HELLO fellow gardeners. It has been a wonderful summer with the gardens, so far. Although there have been no member meetings over the summer, your board members have been busy planning upcoming activities for you to participate in. Read on to find out what has been happening within the PHS and a hint of what is to come.
RECENT ACTIVITIES
OHA Convention
The Petawawa Horticultural Society was represented at the OHA convention in Guelph in July, by Audrey Gravelle, Lois O’Brien and Theresa Airdrie. It was a busy three days with lots of information being passed on and changes coming. There were a few adjustments to the directors in the OHA. Some of this will be brought forward to our Annual General Meeting in November, but of some note was the fact that with 19 districts, 264 member societies, over 26,267 members – 22% which are new, for a total of 458,250 volunteer hours by the membership, we saved the government an whopping 7.8 million dollars!
There were a number of competitions including flower arrangements and bouquets as well as photography contests. Jack Van Gemeren, your Community Garden contact, won 3rd and an honorable mention. Photos have yet to be provided, but will be added once received.
Meeting with Town Regarding Community Improvements
We met with the town regarding some plantings in Petawawa that need some serious help. And another that is a blank canvas awaiting our colourful brush. As a result, our September member meeting speaker has been changed from Lois O’Brien who was going to speak about canning, to select board members who will present the plan and ideas for these areas. We hope you will join us in making these plans a reality.
Trillium Awards
The judges have selected the four best front yards for the 2024 Trillium Awards (3 white, one red) . Be sure to join us at the BBQ on Sunday, August 18th (this coming Sunday) to find out who was selected for one if these honours. Rain date is September 8th. Same Place. Same time.
Membership
Thanks to the efforts of the various event volunteers and the membership committee lead by Claire Hawke, we have reached our goal of 200+ members for this year. Thank you team for making this a successful year. We also appreciate the countless volunteer hours put in by a number of our members in helping us achieve our goals.
Swag
In the spring, we obtained a number of PHS branded swag items which are for sale. Please support your society by purchasing one of these items today!
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
Events
- August 18 – PHS Barbecue and Trillium Awards
- August 31 – PHS Photo Competition DeadlineThe PHS Photo Competition deadline is fast approaching (August 31st). We will be accepting photo submissions from members for inclusion in our 2025 calendar. They will be judged by the executive in September and the winners announced shortly thereafter. The winners will have their photo posted in one of the 12 months as it corresponds to the season and have bragging rights, so be sure to capture for the entire year. We anticipate that the calendar will be available at the AGM in November. Be sure to submit your photographic expressions of nature and gardens to be included in our 2025 calendar. Send to
NOTE: Ensure you follow the the rules otherwise yours may be disqualified. - September 16 – (Monthly Meeting) Town Beautification ProjectsWe’re back for another season of member meetings and discussions. On this day we will be speaking about upcoming projects; some short clean-ups, other multi-year developments but all which you are invited to participate in. Be sure to join us for all the fantastic opportunities to dig in.
2025 Speaker Line-Up
We have a terrific line-up of speakers booked so far for 2025 but all slots are not yet filled! Do you have someone or a business in mind that you think may interest the members? Let us know and we will see if we can book them in for an evening. As a member, your are welcome to partake in any of these. For non-members, they are still welcome however each talk carries a $5.00 fee. Currently we have the following penciled in.
- January 13, 2025 – Master Gardeners ProgramFrom the MGOI site, “Master Gardeners (MGs) in the Province of Ontario are experienced gardeners who have studied horticulture extensively and continue to upgrade their skills through technical training. With this training and continuing education, Master Gardeners provide expert horticultural advice to the general public.” Currently, there are no groups in Renfrew County. Support this endeavor and help the Petawawa Horticultural Society become the first in this area. This talk will discuss how you can get involved and become a Master Gardener.
- February 10, 2025 – Debunking Garden Myths (Robert Pavlis of GardenMyths.com)Robert Pavlis of GardenMyths.com, has 50 years of gardening experience, is an award winning author of 11 gardening books, holds an M.Sc. in chemistry and biochemistry, teaches numerous gardening courses and has written articles for many popular magazines such as Mother Earth News. Robert is a enlightening speaker who will do a virtual talk from Wellington, and will share his knowledge based on facts and studies about a variety of garden myths.
