the-farm lavender products, and they
encourage visitors to wander through their lavender
gardens. Dave will talk to us about growing lavender
and using it in making products.
We will also hold our annual plant exchange. Members
that bring in 2 plants can exchange them for 2 new
plants! This will be our last meeting before the
summer break. Our new meeting season will begin in
September.
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April 25, 2022
7:00 pm
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Alternatives to Chemicals in the Garden
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Concerned about your health and the health of
pollinators and wildlife in your garden? The Hammonds
Plains Area Garden Club is looking forward to hearing
guest speaker Lloyd Mapplebeck of Hillendale
Perennials teach us about alternatives to chemicals in
the garden.
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March 28, 2022
7:00 pm
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Rain Gardens
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a talk
on Rain Gardens by Sandra Matchett, President of the
Atlantic Master Gardeners Association. Sandra has rain
gardens on her property and will tell us about
establishing rain gardens, including their benefits,
how they work, and plants that do well in those
conditions.
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February 28, 2022
7:00 pm
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House Plants
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Monday, February 28, 7:00 pm, the Hammonds Plains Area
Garden Club will host a talk on house plants! Audrey
from Audrey’s Little Shop of Plants (102 Portland St.,
Dartmouth) will talk about how to pick a plant that
suits a particular environment and lifestyle, and how
to take care of the plant once at home, including how
to know when to water, transplant and
fertilize. She’ll answer our house plant questions
too!
Our meeting is again virtual, so you can enjoy the
photos and information, and ask questions from the
comfort of your own home. And we encourage you to show
us your houseplant if it helps with your question or
comment (a benefit of meeting virtually from home
😀).
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January 24, 2022
7:00 pm
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Successful Vegetable Gardening
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host
"Successful Vegetable Gardening" with guest speaker,
Julia Dimakos, aka the Gardening Girl. You may
remember that Julia led an interesting virtual talk on
properly storing our produce in March 2021.
Julia will take us through the development of her own
7000 square foot, raised-bed kitchen garden on her
rural property in Mono, Ontario (climate Zone
5A/B). She will tell us about grading the site,
installing a deer fence, and building raised beds. She
will also cover fertilizing, proper watering
techniques, transplanting tips, sowing and planting
techniques, hardening off, trellising, crop rotation
and more. These are the steps that she follows in her
own vegetable garden and finds success with, year
after year.
Our meeting is again virtual, so you can enjoy the
photos and information, and ask questions from the
comfort of your own home!
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September 26, 2021
10:00 am
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Welcome Back!
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club is kicking off
our meeting season with an in-person, outside meeting on
Sunday, September 26, at 10:00 am. We’ll visit a
local community garden - the William
E. Frank Live More Park located on the front lawn
of Northwood's Ivany Place at 123 Gary Martin Drive in
Bedford. Our October meeting is a fall garden
tour. The nature of meetings after that will depend on
Covid-19.
We’ll hold our meeting first, then tour the Community
Garden, which provides opportunities to discuss
growing vegetables and ornamental plants. We encourage
you to share your gardening successes and challenges
this year. We can learn a lot from each other!
We ask that you bring the following to the September
meeting in respect of Covid precautions:
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mask (required by Ivany Place to enter the park)
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lawn chair
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your own beverage and snack
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Also, dress appropriately! We’ll be outside for
about 1.5 hours. It’s a windy spot and there is
very little shade.
The September meeting is the only meeting open to
non-members, and is free.
We plan to hold a meeting in some form every month
from September through to May, except for December. We
have some exciting ideas for our program this year,
including more virtual meetings (most with guest
speakers). We’re also hoping to offer a seed order,
seed exchange and plant sale this year.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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May 26, 2021
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Sound Living Nova Scotia - A Virtual Garden Tour
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a
virtual tour of this local, sustainable, natural,
practical garden. Megan and Joe have begun to
transform their wooded lot into a food-forest backyard
full of biodiversity, leaving and creating natural
habitats for insects, birds, and other animals to
foster a balanced micro-ecosystem. They have developed
many features in their home and garden that are
inspirational. For this meeting, we will focus on
their in-ground greenhouse (Walipini) which extends
the growing season and pushes the limits of what they
can grow, and the hugelkultur methods they have
applied in building their garden beds to make use of
natural, organic materials. Inspirational! You can
check them out on Facebook at "Sound Living NS".
