Tonight's meeting was a flurry of ideas as Club members discussed and planned this year's activities.
The main result? A combined resolution to be Bee-Friendly!
Basically, we aim to learn about, spread the word, and take action (in and out of the garden) to protect and support bees.
Why such a focus? These important pollinators have been dying in large numbers worldwide and Highlands is not immune: A large group of dead and dying bees was found in the neighbourhood this past summer. It is scary, sad, and angering, and so we're taking action.
We'll be chronicling our Bee-Friendly findings here along with our events and activities as details are finalised.
We're ambitious. We hope you are also excited to join us in this challenge.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
HGC Gives to Grow
The Club's tradition of giving continues this year with funds collected at the Christmas Dinner Social earmarked for a local charity / non-profit. But which one?
Last year, the funds went to the CBC Turkey Drive for Edmonton's Food Bank.
This year, we agreed to focus on gardening and agricultural initiatives.
The following groups immediately came to mind:
The collection continues until we make a choice.
Happy holidays!
Last year, the funds went to the CBC Turkey Drive for Edmonton's Food Bank.
This year, we agreed to focus on gardening and agricultural initiatives.
The following groups immediately came to mind:
- The St. Albert Bontanic Park - This volunteer run, 5-acre botanic park tests and displays various plants, and acts as a meeting and educational space. The club made a visit in August.
- Dustin Bajer's Urban Ag High project - Creates urban agriculture learning opportunities for junior and senior high students in Edmonton.
The collection continues until we make a choice.
Happy holidays!
Monday, 20 October 2014
Thanks for Autumn Crocuses
Gold, red, orange, brown are are the colours of autumn. But magical hints of purple were in Margaret's yard -- a crocus was blooming!
Crocus zonatus (C.kotschyanus) is dormant in summer and blooms in the fall. Margaret showed me its entry in Lois Hole's Favourite Bulbs as we waited.
The tightly twisted lilac petals slowly unfurled as it soaked up the sun revealing bright orange anthers.
And then, what luck! A bee dove straight into the flower. It was a little too fast for me to capture on camera, but it certainly was a nice sight.
May you all enjoy this beautiful day and have some lovely moments like this to share. Happy Thanksgiving!
Crocus zonatus (C.kotschyanus) is dormant in summer and blooms in the fall. Margaret showed me its entry in Lois Hole's Favourite Bulbs as we waited. The tightly twisted lilac petals slowly unfurled as it soaked up the sun revealing bright orange anthers.
And then, what luck! A bee dove straight into the flower. It was a little too fast for me to capture on camera, but it certainly was a nice sight.
May you all enjoy this beautiful day and have some lovely moments like this to share. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Give Bad Bugs the Boot
or How I Learned to love my Fairy Ring!
Lorraine Taylor, Horticulturalist and Conservation Coordinator with the County of La Ste.Anne, talked to us about smart approaches to dealing with pests -- how to avoid, how to combat, and how to manage expectations. The latter being: While there are many pests, they can be insufferable or tolerable.
As she clicked through a slide presentation of photos that showed pests and pest damage, she spoke of "smart ways to figuring out the problem". The primary problem. Her example was moss growing in the grass. Before piling on chemicals to try and get rid of the moss, she suggested going deeper, considering is it too shady, the wrong pH, or the soil too compact for grass to happily grow? To "step back and look at the big picture" and to ask questions. Finally then deciding if the damage warrants control.
She gave a special thanks to Doug Macaulay, answered our questions and shared some stories. She reminded us the richness and perils of internet searches (the most exotic may show up in searches, your bug is likely something more common).
As for Edmonton next year, she predicts we'll likely see more:
- Forest Tent Caterpillars
- Aphids
- Apple Maggots
Unfortunately, we ran out of time to see all the specimens she brought for us. But she did leave us with some principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and a list of resources.
Thank you, Lorraine Taylor!
Lorraine Taylor, Horticulturalist and Conservation Coordinator with the County of La Ste.Anne, talked to us about smart approaches to dealing with pests -- how to avoid, how to combat, and how to manage expectations. The latter being: While there are many pests, they can be insufferable or tolerable.
As she clicked through a slide presentation of photos that showed pests and pest damage, she spoke of "smart ways to figuring out the problem". The primary problem. Her example was moss growing in the grass. Before piling on chemicals to try and get rid of the moss, she suggested going deeper, considering is it too shady, the wrong pH, or the soil too compact for grass to happily grow? To "step back and look at the big picture" and to ask questions. Finally then deciding if the damage warrants control. She gave a special thanks to Doug Macaulay, answered our questions and shared some stories. She reminded us the richness and perils of internet searches (the most exotic may show up in searches, your bug is likely something more common). As for Edmonton next year, she predicts we'll likely see more:
- Forest Tent Caterpillars
- Aphids
- Apple Maggots
Unfortunately, we ran out of time to see all the specimens she brought for us. But she did leave us with some principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and a list of resources.
Thank you, Lorraine Taylor!
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Community League Day - Saturday in the Park
Highlands community groups gathered this Saturday at Highlands Park to talk sustainability while building the community at Community League Day.
The Highlands Garden Club's lovely booth showcased photos from past years as well as gardening resources, the fairy garden (below), and free plants. It received many compliments.
As community members visited the booth and asked about gardening tips, Club members, ever the gardeners, worked to beautify the park's planters. Remainders from the Street Festival plant sale were planted in (some as "experiments") and generously watered.
The Club's efforts were greatly appreciated - gaining some attention from our local politicians.
