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BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018

Present: Vicki Willis, Dixie Cress, Kathy Harvie, Janet Simpson, Elsie Locke, Sue Gilmour, Sharon Bryson, Elizabeth Hill, Joanne Ford, Kathy d’Entremont, Ann Jones, Jamie McLellan, Geoff MacDonald, Susan Hazelwood

Regrets: Pamela MacLean, Paul Despres, Valerie Despres, Debra Carey, Betty Anne Cameron, Bibiane Lessard

Absent: Eileen Pease Vicki chaired the meeting on behalf of Pamela. Vicki called the meeting to order and everyone introduced themselves. She welcomed Jamie and Geoff to the Board. 1. Review Minutes of Board of Directors April 28, 2018 Meeting • Moved by Susan that the minutes be accepted as distributed. Seconded by Kathy

d’Entremont. Motion Carried.

2. Old Business

a. Convention 2018 • Report from Charles Barry was read by Sue and is attached. b. Convention 2019 • Debra’s report is included with the attached District 5 report. • Dixie is on the convention organizing committee and reported that they are working through

the vendor placement area at the Louis Millett Community Centre in New Minas. The theme of the convention is “Friends in My Garden”.

c. Volunteers for 2018/2019 Financial Audit • At the April meeting, it was recommended that a Board member who has audited the books

and a Board member who hasn’t, perform the audits. • Susan and Sue agreed to perform the audit this year. d. Special Directors Meeting • Increasing membership has been identified as the priority for the upcoming year. • It was felt that it is important to have Pamela at the meeting and also to have the meeting

this fall and not wait another six months to begin work on increasing membership. We will go ahead with the November 17th date.

• The District Directors were asked who needs rooms at the Willowbend for November 16th and 17th to avoid any issues with driving after dark.

• More information will be sent prior to the meeting. It was noted that this meeting is for District Directors only. Pamela, Susan, Vicki and Joanne will also attend from the Executive.

• Vicki noted that the April District Directors’ reports were excellent. It was mentioned that some clubs do not want to share information with the District Directors which makes reporting difficult.

e. Expansion of Web Site History Section • Dixie scanned 3 histories and sent them to Paul. She noted that some key information is

included in Barb Morton’s book which NSAGC has the copyright to.

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• Paul will contact Dixie to discuss the histories before she scans any more. f. Daily Insurance Coverage Costs • Some venues are requesting more insurance than we are covered for. Extra insurance can

be purchased for $100 to $200 per event. • The clubs will be expected to cover the costs of any extra insurance. 3. New Business a. Approval of Addition to Board Handbook Section 5m • The added section was approved with a minor change. b. Digital Garden Club • Ann’s idea is to have a digital NSAGC club for people who can’t get to meetings. • This would be different than the Facebook page in that membership would be smaller and

more focused. • Ann has some experience with this concept since her Rotary club has a digital club with a

moderator. • It was agreed that the club would need a focus. It might be a way to target areas that need

physical clubs established. • Ann will put together a document on the concept for discussion by the Board. • Ann suggested that we should look at e-commerce functionality for our web site. Ann will

research the types of merchandise that we could sell. c. Garden Clubs Helping Food Bank Gardens • Susan talked about the need for Food Banks that grow food for their client to have help with

the gardens. This could also apply to organizations that raise food for seniors’ facilities, etc. • This will be added as an agenda item for the Special Directors Meeting. • Gardeners could be encouraged to give excess food from their gardens to local food banks. • Susan will write an article for the Newsletter. d. Use of Board Handbook • Vicki says that she gets questions from clubs that are covered in the Board Handbook.

Susan indicated that lessons learned from the conventions are often already covered in the Handbook. Vicki encouraged everyone to keep up to date on the contents of the Handbook.

e. Disposal of Photo Supplies • Since the photo contest has gone digital, Pamela is getting rid of excess supplies that are no

longer needed. Janet brought a bag of binders and encouraged anyone interested to take them.

f. Bi-Laws Article $47 re Fee Payments • Liz Hill noticed that Article #47 of the bi-laws state that membership fees are to be paid by

April 1st, as opposed to March 1st as stated on the membership assessment form and letter. • After discussion it was decided that there is no conflict with the two dates and therefore no

need to change the bi-laws. The membership date is for housekeeping purposes only. g. Results of New Process for AGM Voting Delegates • A new process was put in place prior to the AGM this year. Each club was asked to provide

the names of voting delegates and Susan sent the AGM package directly to those delegates instead of to the Presidents.