A link to the virtual meeting will be sent to members
only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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April 28, 2021
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Member Show and Tell - Gardening During Covid-19
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Our members will share photos and stories of their
efforts and experiences gardening during the pandemic.
A link to the virtual meeting will be sent to members
only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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March 24, 2021
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Julia Dimakos
The Gardening Girl - After the Harvest
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Tips for storing and preserving the harvest from our
gardens. More info coming soon.
A link to the virtual meeting will be sent to members
only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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February 24, 2021
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Growing Under Cover
Niki Jabbour
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club welcomes
best-selling author Niki Jabbour, who has just
released her 4th book, Growing
Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive,
Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable
Garden, will review a variety of large and
small covers that can be used to extend the growing
season and reduce pest problems here in Nova Scotia.
Niki will also give us a quick video tour of her
greenhouse and cold frames for inspiration!
A link to the virtual meeting will be sent to members
only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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January 27, 2021
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Virtual tour of the Halifax Japanese Woodland Garden
Jay Wesley
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a
virtual tour of a local garden for inspiration. Jay
Wesley, retired Horticulture Supervisor for HRM's
Parks and Spaces, including the Public Gardens, will
show us his Halifax Japanese woodland garden, with its
evergreens, bamboo and grasses, over the course of a
year. Jay will also talk about working towards a
reduced-maintenance garden. With his extensive
experience, Jay will answer our broader questions
regarding ornamental gardening. A link to the virtual
meeting will be sent to members only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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November 25, 2020
7:00 pm
Virtual Meeting
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Seed Saving Start to Finish
A Growing Season at Yonder Hill Farm
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a
virtual meeting. Our guest speaker will take us for
an inside look into a year of small-scale seed
production at Yonder Hill Farm, a small diversified
farm in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia. We’ll learn
about starting seeds and planting, as well as
harvesting and processing seeds. A link to the virtual
meeting will be sent to members only.
We welcome new members any time. Join the Club and
enjoy our programming until May. We are reachable
through our Facebook group or by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
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October 4, 2020 |
Garden Tour
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club's October meeting
will be a Fall Garden tour! We'll visit a lovely
local garden with lots of Autumn interest, and be
inspired by how beautiful a garden can look beyond the
green and blooms of summer. The garden Tour will take
place on Saturday, Oct 4 at 2:00 pm in the Bedford
area.
PLEASE NOTE: The garden tour and future meetings will
only be open to Club members with membership renewed
for the 2020-21 season. Details on the location of
the October Garden Tour will only be sent to those
with confirmed membership.
If you want to renew membership or join the Club,
please let us know by email at contact@hpagc.ca.
Membership dues can be paid by e-transfer, or by cash
or cheque at the garden tour or by other arrangement.
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September 19, 2020 |
Outdoors!
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This month we’ll meet outside! Saturday, Sept 19 at
9:00 am at the William
E. Frank Live More Park located on the front lawn
of Northwood’s Ivany Place at 123 Gary Martin Drive in
Bedford (just behind the BMO Centre). We’ll have a
walk around the garden, which features some lovely
landscaping as well as raised vegetable beds available
for rent and currently planted with lots of vegetables
ready to harvest, as well as flowers. We’ll discuss
the challenges and successes we’ve experienced with
our own gardens. It’s a great opportunity to ask
questions and share information.
We’ll also do membership renewals and hope to have
membership cards to hand out. Remember, many nurseries
will give a discount to garden club members!
Non-members are welcome to try the September meeting
for free. Membership dues are $20 for individuals and
$30 per couple/2 family members. Membership provides
access to all meetings and guest speaker talks up to
May 2021.
We ask that you bring the following to the September
meeting in respect of Covid precautions:
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mask (required by Ivany Place when we walk around
the garden and cannot maintain a 6-foot distance)
-
lawn chair (we’ll set up 6 feet apart and do not
have to wear a mask while seated)
-
your own beverage and snack
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Also, dress appropriately! We’ll be outside for
about 90 minutes.
