In this presentation you will learn how to create an attractive living space full of vegetables, ornamentals, herbs and greens to enhance your table and thrill your guests. Find out about vertical gardening, best practices, found objects and more.
Cindy will be discussing the various aspects of successful container gardening. She will cover topics such as soil requirements, fertilizer, plants, environmental conditions and types of containers.
Cindy is the owner of Beyond the House Garden Centre in Russell, ON, where you can always find something a little different.
Elizabeth will discuss the vital role of pollinators in our ecosystem, and the part played by native plants in this relationship. She will also describe the Butterflyway project, a citizen-based movement growing highways of habitat for bees and butterflies across Canada.
Tom will talk to us about his work as Head Gardener of these historic gardens. The gardens were created by William Robinson in 1885 and are now considered among the most important in England. Tom is one of the most respected gardeners working in Britain today. His first job was as Assistant Head Gardener at a property owned by Sir Paul McCartney. He then became Fergus Garrett’s deputy at the famed Great Dixter garden in Sussex before taking over at Gravetye Manor in 2010.
In January 2024, Mary Ann spent three weeks touring gardens in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. Her talk Zealand plants. will show the different styles of gardens she visited — from formal to English cottage gardens and those featuring native New Zealand plants.
Following her talk we will enjoy our annual luncheon and the ever popular “Bring and Buy”.
We are delighted to welcome the talented Elizabeth Young of Flowers Talk Tivoli, who will give us inspiration for decorating our homes for the festive season. Elizabeth will show us how to create three different arrangements: one for outdoors at the entrance of a home; a long lasting centrepiece; and a garland or wreath.
“Wildscaping” is gaining more and more traction around the world as residential gardeners shift their priorities to a more naturalistic approach. Jon Master Gardener Lee Ann Smith for a talk that introduces this new approach to garden design, explains how this type of garden is implemented, and offers some real-life examples of wildscapes large and small.
Join us for a four-day tour of magnificent public and private gardens including the Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden; the Toronto Botanical Garden; the Whistling Garden and the Royal Botanical Garden in Hamilton. We will also visit various private gardens in Hamilton, the GTA and Niagara on the Lake.
The Ottawa Garden Club is pleased to host “New Horizons”, an art show featuring 12 OGC artists. The event is open to the public and will showcase all forms of art including paintings, photography, jewelry and sculpture.
The Vernisage will be held on Friday May 3 from 6 to 8 pm. The show will be open Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 3 pm.
Come and imagine yourself basking in the warm Italian sunshine as we explore the beautiful garden of Villa San Michele on the Island of Capri. The garden recently received a prestigious award as Italy’s most beautiful garden. Kristina has been Director and CEO of Villa San Michele since 2020.
Kathleen is the Supervisor of Horticulture Services for the NCC’s official residences here in Ottawa. She will speak to us about the evolution of all the gardens, as well as the care of the greenhouses at the Governor General’s residence.
Our speakers, Manja Bastian and daughter Alanna Groen-Brunsting, are co-owners of Green Corners Farm, Ottawa’s largest “U-Pick” tulip and flower farm. Together they will show us how to enjoy growing tulips in the cold of winter by forcing them indoors. They will also share some behind-the-scenes photos of their flower farm enterprise.
Join us as we journey into the fascinating world of wildflowers with Michael Runtz, a professor of Natural History and Ornithology at Carleton University. He will talk to us about the complex lives of wildflowers, their defence mechanisms, reproductive methods and how they solve environmental issues such as soil nutrient deficiency.
Bloomfield’s invites members of the Ottawa Garden Club to join a series of free workshops at the two locations in town:
OPEN HOUSES
Glebe - Thursday, November 23 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., 783 Bank Street, Ottawa.
West - Thursday, November 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.,1280 Wellington West
WREATH AND PLANTER DEMONSTRATION
West - Sunday, November 26 at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday December 10 at 1:00 p.m.,1280 Wellington West, Ottawa
We are delighted to welcome back Virginia Vince of Bloomfield Flowers, who will inspire us with her striking holiday arrangements and talk about current trends in floral design.
Bloomfields was founded by Virginia in Toronto in 1998 and is driven by her lifelong passion for flowers and simple, natural design. In 2002, she moved her successful business to Ottawa where it has thrived and expanded.
Rob’s presentation will focus on perennials that will introduce colour into your gardens throughout the year. He will discuss bulbs, grasses, vines, evergreens and herbaceous perennials, all of which can be found at local garden centres and nurseries.