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• 13 clubs did not respond and 7 responded late. Despite that, the process worked and should be used for future AGMs.

h. Membership Cards • The inventory of membership cards is down to about 1,100, which is not enough for the

coming year. • Susan obtained the attached quotes for printing the cards. All quotes include HST and there

will be no shipping charges. BrandPro (previously T&S Printing) have the lowest price. • Clubs have commented that they prefer matte to glossy. • Susan will get a sample of a card from BrandPro and ask Kathy Harvie for her opinion on its

suitability. If it is OK, 10,000 cards will be ordered. i. Awards Presentation • It was felt that the awards presentation at this year’s convention did not go as smoothly as in

previous years. There was very poor attention from the floor, people were talking amongst themselves, people were leaving, and no photos were taken. Much of this was due to the fact that the presentations were done at the end of the afternoon talks instead of during the banquet. It was felt that having the awards in the afternoon didn’t achieve what the Board expects during the awards ceremony.

• The awards are to be presented at the banquet and the Awards Chair is to arrange for photos to be taken. A professional photographer is not needed, just someone who knows how to use their camera effectively.

• Susan will add arranging for someone to take photos to the Awards Chair job description. • Susan will add the requirement to have the awards presented at the banquet to the

Convention Guidelines section of the Board Handbook. j. Communities in Bloom • Ann was asked if NSAGC could provide a speaker at the Communities in Bloom

International convention being held in Yarmouth in September 2019. They are interested in a talk about the structure of NSAGC.

• They are funded by the Federal government and do not cover travels expenses. • Ann agreed to give the presentation and will contact Arthur for a copy of the one that he

gave to the New Brunswick group. 4. Reports

a. Treasurer (Janet) • Report and financial statements are attached. • Janet moved that the Financial Statements be approved as distributed. Sharon seconded.

Motion carried. b. Plant Giveaway (Geoff and Jamie) • Report is attached. • Ann needs a description and picture for the order form which will be put in the December

newsletter. She clarified that posting the information on Facebook should be done at the same time as it is published in the newsletter.

• Jamie will consider setting up an email address specifically for the Plant Giveaway instead of using his personal address.

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c. Web Manager (Paul) • Report was read by Susan and is attached. • Paul needs to update the Board information on the web site. d. Newsletter (Ann) • Report is attached. • District Directors were asked to determine if everyone is getting the newsletter and to let

Ann know if not. e. Facebook (Ann) • Report is attached. f. Tags and Seals (Valerie) • Report was read by Susan and is attached. g. Awards • No report available. h. Photo Contest (Pamela) • Report was read by Susan and is attached. • Pamela asked, in her report, if there should be beginner and advanced categories. After

discussion the group decided that it would be difficult to determine who is a beginner and who is advanced and that the contest is open to amateurs only. It was decided to leave the categories as is.

• Vicki noted that the transition from a paper to digital contest took a long time because it was assumed that it would be difficult. The ease in which this happened proves that we have to be open to change!

• Vicki will contact Pamela and ask her to put the revolving photo presentation on thumb drives. They will be given to the District Directors so that they can take them to clubs meeting, rallies, etc.

i. Historian (Dixie) • Report is attached. • Dixie asked if we would like for her to contact the Public Archives to see what documents

they will store. It was agreed that she should and also that she should not ask the Agricultural College.

j. District Directors • Reports are attached. • The question of a provincial speakers list was raised. It was suggested that speakers can

be gotten from farmer’s markets, garden centres and the Atlantic Master Gardeners Association.

• District Directors were asked to compile a list of speakers in their areas, including whether they will travel to other areas, and send the lists to Susan by January 30th. Susan will then compile a provincial list.

• Sympathies are extended to the Great Village Garden Club on the passing of their President, Pat Flemming. Susan will send a card from the Board to his family.

• Ann encouraged everyone to send write-ups and pictures of their clubs’ activities to her for the newsletter.

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5. Correspondence • None. 6. Next Meeting – April 27, 2019.