We are also available via our
Club Facebook Page.
If you have any questions, email contact@hpagc.ca
or call Wendy at 902-835-3592.
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May 27, 2020
Virtual Meeting
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Garden Therapy: The Beauty of Creating DIY Garden Art
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Looking for artistic ideas to add something fabulous
to your garden? Gorgeous containers, garden art and
outdoor decor are just some of what you'll see. Join
us for our second virtual meeting. Our speaker
Stephanie Rose hails from Vancouver BC and is the
founder of GardenTherapy.ca.
She is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and
instructor who aims to encourage wellness and healing
through gardening. Stephanie will open up the creative
vault to DIYs that are easy to make but look like they
should be displayed at a show garden. Many of these
projects can be done in an hour but the benefit of a
little Garden Therapy will provide a boost to well-
being for much longer.
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April 22, 2020
Virtual Meeting
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Master Gardener Heather Connors-Dunphy
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With all of us isolating at home during this time, the
HPAGC is excited to host our first virtual meeting on
April 22 at 7:30 pm. Master Gardener Heather
Connors-Dunphy will share her knowledge of Container
Gardening. An email with instructions was sent to Club
members on April 19. Check your spam folders if you
have not seen it. Please note that we have recently
revised our email list to reflect our current
membership. This is available to those with paid
membership in our garden club for our current season
(September 2019 to May 2020). Stay safe and best
wishes on your gardening endeavours!
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March 25, 2020 |
Lloyd Mapplebeck
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The HPAGC will welcome Lloyd Mapplebeck of Hillendale
Perennials to teach us about alternatives to chemicals
in the garden, with benefits both for our health and
the health of pollinators.
March 16 Update: Given the current
situation with the pandemic, our March 25 meeting is
cancelled. We’ll have Llyod Mapplebeck speak to the
Club at some point in the future. Stay tuned regarding
the status of upcoming meetings over the next couple
of months. Stay healthy fellow gardeners – social
distancing and hand washing! Gardening season is soon
starting – enjoy!
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February 26, 2020 |
Niki Jabbour
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Niki Jabbour will be our guest speaker and will
provide an overview on growing vegetables and herbs in
gardens and containers. She'll cover the benefits of
raised beds and growing in pots, soil building and
care, fertilizing, green manures and succession
planting. She'll also highlight some of her favourite
vegetables to grow. Our DIY will demonstrate how to
make soil blocks to start seedlings. Non members can
attend for a fee of $10.
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January 22, 2020 |
Seeds
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We'll put on Seed Starting 101
(demonstration and step by step instructions on how to
start seeds and successfully grow seedlings), plus
members' Seed Exchange, and we'll
introduce our Seed Order for this
year (there will be some freebies for members!)
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November 27, 2019 |
Christmas Social
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Christmas social with Yankee gift swap, Members will
share how to overwinter their favorite annual plant,
and a seasonal DIY: making a Santa gnome from
evergreen boughs!
See the mail-out for details on what to do ahead of
the meeting.
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October 23, 2019 |
Alan Banks
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We welcomes guest speaker Allan Banks, who will tell
us about the development of the beautiful and
inspiring Harbour Breezes with its stunning commercial
hilltop gardens overlooking Jeddore Harbour. With lots
of photos, Allan will tell us about developing his
coastal hillside gardens and will speak about some of
the daylilies (that he has registered and named) and
Japanese irises that he grows and sells.
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September 25, 2019 |
David Currie
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We resume monthly meetings with a talk by David
Currie, president of the Nova Scotia Bird Society, who
will talk about Birds in Our Gardens. Birds and
gardens seem to go together, don’t they?
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Saturday, May 25, 2019 9 am to 12 pm |
Plant Sale
|
The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will hold a
Plant Sale at the Bedford Hammonds
Plains Community Centre, next to the CPA High School at
202
Innovation Drive, Bedford. We’ll have plants
from member gardens including perennials, shrubs, and
berry bushes, as well as annual flower and vegetable
transplants grown by members. For sun, part sun and
shade!
