Monday, November 20, 2023

                                         Photo and Centre Piece by Kathryn Robson KJR Design


Tuesday evening, November 28th meeting, the doors will be open at 6:30 pm. We will be having our business meeting and our Christmas Social. Please bring savoury and sweets to share hot or cold. Our evening presentation is the art of Christmas Table Centre's with Janet Lowes, owner of Bloom Wildly.

Janet's presentation theme is how to construct a “Christmas Table Centre Piece.” We would like to draw a name and have someone come up and make a centrepiece along with her, the willing participant can keep their artistic creation. You can locate Janet on Facebook at “Live Simply.”

Kathryn

Saturday, November 18, 2023



The Powell River Spring Garden Tour Committee is starting preliminary plans for the 2024 Garden Tour. This committee and event have been an integral part of our community's spring season since the 1990's.

The date is tentatively set for June 9th, 2024. The Garden Tour is always a special treat! It is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy gardens around town and become inspired and awed by their beauty and creativity. Check out the Garden Tour's Facebook page to see the long list of benefits to our community that the funds raised by this event provide. 

The Committee is seeking gardens for next June!

If you are interested, have questions about sharing your garden for the day, or know of a garden that might be of interest, please respond to this email.gardenclubpowellriver@gmail.com 

The Garden Tour involves extensive organizing, so compiling a list of participating gardens as early as possible is appreciated. 

Thank you from The Powell River Spring Garden Tour Committee you can find them on Facebook.

Kathryn

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Leaf Raking Season is upon us, so a gentle reminder to use your core muscles when raking and lifting bags and tubs of leaves. To support your core when raking leaves keep your elbows as close as possible to your body core this keeps one's posture aligned, so there is then less stress on your spine. To further support your efforts by keeping your raking radius within two feet of your centre this supports good alignment and facilitates the least stress on your muscles as possible. Smaller, lightweight, flexible metal rakes are more ergonomically effective. In closing for moving your tub or bag of leaves first bend your knees to support your back with your arms in close before lifting, and move your foot that is going to support the direction you are possibly going to lean into. Happy Autumn. 



Tuesday, October 24, 2023

 October Presentation: Tuesday, October 24th Meeting is at 7:00 p.m. with  Ron Berezan. at 8:00 p.m.

Ron's presentation Theme will be on Permaculture as noted below:

Get More from Your Garden -  Permaculture approaches to increasing the harvest, nurturing the planet, and creating beauty

Whether you have a small urban yard, an acreage or a farm, the permaculture approach offers a set of principles and practices to help you work with nature in creating abundance, beauty and resilience. In this presentation, Ron Berezan will share stories and lessons from his permaculture work in Canada and in Cuba and will offer practical suggestions for growing in Powell River during a time of climate uncertainty.  

Ron has been an organic gardening and permaculture teacher for the past twenty years and is now the manager of Blueberry Commons Farm in Wildwood.    Ron Berezan   Farm Manager

In honour of tonight's Theme I have made a Permaculture Pumpkin for our President Lesley. Happy Harvest Season Lesley. 

There is still time to put in your cover crops the top growth will be smaller but the root nodules will still strengthen the soil ecosystem. Kathryn




Tuesday, September 26, 2023

 Seeding and Transplanting:  Seeding vegetables and herbs in unheated greenhouses with ground-level or raised beds is still possible in September. This gives you microgreens all winter for soups, salads, and shakes, and those left to grow as large as possible can be transplanted out in March to the garden bed and provide great greens until the first spring seeded crops are up. It is great to have some greens started in August and July to provide for earlier greens in October, but the September crop will often prove just as fruitful. Also, spinach and green onions for example can be transplanted from the greenhouse into standard 11” by 21.5” nursery trays and grow well until February in sunrooms and glassed-in porches.




Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Propagation: September is a perfect time of year to take cuttings from your favourite plants as the plant growth hormones are still pumping through the stems, the Sun’s positioning is lower and holds a greater red spectrum to it that supports the propagation process. Rooting hormones are great, but many plant species work well by just keeping them moist in a blend of sand, potting soil, and peat. Use clean pruning shears, prune when temperatures are less than 18 degrees centigrade, and keep the cutting tip to 4 inches or less. Your propagation trays can be kept in an unheated greenhouse, in an open carport structure, and or covered sundeck. To overwinter your propagation trays in a glassed-in porch or sunroom an intermittent air exchange will be needed. By far my strongest annual variety this season for propagating is the “Coleus.”  It roots very well in water loves an overhead cover and just seems unstoppable. I am looking forward to seeing how it overwinters in the sunroom which will be kept at 10 degrees centigrade.

PRUNING: Tree pruning, and shrub pruning are done best below 18’ centigrade, and no more than ¼ of the variety at a time. Espaliering fits this profile with seasonal pruning and keeping the branches that will be bearing fruit or flowers at 8 inches or less. Fruit trees respond to no more than 1/4 of the tree being pruned at a time and pruned with each season. It is a great quality control and preventive maintenance practice.

Kathryn

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Club Member's "Country Garden"

Club Garden Profile: This member's garden is called "Our Country Garden". When guests enter the drive they are greeted by this beautiful, undulating "Wisteria", along with perfectly placed Rhododendrons on the right, a perpetual rotation of blossom symphonies on the left, and in conclusion, their attention is drawn to the woodland vistas in all directions. This home garden designer enjoys year-round floral displays while looking out from all window vistas. She loves to share the beauty of these hard-working plants with friends and family. Wood mulch chips from the property assist in pathways and weed control. Thank you to our club member for sharing her garden with us. She is truly passionate about the right reasons for gardening, to have a place where friends and family can relax and enjoy quality conversations and appreciate the beauty of nature, and for her family to have an environment that provides an uplifting vista from each window. It was a privilege to take this Wisteria photo and visit this "Country Garden."  Photos by Kathryn Robson.




Tuesday, June 20, 2023

AGM & Social


General Meeting

June 27, 2023 at 7 PM
Cranberry Seniors Centre

AGM and Social 

There will be nominations, a plant share for door prizes. Please bring food to share with members, and plant gifts to share as door prizes.