Rob is a Master Gardener and currently Co-President of the Ottawa Valley Rock Garden and Horticultural Society.
Ottawa Garden Club members Renee Smith and her daughter Claire invite you to visit their two very different gardens along the shores of the Rideau River. We will meet at Claire’s garden at 10:30 a.m. Here you will find six acres of beautiful green space, with paths and sculptures. Next is Renee’s home where we will participate in a Flower Arranging Contest, with flowers picked from her beautiful gardens. Details in the August issue of the Blooming News.
Join us for our annual AGM where we review the activities of the year, approve the budget and the new executive slate, and welcome new members.
Candace Dressier will discuss plants that are native to different parts of the world and will give examples of the various biomes of the planet, as well as the eco-regions and districts in North America. She will tell us how to use plant nomenclature and plant tags to help determine if a plant is native to the Ottawa region. Finally, she will tell us about her favourite native plants that have brought more birs to her garden and have reduced garden maintenance.
Renee-Claude Goulet, a Science Advisor at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, will talk to us about growing planst from seed, discuss the importance of soil health for food production, and provide science-based tips to get the spring garden off to a good start from the ground up.
Joan Harvey, Johanna Cutts, and Mary Ash are retired teachers and members of the Monarch Teacher Network-Ottawa. Their presentation will be wide-ranging, covering everything from the Monarch’s delicate life cycle, its fascinating 4,500 km migration to Mexico, to how to create an attractive pollinator garden. Planting suitable host and nectar plants and becoming informed will ensure the Monarch butterfly thrives. Come with your questions and learn about this captivating insect.
Lynette Deir Mullen, owner of Stoneblossom Floral Gallery, will launch us into the holiday season with wreaths, table arrangements, door decorations and outdoor pots. It will be part presentation and part demonstration. It will be creative and it will be fun!
We are delighted that Patterson (Pat) Webster will give a brief presentation of her new book about creating Glen Villa, a wonderful garden in Eastern Townships that the OGC visited in 2017. The book will be available at the meeting for buying and signing, thanks to Books on Beechwood.
Ornamental grasses offer a wide range of landscaping solutions. Like shrubs, they add structure to a garden, provide movement and attract birds. Cindy will talk to us about a wide range of grasses, their growing conditions and provide us with maintenance tips.
Cindy is the owner of Beyond the House (www.beyondthehouse.ca) a full-service garden centre and landscape company located in Russell, Ontario, tat specializes in rare and unique plants.
In April, Laura Langford described how Roam Flora, an off-grid flower farm in Carp, evolved from a small garden in her back yard to a two-acre fully sustainable farm west of Ottawa. And in September we will have an opportunity to tour the farm guided by Laura. Space is limited. Please contact Karen Kunke for more information kjunke@rogers.com.
Roam Flora began in 2017 in Laura’s back garden as a part-time job/passion project. Today spread across two acres, Roam Flora is an off-grid, solar-powered flower farm on the western edge of Ottawa, specializing in unique varieties of cut flowers and foliage. Laura will describe the flower varieties they grow and will share many interesting stories of the challenges they faced while growing the farm.
The remarkable variety of available dahlias makes them an ideal plant for any sunny well-drained location. They inject colour and drama wherever they are grown. Olivia Chuchryk will talk about all aspects of growing dahlias, from planting, fertilizing, pest control, mulching, staking and pruning.
Dr. Jessica Forest, an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Ottawa, will describe her research, which includes the factors limiting wild bee populations, the effects of climate change on pollinators, and the role of wild bees in crop production. She and her students do field work in Gatineau Park, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and in the agricultural landscapes around Ottawa.
Bridget Elworthy, together with Henrietta Courtauld, launched The Land Gardeners in 2012, at Wardington Manor, Bridget’s home in Oxfordshire (England). Together they worked to reawaken the Manor’s history of growing blooms for London florists and homes and bringing the gardens alive. Their belief in soil health, growing organically and working with nature is central to all their work. They have experimented with many gardens – a Cutting Garden and Walled Garden, a Dahlia and Tulip Border, a Perennial Borders and gardens along the Walks, around The Pond, into the Orchards and by the Church. So much to inspire! When Bridget joins us on ZOOM, she will share all aspects of growing a productive cut-flower garden, their favourite flowers and what to gather by season. At the Luncheon, there will be a draw for their book – The Land Gardeners CUT FLOWERS (Thames & Hudson 2019) www.thelangardeners.com