Check our Club
Facebook page for updates on specific plants that
will be available.
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May 22, 2019 |
Paul Manning
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Our May 22 meeting has lots to offer. Paul Manning,
postdoctoral researcher at Dalhousie University and
insect expert, will be our guest speaker, talking
about Bugs - Good & Bad in the Garden (just in
time for the growing season!).
We'll also hold our end of season
Club Social, with extra snacks, and Plant Exchange
(bring in 2 plants, go home with 2 different plants!).
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April 24, 2019 |
Marion Munro
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On April 24,
Marion Munro, retired Curator of Botany with the
Nova Scotia Museum, will return, sharing some food and
recipes using native plants collected while foraging
this past summer. We’re not sure about the menu, but
she’s asked us to bring ice cream!
The Prospect Garden Club will be our guests.
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March 27, 2019 |
Arthurs Haskins
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On March 27, Arthurs Haskins will talk about "Growing
Beautiful Dahlias" – showing through pictures an entire
season of how to grow these lovely plants, as well as
the many dahlia flower forms and some of the uses for
the blooms.
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February 27, 2019 |
Show & Tell
|
On February 27 the Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club is
holding our annual Member Show & Tell, when our
members share favorite gardening-related tools, hacks
and projects.
If you know anyone who is curious about
the Club, it is a good time to bring them along
because February's meeting is free! This month,
members will do all the talking. We'll look at photos
and pass around recommended items! Questions and
discussion are welcome.
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January 23, 2019 |
Lloyd Mapplebeck
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On January 23 the Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club
will learn about growing a Cutting Garden from guest
speaker Lloyd Mapplebeck of Hillendale Perennials.
We'll also introduce this year’s seed order, which
will include seeds for plants Lloyd recommends for
flower cuttings, as well as a selection of vegetables
and pollinator-attracting flowers recommended
especially for us by Niki Jabbour for 2019. The Club
will pay the taxes and shipping! The order can be
placed at the meeting or submitted online. Members
will also receive free seeds again this year!
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November 28, 2018 |
Christmas Social with Yankee Gift Swap
Member Show & Tell
DIY bulb planter
Seed Exchange
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October 24, 2018 |
Coastal Gardening with Denise Adams
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club will host a talk
by Denise Adams, author of "Atlantic Coastal Gardening
- Growing Inspired, Resilient Plants by the
Sea". Denise will share tips on designing and
maintaining coastal gardens in our area of the
Atlantic, addressing shrubs, perennials, flowers,
herbs and vegetables. She will address harsh coastal
conditions such as salt spray and wind, and we expect
the information is transferable to inland gardens
dealing with roadside salting and similar
conditions. The talk is free to members of the
Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club. Non-members can
attend for a fee of $10.
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September 26, 2018 |
Nikki
Jabbour: Harvest Show and Tell
Veggies and Pollinator-attracting Flowers
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The Hammonds Plains Area Garden Club is back to
meeting monthly, beginning Sept 26th with a special
Harvest Show and Tell led by our favorite gardener,
Niki
Jabbour! We’re excited to start our 2018-19
meeting season with this follow up to Niki’s
February talk on trying unusual vegetables. Niki
will bring in some of those unusual veggies from her
garden to show us and talk about. She’ll also answer
our gardening questions!
Additionally, we invite our members to bring in
veggies or pollinator-attracting flowers from your
own garden. We’d love to see your favorite or
unusual veggies, or produce from the seeds you got
through the Club this year. If you want to bring in
a dish made with your produce for sampling, that
would be awesome! Recipes would also be very
welcomed. None of this is required to attend the
meeting. But we are aiming for an informal, hands on
evening with lots of information, inspiration and
lessons learned. Please let Trish know if you’re
planning to bring something in, so we can set up
enough tables!
The meeting is only open to Club members. No guests
please, unless they are joining the Club. Niki is
always a popular speaker and draws a big crowd, and
we want to make sure our Club members enjoy the
evening.
We’ll renew memberships and register new members
ahead of the meeting from 6:30 to 7:00pm. Dues are
$20 for individual membership or $30 for a joint
membership (couple/family).
