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Dear HCP Member:
Enjoy free admission when you join us for...
- Tomato Day on May 24 from 9am to 12pm!
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 CEO Report Click here to read this month's report from Roger Charles. |
Garden of the Month This month's featured garden is the Rhododendron and Hosta Garden. Click here to learn more about this garden. |
 Volunteers Needed for Arts and Music!
We are already starting preparations for the 20th annual Arts and Music event. Please see the list below of volunteer positions available. Shop early for the best selection.
Event Volunteer Opportunities:
-Venue Preparation
- Traffic Management
- Artist Liaison
- Musician Liaison
- Vintage Car Liaison
- Food & Beverage Helpers
- Admissions
- Plant Sales
- Survey Takers
- Venue Management (roaming cleaners)
Shifts are 3-4 hours all day throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 8th to 10th. Please email us and share your preferred shift and task: [email protected]
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Volunteer Opportunity
The Ornamental Grass Garden needs a volunteer to help design and implement a garden plan. Click here for details.
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May To-Do List
by Linda Petite, Head Gardener
- Remove spent flowers and prune Rhodos and Camellias right after flowering
- Optimum time to overseed lawns
- Harvest rhubarb before stalks get woody
- Hill up your early potatoes when growth is 10 inches high
- The May long weekend is traditionally when we plant our gardens,wait until night temperatures are above 10 degrees Celsius to plant out tomatoes, cukes, peppers (heat loving veggies)
- Seed cukes, squash, zucchini indoors now or direct seed when soil warms up (late May-June)
- Keep an eye out for Aphids, Flea Beetle, Slugs, Tent Caterpillars and Root Weevils-control as needed
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Downy Mildew on Impatiens
by Linda Petite, Head Gardener
Have you noticed the absence of Impatiens in the local Garden Centers this spring? Gardeners who have always planted this long time favorite annual will have to find an alternative. The fungus Downy Mildew started in Europe and has pretty much spread worldwide now. The spores can remain in the ground for up to 5 years!
See link from an article in Canadian Gardening for more information.
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Plant of the Month
by Linda Petite, Head Gardener
Davidia involucrata
- Common name: Handkerchief Tree, Dove Tree
- Deciduous tree known for its stunning display of floral bracts
- Native to China
- Flowers resemble dangling handkerchiefs or doves resting in the branches
- Named after the French naturalist Father Armand David,who was the first westerner to discover the tree
- 12m height and 9m spread
- Full/part sun
- Orange-red fall color
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National Garden Days
June 13, 14, and 15 are Canada's National Garden Days and HCP is part of the celebration! Enjoy free admission on those days as well as demonstrations, guided tours, and other activities. More details to come soon!
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Earth Day at HCP
Click here to read Jane Tice's article about the 2014 Earth Day activities that took place here at HCP.
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Upcoming Youth Workshops WORKSHOP SERIES...learn and play with your family in the Gardens at HCP during our series of GROWING TOGETHER workshops: Sunday May 25 10:00am - 12:00pm Join guest presenter, local entomologist, Gord Hutchings, for a workshop on "CAPTIVITY NESTING BEES". Gord will discuss the lifecycle of native bees, their effects on successful pollination, and the benefits of attracting and managing these native species for food production in our yards, orchards, and community gardens. (2 hours) $15/youth under 16, $25/adult Monday May 26 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Vegetable Gardening for Kids (2 hours) $25/person (7-12 years) - What Plants Need - review what plants need to grow & selecting a crop to grow
- Planning a Garden - where to plant & how, tools you need
- Plot & Soil Development - soils, amendments, fertilizer, raised beds, containers
- Planting Your Crop & Maintaining It - how to choose the seeds, spacing, planting, creating a maintenance plan
Tuesday June 3 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Making an Edible Faerie Garden (2 hours) $35/person cost of supplies included (bring an adult along to help if you like for free!) (bring your own container max size 25cm x 25cm with holes in the bottom suited for outdoor use) - What is a Faerie Garden - what it is, how to plan one, containers types
- What to put in it - plants to choose, material, creativity
- Making your Faerie Garden - how to build it
- Maintaining - watering and pruning requirements
Tuesday June 10 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Creating a Pollinators Garden (2 hours) $30/person (bring an adult along to help if you like for free!) - Pollinators in the garden - who are they & why do we need them
- How do you attract them - their needs & what you can provide
- Choose a project - birds, bees, butterflies
- Collect items
- Build
E-mail [email protected] for details!
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Report From Our Cottage Library
Some of the books recently added to the collection:
Pruning Basics - tools, techniques, timing - by David Squire
Outdoor Water Features - 16 easy-to-build projects for your yard & garden - by Alan and Gill Bridgewater
The Soul of Soil, 4th Edition - A soil-building guide for master gardeners and farmers - by Grace Gershuny and Joe Smillie
Botany for Gardeners (3rd ed.) - The most useful and accessible introduction to the science of plants - by Brian Capon
This library isn't just about flowers! There are also quite a few "how to" books, such as how to build stone walls, patios, etc. And then, when all the chores are finished, there's a great selection of what we call "light literature" - stories of gardeners' trials, tribulations and rewards - that can be both entertaining and informative.
BOOK SALE!
Drop in and check out the great deals in books we no longer need or simply have no room for.
Click here for library hours and contact information.
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New Workshops at HCP
Two new Willow Chair Workshops have been added to our schedule as well as two Watercolor Workshops. Click here to see our full workshop calendar or e-mail [email protected] for details. (Image courtesy of Joanne Thomson)
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Community Garden Survey
Please help us with our Community Garden Feasibility Study by going to our online survey link. You could win a draw prize!
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Events Hosted at HCP
We are the perfect venue for your:
- Memorials
- Family Reunions
- BBQ's
- Social Events
- Weddings
- Special Events
- Corporate Retreats
- Kids Birthday Parties
- Club Meetings
Contact [email protected] to set up your event at HCP!
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