Finally, as the day came to an end, ballots were drawn for the fairy garden. The project was inspired by a recent workshop and put together by Margaret, Deb and Audrey as part of the Club's 25th anniversary. It was won by our friendly neighbour Sukh Panghali!
The Highlands Garden Club's lovely booth showcased photos from past years as well as gardening resources, the fairy garden (below), and free plants. It received many compliments.
As community members visited the booth and asked about gardening tips, Club members, ever the gardeners, worked to beautify the park's planters. Remainders from the Street Festival plant sale were planted in (some as "experiments") and generously watered.
The Club's efforts were greatly appreciated - gaining some attention from our local politicians.
Finally, as the day came to an end, ballots were drawn for the fairy garden. The project was inspired by a recent workshop and put together by Margaret, Deb and Audrey as part of the Club's 25th anniversary. It was won by our friendly neighbour Sukh Panghali!
Monday, 8 September 2014
Highlands Street Festival 2014
Bright and early, members gathered, unloading trucks beds and car trunks of potted greenery, for the Highlands Street Festival.
The Highlands Garden Club booth was a plant sale of perennials donated from members' gardens.
(Left: Paradise in a parking lot.)
Tables and the tent were set in place, and then plants were madly priced and moved into their best light.
(Right: All set up, in a shared tent with the Highlands Historical Society.)
For the next five hours, members sold plants and answered various gardening questions -- all the while enjoying some popcorn and the festival's music entertainment.
Even though it was rainy and unseasonally chilly for most of the day, there was decent traffic and some sales. Two people signed up for membership - look forward to seeing them at future meetings and events!
(Above: Our neighbour vendor, an artist, and his plant sale find.)
The Highlands Garden Club booth was a plant sale of perennials donated from members' gardens. (Left: Paradise in a parking lot.)
Tables and the tent were set in place, and then plants were madly priced and moved into their best light.
(Right: All set up, in a shared tent with the Highlands Historical Society.) Even though it was rainy and unseasonally chilly for most of the day, there was decent traffic and some sales. Two people signed up for membership - look forward to seeing them at future meetings and events!
(Above: Our neighbour vendor, an artist, and his plant sale find.)
Sunday, 24 August 2014
A Walk in the Park
A clear Saturday morning - perfect for a field trip to the St. Albert Botanic Park!
Lori had suggested the location and raved about the botanical garden's year-round beauty.
Even before leaving the car park, we saw a taste of its summer bounty: the dahlias were in bloom! A long bed with over 40 varieties edged the parking lot. Marie commented on the work that's needed to take care of them -- their tubers need to be dug up to overwinter.
We followed the path past a waterfall into a blooming rose garden (right) with a water fountain at its centre.
Next door, meringues of hydrangeas in the hydrangeas beds.
And next door to that, past the gate, was the most enviable cottage garden.
We snapped photos of happy bees and butterflies amongst the flowers, noting interesting shapes and colours. The time for peonies and delphiniums had passed, but the monarda (bee balm), sea holly, monkshood, Joe-Pye weed and many others were in full form.
We revelled (left) before moving on.
Deeper into the Park were the Xeriscape Garden, Lily Bed, and Daylily Bed (below).
A volunteer was combing the Lily Bed for scarlet lily beetles. Unfortunately they've caused quite a bit of damage. Her tip was to check under lily leaves with fresh holes. She used a little container of soapy water to catch and drown them. But the beetles have a trick to evade capture: Dropping to the ground onto their backs, where their dark bellies blend into the dirt.
The Park continued with shrubs and trees, with a whole area dedicated to lilacs.
The volunteers for the Park do an amazing job deadheading, removing pests, and taking care of all the plants. We can see why someone would want to have their wedding there (the Rose Garden was booked for the afternoon).
Lori was right. We'll definitely have to return at different times. Imagine all the varieties of lilies (a large collection of mortagons), peonies, and lilacs in bloom!
See more photos of the Park here.
After this nice long walk, it was back to The Tea Place in Edmonton for lunch. Who knew so many of us liked bubble tea?
Lori had suggested the location and raved about the botanical garden's year-round beauty.Even before leaving the car park, we saw a taste of its summer bounty: the dahlias were in bloom! A long bed with over 40 varieties edged the parking lot. Marie commented on the work that's needed to take care of them -- their tubers need to be dug up to overwinter.
We followed the path past a waterfall into a blooming rose garden (right) with a water fountain at its centre.
Next door, meringues of hydrangeas in the hydrangeas beds.
And next door to that, past the gate, was the most enviable cottage garden.
We snapped photos of happy bees and butterflies amongst the flowers, noting interesting shapes and colours. The time for peonies and delphiniums had passed, but the monarda (bee balm), sea holly, monkshood, Joe-Pye weed and many others were in full form.
We revelled (left) before moving on.
A volunteer was combing the Lily Bed for scarlet lily beetles. Unfortunately they've caused quite a bit of damage. Her tip was to check under lily leaves with fresh holes. She used a little container of soapy water to catch and drown them. But the beetles have a trick to evade capture: Dropping to the ground onto their backs, where their dark bellies blend into the dirt. The Park continued with shrubs and trees, with a whole area dedicated to lilacs.
The volunteers for the Park do an amazing job deadheading, removing pests, and taking care of all the plants. We can see why someone would want to have their wedding there (the Rose Garden was booked for the afternoon).
Lori was right. We'll definitely have to return at different times. Imagine all the varieties of lilies (a large collection of mortagons), peonies, and lilacs in bloom! See more photos of the Park here.
After this nice long walk, it was back to The Tea Place in Edmonton for lunch. Who knew so many of us liked bubble tea?
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