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June 2, 2018 |
Plant Sale
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May 23, 2018 |
Member Showcase
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Member Showcase – for this annual event, our members
will "share" – whether it’s bringing in a favorite
gardening tool, or presenting a slide show of a
garden project or favorite plants - we’ll learn more
about each other and get some useful ideas too (just
in time for the growing season)!
Plus, we’ll hold our popular plant exchange. We’ll
then close out the meeting season with a Social -
the Club will provide snacks and refreshments!
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April 25, 2018 |
Video Garden Tour
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Club members David and Mary Trott will share their
impressive garden through a video tour. We also
hope to have a speaker from Common Roots Urban Farm,
to tell us about the community farm in downtown
Halifax, with 175 plots rented by community members,
common areas open to the public, and a market garden
for vegetables and flowers for donation and sale.
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March 28, 2018 |
Tending the Garden We’re Given
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Marian
Munro, the Curator of Botany with the Nova
Scotia Museum, will talk about working with nature
as we garden. As an avid NON-gardener, Marian will
present a botanist’s view of Nova Scotia gardening
using native species. Steeped in folklore,
ethnobotany and very little horse sense, her talk
promises to engage and provoke!
We’ll announce the annual flower the Club is
providing free to Club members this year (every
member will receive a 6-cell pack of a hard-to-find
annual!). Our DIY will be a solar lamp from
re-purposed items!
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February 28, 2018 |
Nikki Jabbour
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Niki Jabbour will be our guest speaker and she’ll
share ideas for re-imagining our vegetable gardens,
based on her just-released book "Veggie Garden
Remix". She’ll also talk about how to take proper
care of our gardens during the growing season. Niki
will have copies of her book available for
purchase. If that’s not exciting enough, Garden Club
members will receive seeds for a vegetable and an
annual flower mentioned in Niki’s talk!
Plus, members will be able to place a seed order
from a selection of vegetables and
pollinator-friendly annuals she recommends! The
order is due at the meeting and the Club will pay
the taxes, shipping and Duty!!! The talk is free to
members of the Hammonds Plains Area Garden
Club. Non-members can attend for a fee of $10 (or
join the club for $20 and have access to all
meetings and guest speaker talks up to September
2018). Only Club members will receive the seed gift
and can place a seed order.
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November 22, 2017 |
Master Gardeners
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Michelle McPherson, with the NS Beekeeper
Association, will talk to us about how we can help
bee populations rebound by providing healthy
backyard habitat and gardens for native and honey
bees.
Seed Order #1 is due February 1 – members will
receive details by email once the 2018 seed
Catalogue is out! The Club will pay the shipping and
taxes, so you don’t have to! 😊
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November 22, 2017 |
Master Gardeners
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We're hosting Master Gardeners this month. They'll
teach us how to collect and store seeds from plants in
our own gardens (what, when and how), answer our
gardening questions, and tell us about the Master
Gardener Program (an online course which is part of
Dalhousie Agricultural Program).
Plus, we’ll hold a Seed Swap! Bring your extra
seeds for vegetables, annuals and perennials
(although you do not have to bring seeds in order to
participate). Thanks to Niki Jabbour, I'll bring
seeds from her Lemon Cucumbers to share!
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October 25, 2017 |
Garden Tool Maintenance
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Sherry Chaisson, Senior Instructor in the Plant, Food
and Environmental Science Faculty at Dal Agricultural
Campus in Truro, teaches us how to properly clean,
oil, sharpen and store gardening tools. And our own
Krista Gill will review how to harvest and store
dahlia tubers. Plus, we’ll introduce what we have
planned for Seed Ordering in the new year. We really
excited about this - the club will pay taxes and
delivery costs (so members don’t have to 😊). This
will give us access to seeds for some unusual and
exciting vegetables, perennials and annuals! Plus, we
have some surprises. You do have to be a
member of the club to participate in the seed order.
