Posted by: Colin Ashford, Secretary of the Garden Club
The Old Ottawa South (OOS) Garden Club began with a group of gardening enthusiasts who decided to expand their knowledge of the art and science of gardening, by organizing regular meetings with speakers to discuss different topics.
Today, under the umbrella of the Old Ottawa South Community Association, the initial impetus remains the same i.e to share the passion, curiosity, frustration, and pleasure of this pastime!
The focus of the group tends to be on gardens in an urban setting, typically smaller spaces with big trees and a lot of shade, where the amount of sun is carefully noted. However, gardeners share common ground no matter where they dig and plant, and the group has always included members from other Ottawa neighbourhoods, near and far. There are so many advantages to belonging to a small garden-club.
At meetings, there is a lot of opportunity to ask questions and the coffee break provides time to talk to the presenter in an informal way. The size of the group makes the atmosphere friendly, inclusive and welcoming. This year we have had presentations on trees, herbs and edible flowers, and water gardens. We have also had our seasonal decorating workshop and a visit to the Canadensis Legacy Botanical Garden
At our next meeting on Tuesday 11th April, Master Gardener Mary Ann Van Berlo will discuss changed recommendations for the planting of trees, shrubs, and perennials including root washing, root pruning and why soil amendment is no longer recommended. To register for the meeting, simply click here and to view the Garden Club’s schedule click this link. We hope to see you at the Firehall on April 11th!