7. Adjournment • Sue moved that the meeting be adjourned at 2:45 p.m.

Recorded by Susan Hazelwood

2018 NSAGC Convention – Final Report The NSAGC Convention “Springing to Life” was hosted by Bridgewater GC & Lunenburg & Area GC and held at the Days Inn, in Bridgewater. It was deemed a successful convention, as planning started more than a year in advance with the search for a venue. We booked the venue over a year in advance and got guaranteed pricing on all quotes for food & rooms, as well as a list of “included items” and kickbacks for rooms sold. The planning committee had a number of experienced people, which was a bonus right from the start and we were dealing with the same sales staff at the hotel as in 2004. This made life somewhat easy as well, since we both had saved the material from way back then. Just a matter of filling in the blanks. Committee meetings began late fall 2017 and continued on a monthly basis to keep everyone updated on our progress and to resolve any issues that arose or action new ideas that were suggested. Fundraising and canvassing for door prizes was ongoing and we had excellent coordinators for these two tasks and a fairly large contingent of volunteers from Bridgewater GC assisting throughout the entire evolution. The other District garden clubs assisted with sales of lottery tickets, making table centerpieces and providing some of the door prizes. We had 175 registrations for the annual NSAGC convention, and 128 members for the banquet. Registrations began trickling in in late December and early January. Over the winter & spring, six members asked for refunds due to other commitment arising. All but one advised us well before the cut-off date that was listed on the registration form. The last cancelation was very late in May after the cut-off date, but we were able to fill the spot and offer the refund. Check-ins at the hotel stared early Friday afternoon for those headed off on the tour of Freemans Forest. Delegates arrived in full force throughout the afternoon, some remained for the tool sharpening workshop while other visited local nurseries and farm markets. The only complaint heard was the lack of signage on the highway. (Lesson learned; driving directions should included as part of the registration form, to ensure everyone has a copy). Placing road signs on a busy highway could be dangerous to one’s health. Our guest speakers were all gardening enthusiasts, delivering a wide range of topics (as detailed below). Where-as the venue had very limited space for vendors, we decide to invite local district businesses first, to take table space, then reach out farther afield if needed. As it turned out, several businesses from away asked for space, but we were unable to accommodate them, but did advise that we would put them on a waiting list. In the end, one of our vendors cancelled at a very late stage and we were not able to fill the spot, as all the spares had by then made other commitments. (Lesson learned; line up a vendor or two, who would be available on very short notice). Taking into consideration the distance that many traveled and the difficulty in transporting arrangements, we were pleased to see 12 club arrangements entered in the Floral Contest. Judging was done by Joanne Jellett and the winners were: first place - Village GC (Japanese Umbrella Pine tree), second place - Bridgewater (Rhododendron) and third place - Chester GC (Azalea). The official opening was delivered by MC Charles Berry. The Friday evening keynote speaker was Niki Jabbour of Halifax, giving a presentation on her latest book “Veggie Garden Remix”. After the presentation entertainment was provided by the South Shore Ukulele Players. The cash bar was open and light snacks were provided during the entertainment, so people could listen to the group or mix & mingle in the foyer. Saturday morning started with the Annual General Meeting with reports of all the activities of the Association. The AGM was followed with presentations by Iain Jack of Fernwood Nursery (Ferns in Garden design), Chris Sanford of Yonder Hill Farm provide two sessions, (Soil Preparations and Planting

For Pollinators). Amanda Lavers from Mersey Tobiatic Research Institute gave a presentation on the plight of the Monarch Butterfly. The speakers used a lapel microphone which allowed them to walk around. We had the hotel A/V tech on hand for most of the event to ensure all was seen and heard. The photo contest entries were displayed on the screens during lulls in the action. Pamela McLean did an excellent job of putting the photo contest slide show together. 127 members were booked to attended the Saturday evening banquet. Keyboard player Wendy Fraser provided light chamber music throughout the banquet. Charles Berry thanked everyone for attending the 2018 Convention. Businesses were thanked for their financial and material support. After the banquet was over, our Saturday evening keynote speaker was Rosmarie Lohnes of Helping Nature Heal, giving a presentation on Ecological Restoration. In closing, the NSAGC banner was passed to Paul Despres from the Valley group. We wished them all the best in planning the 2019 NSAGC Convention in New Minas. Respectfully submitted by Charles Berry, Convention Co-Chair

Membership Cards Quotes

Company 5,000 cards 10,000 cards NotesHalcraft $240.25 $319.70 Got our last order from them; high quality and very reliableStaples $312.70 $404.92 Might need graphic design - $15 to $45UPS $209.41 $258.01Brand Pro $132.25 $201.25 Used to be T&S Printing. We have used them in the past.

Treasurer’s Report We now have a savings account at the Royal Bank. It is earning interest at a rate of 0.03%.

District 5 has borrowed $1000 from the NSAGC. It will be paid back after the convention.

I corrected tags & seals inventory to reflect cost of items, not retail value. Using Information from Valerie and old financial statements, I calculated that each tag and each seal cost 6.307 cents. After each meeting, I will use the Tags & Seals report to adjust the cost of the inventory.

The Halifax Garden Festival didn’t make as much money as expected. We expected to make $800 but only brought in $325. Unfortunately, it also cost us more then the $250 we budgeted for. It cost over $500. There are lots of leftover plants that Pamela hopes to sell these elsewhere.

We expected to make about $150 selling tags & seals but have sold over $250 so far this year.