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September 27, 2017 |
Gardening in Wet & Boggy Areas with Donna Evers
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With
a garden that has been a destination for tours by the
Rhododendron Society and the YWCA, Donna shares how
she has turned a swamp into a beautiful damp
garden. Our DIY tonight is re-purposing wood grape
boxes to grow lettuce! For a hint of what we will
experience, check out the following links to a 3-part
story of Donna’s garden featured on a gardening blog:
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May 24, 2017 |
How to Photograph Your Garden
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Peter Steeper of Granite Perspectives will teach us
How to Photograph Your Garden. This will include
lessons on photo composition, making the most of
natural light, and how to achieve sharp images, as
well as ideas for interesting and beautiful images
of our gardens and plants. The talk will be general
enough to apply to whatever you're using to take
photos—from a smart phone to a digital SLR
camera. Non-members can attend for a fee of $10.
We are also working on ideas for our annual plant
exchange. Details coming soon!
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April 26, 2017 |
Crystal Godfrey
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Crystal Godfrey (Secret Gardens by Crystal) will
present Matching Plants to Conditions: addressing
specific situations such as wet areas, alpine gardens,
condominium and balcony gardening challenges, woodland
gardens, trees for small yards, sun vs. shade loving
plants, planting for bloom time and year round
interest, hedging and privacy, and dealing with deer!
Non-members can attend for a fee of $10 (or join the
club for $20 and have access to guest speaker talks up
to and including September 2017).
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March 22, 2017 |
Members Project: Tried and True
Plants for Our Area |
Members will recommend favorite plants that do well
here. This will be an informative slide show with
details on growing conditions, seasons of interest,
photos, and the reasons why each plant is
recommended. Great information from fellow
gardeners!
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Project Page
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February 22, 2017 |
A talk from Bloom |
Bloom Greenhouse and Garden Centre will present New
and Exciting Plants for 2017! We'll also learn how to
read plant tags properly so we can choose plants that
will do well in our garden.
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January 25, 2017 |
Seed Starting 101 by Niki Jabbour |
Growing your own plants from seed is easy and
rewarding. Join us as guest speaker Niki Jabbour
presents a fun and dynamic talk on seed
starting. Learn the benefits of growing your own, and
how to pick the best varieties. Niki will cover all
the basics of seed starting including setting up grow
lights, choosing a soil mix, and how to care for and
harden off seedlings. Plus, she’ll share some of the
new vegetable and flower introductions for 2017! The
talk is free to members of the Hammonds Plains Area
Garden Club. Non-members can attend for a fee of $10
(or join the club for $20 and have access to all
meetings and guest speaker talks up to September
2017).
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November 23, 2016 |
Christmas Social & Winter Craft Demo |
It’s a Christmas social! We’ll enjoy a potluck, a
Christmas gift swap ‘n steal, and a craft demo. We
encourage you to bring a snack to share – savory or
sweet, hot or cold. And if you’d like to participate
in the gift swap ‘n steal game, please bring a wrapped
gift - $15 or less in value. Feel free to bring a
guest :)
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October 26, 2016 |
Carla Heggie: Arrangements |
At our October meeting, we have Carla Heggie coming in
to teach us about making striking arrangements with
materials from our gardens. This will include us each
making our own arrangement using materials we bring
from our gardens & woodlands – We'll send out more
information on this in October, but it sounds fun
& informative!
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September 28, 2016 |
Member's Slide Show |
We started this Fall with our traditional member slide
show showing pictures and ideas and specimens from the
summer season's gardening.
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June 22, 2016 |
Round Table |
Round table discussion on deer and other garden
problems.
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May 25, 2016 |
Annual Plant Exchange |
Bring in plants and seedlings from your garden and get
new plants from each others' gardens! Discuss the
plants with other gardeners before choosing those that
may work best for you. You don't need to bring plants
to participate but you do need to be a member of the
club.
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April 27, 2016 |
Marjorie Willison |
How to have a garden with a busy life: Join us for a
presentation on Low Maintenance Gardening by
well-known local gardening expert Marjorie Willison.
The Prospect Area Garden Club will be our guests!
Add interest to your outdoor space. Is there
something you'd like to learn about? Solar lighting
DIY? Wind chime crafts? Outdoor decor? Let us
know!