- April 14, 2025 – Pruning Trees and Shrubs (Theresa Airdrie)Although this may be a bit early for our area, there are many things you should know before you take pruning tool in hand and snip away. Some like it now; some like it later. Theresa will provide you with the knowledge you need to successfully trim your favourite shrub or tree so it not only looks good, but is trimmed at the best time.
- May 12, 2025 – Green Legacy Program (Rob Johnson)In 2004, The Green Legacy was a simple idea to plant 150,000 trees to celebrate Wellington County’s 150-year anniversary. That idea quickly grew and, 3 million+ planted trees later, they are now the largest municipal tree planting program in North America. Rob Johnson leads this program for Wellington County and will be here virtually to share what they did and how they did it. Hopefully from here, we can engage our county or district and help them to achieve this same goal within Eastern Ontario.
- October 20, 2025 – Maple Sugar Bush Management & Making Maple Syrup (Fulton’s Sugar Bush)Fulton’s Sugar Bush from Pakenham, Ontario will be with us this evening to share in the effective management of a maple sugar bush for sustainability and we may also have an opportunity to make some of our very own maple sugar.
Membership
If you are not already a member, or if you have not renewed your dues, please complete the membership form and submit your payment.
Membership Fees
| Individual | $10.00 |
| Family | $15.00 |
| Business | $20.00 |
Garden Ontario (and Other) Updates
Visit Garden Ontario’s website for exciting information and OHA news updates.
Support the D2 Young Gardeners Grants
OHA District 2 is holding a fundraiser for the D2 Young Gardeners Grants on Friday August 23, 2024 at the Eganville Farmers’ Market at Legion Field from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.
They are asking members to provide some stems from their gardens if possible. Please contact Val Collins in the Upper Ottawa River Basin at 
613-406-9145
to arrange for drop-off or pick-up. Anne Harbord will coordinate flower stems in the Mississippi River and Rideau River areas for drop-off at her home in Prospect or for pick-up on Thursday. She may be contacted at 613-850-8022.
We hope many of our members who live nearby will support us in this fundraiser and drop by for a visit and also support the Eganville and area farmers. Some examples of desired plant stems are:
- Agapanthus
- Agastache
- Antirrhinum ( Snapdragon)
- Asters
- Boxwood
- Centaurea (Bachelor Buttons)
- Cosmos
- Dahlia
- Daisy
- Echinacea
- Fern Leaves
- Gladiola
- Hydrangea (Small heads)
- Lavender
- Lisianthus
- Phlox
- Roses
- Rudbeckia
- Salvia
- Tansy
- Yarrow
- Yew
- Zinnia
Ecological Farmers Association upcoming Field Days
Agroecology and No-Till Potatoes at Nature’s Apprentice Farm (Pakenham; Saturday, August 24th, 2:00 – 4:30pm)
Nature’s Apprentice Farm was born from a curiosity and fascination of the natural world and a belief in the enormous potential that regenerative agriculture has to produce food that strengthens our health, our communities, our ecosystems, and our climate. The farm primarily produces mixed vegetables for sale to community, with a focus on optimal nutrition, flavour and the environment.
Join farmer Alberto Suárez-Esteban for an in-depth tour and conversation about the role of agroecology in the farm systems. He will also show and discuss his no-till potato farmer-led research trial. There will be lots of opportunity for discussion and group exploration into the theory and practice of regenerative agriculture, agroecology and the synergies between agriculture and biodiversity conservation, and how these come into action at Nature’s Apprentice Farm.
re.Planted Farm & Florals Field Day (Deep River; Monday, August 26th, 10:00 – 11:30am)
Join us for a field day at re.Planted Farm & Florals. This Deep River, Ontario-based urban farm uses regenerative growing practices to cultivate flowers and vegetables in over 2600 sq ft of underutilized lawn spaces.
Farmers, growers and enthusiasts of veggies and flowers alike can learn about Akos’ intensive production techniques, the economics of her farm business, and her outstanding marketing and promotional strategies, all scaleable to many sizes and types of growing.
Whether you’re growing vegetables on your family farm, producing flowers in an urban setting, wanting to share your farming story effectively and beautifully, or growing food in your backyard to support your community, re.Planted will provide you with a rich learning experience and an opportunity to connect with like-minded growers in the region.