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March 23, 2016 |
Bergman Landscape
and Masonry
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Hardscapes are the bones of great gardens. Get
inspired with ideas for patios, walls, and pathways in
a presentation by Bergman Landscape and Masonry.
Start Spring indoors! Learn to force flowering
branches such as Forsythia for an Easter Egg Tree.
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Poster
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February 24, 2016 |
Garden BFFs with Niki Jabbour
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Join us for a presentation by well-known local
gardening expert Niki Jabbour
about ornamental plants and edibles that play nicely
together in gardens and containers.
Embrace the cold and add magic to your outdoors in
Winter: Learn to make Ice Lanterns.
Plant orders are due online March 9, 2016.
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Poster
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January 27, 2016 |
Plant Order 2016 and
Bird Seed Wreath |
At our January meeting, we'll unveil our program for
the rest of the season, introduce the plants offered
through our plant order,
and we'll learn how to make a bird seed wreath
followed by a draw for the wreath!
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Poster
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November 25, 2015 |
Christmas Social |
Join us for a Christmas social, with special treats
and snacks!
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October 22, 2015 |
Problems and Solutions |
Our members are invited to bring forward issues
they're experiencing in their gardens for helpful
advice from fellow gardeners. We'll also present
success stories—problems or conditions our
gardeners have been able to address!
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September 23, 2015 |
Member's Slide Show |
We'll start this Fall with our traditional member
slide show showing pictures and ideas and specimens
from the summer season's gardening.
Send your slides to Brad before
Sunday, September 21.
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May 27, 2015 |
Plant Exchange |
Our Annual General Meeting and Members' Plant Exchange.
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April 22, 2015 |
Visiting Prospect |
We're invited to join the Prospect Garden Club at
their meeting.
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March 25, 2015 |
Members Research Project |
From the Members
Research Project, members will report what they've
learned about weeds found in our gardens and lawns
here in Nova Scotia.We expect great discussion as
members share their observations and tips.
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February 25, 2015 |
Composting Strategies |
Great gardens need healthy soil . . . Presentations on
proven backyard composting strategies and lessons
learned. Share what you know! Learn something new!
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January 28, 2015 |
Plant Order and Members Research
Project Kickoff |
We're dealing with the cold by planning for spring -
we'll look at the plants available this year through
our Plant Order as well as kick off our Members Research
Project.
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November 26, 2014 |
Garden Projects |
An introduction to finding garden projects or ideas
using the Internet. A demonstration of several easy
"Do It Your Self Projects".
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October 22, 2014 |
Peggy-Anne Pineau |
Peggy will give us a talk about roses and answer all
your rose-related questions! Send in your rose
questions ahead of time and she'll do her best to
address them in her presentation.
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September 24, 2014 |
Member's Slide Show |
We'll start this Fall with our traditional member
slide show showing pictures and ideas and specimens
from the summer season's gardening. See the
last slide in the tour presentation for more
details.
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May 28, 2014 |
Annual Plant Exchange and AGM
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Swap and discuss those favourite (or least favourite!)
plants with other members.
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April 23, 2014 |
Great Summer Craft Ideas for the Garden
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From repurposing wooden palettes to the use of
Japanese Kokedama, Lenora will be guiding us through a
smorgasbord of ideas.
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March 26, 2014 |
Rohododendrons
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Cancelled due to weather.
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February 26, 2014 |
Iain Jack from
Fernwood
Plant Nursery
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Learn about fern natural history, how to grow ferns in
the natural landscape, and ferns suitable for Canadian
gardens.
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January 22, 2014 |
Plant order overview and other discussions.
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Learn about the plants in this year's order.
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December 4, 2013 |
Making Christmas centrepieces at Bloom at 7:00 pm.
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$10.00 per person. Bring a friend!
See the photos!
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October 23, 2013 |
Bulbs, October Garden Todos, and Extra Plant and Seed
Exchange
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Sue will be leading discussions on bulbs and Fall
gardening tasks. Also, bring those seeds and plants
you're getting rid of to our meeting for a swap.
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September 25, 2013 |
Member Photo Slide Show |
Share your pictures for your summer gardening! Take
some pictures over the summer. Brad will assemble
them into a slide show in advance. Details to follow.
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