When comparing the year-to-date income to the same period last year, the biggest difference is the Saltscapes income the previous year. This wasn’t a good source of income because there were also significant costs involved. It is no longer an event the NSAGC is involved in.

Bank charges are a lot more than I anticipated but that was due to a cheque order of $154.49. Our usual monthly fee is $3.75. So far for this year, we have a profit of $3175.21.

2018-09-21 Balance

ASSETSCash and Bank Accounts

Chequing 5,150.74Savings 9,003.84TOTAL Cash and Bank Accounts 14,154.58

Other AssetsConvention Loan to Host District 1,000.00Tags & Seals Inventory 966.67TOTAL Other Assets 1,966.67

TOTAL ASSETS 16,121.25

LIABILITIES & EQUITY

LIABILITIESUnearned Dues-Affiliates 0.00Unearned Dues-Garden Clubs 0.00Unearned Surplus Plant Sales 0.00

TOTAL LIABILITIES 0.00

EQUITY 16,121.25

TOTAL LIABILITIES & EQUITY 16,121.25

Account

Balance Sheet - As of 2018-09-21

Last Year This Year

Category2017-04-01-2017-09-21

2018-04-01-2018-09-21

INCOMEIncome from Activities

Newsletter Advertising 200.00 200.00Sales of Surplus Plants 2,152.67 2,090.00Sales of Tags & Seals 197.86 277.32Halifax Garden Festival Plant Sales 0.00 325.00Saltscapes Plant Sales 2,269.00 0.00TOTAL Income from Activities 4,819.53 2,892.32

Other Income Affiliated Garden Club Dues 300.00 300.00Garden Club Dues 6,676.00 6,776.00Interest 118.87 3.84TOTAL Other Income 7,094.87 7,079.84

TOTAL INCOME 11,914.40 9,972.16

EXPENSESGeneral Expenses

Awards 30.00 45.00Future Projects

Plant Give Away 2,576.00 2,700.60Halifax Garden Festival 25.00 529.92Saltscapes 1,739.39 0.00TOTAL Future Projects 4,340.39 3,230.52

Newsletter 479.50 0.00Photo Contest 232.20 211.13Tags & Seals 12.56 0.00TOTAL General Expenses 5,094.65 3,486.65

Meeting ExpensesBoard Meetings (&AGM) 1,577.30 1,669.07TOTAL Meeting Expenses 1,577.30 1,669.07

Office ExpensesBank Charges 32.70 179.97Directors' Expenses for District Business 111.08 144.59Financial Statements Review Expense 100.00 0.00Incidentals (printing, postage, etc.) 38.10 5.52Insurance 1,262.00 1,280.00Joint Stock 31.15 31.15TOTAL Office Expenses 1,575.03 1,641.23

TOTAL EXPENSES 8,246.98 6,796.95

PROFIT (LOSS) 3,667.42 3,175.21

Profit & Loss Comparison

Plant Giveaway Committee Report

September 29, 2018 NSAGC Board of Directors Meeting

This being our inaugural year as Co-chairs of the plant giveaway committee, we relied heavily on past

Committee Chair Arthur Haskins for direction in the procurement of plants for the 2019 year.

The vendor historically used for the NSAGC Plant Giveaway, Balamore Farm Ltd. of Great Village was

contacted and provided Arthur Haskins with an availability list of plants for the 2019 season. Of the

plant varieties available, only four would be in sufficient quantity to meet the needs of the NSAGC.

Those varieties included Sparkling Rose Siberian Iris, White Swirl Siberian Iris, Purple Candles Astilbe,

and Bridal Veil Astilbe.

Due to the smaller than normal selection of plant varieties available, it was recommended by Arthur

Haskins to not wait on placing the plant order until after the September board meeting. The risk of

Balamore Farms inventory of plants depleting through current and upcoming sales and not being

available in a sufficient quantity to meet the needs of the NSAGC existed. It was therefore

recommended that a mass email be sent to board members to cast their vote electronically, opposed to

the traditional vote at the September board meeting thus allowing the order to be placed quickly,

ensuring the chosen variety would be available in sufficient quantity.

A mass email was sent via NSAGC Secretary Susan Hazelwood to the board members asking them to cast

a vote on the following scenarios:

• Are you in favour of using one plant variety for both the plant giveaway and the plants for sale

or are you in favour of using one plant variety for the plant giveaway and a different variety for

the sale.

• Please respond with your first choice and second choice of plant selection.

Sixteen responses were received from the twenty-one board members. The tallied results were eleven

to five in favour of one plant for both the plant giveaway and the plant sale. Thirteen to three in favour

of the Sparkling Rose Siberian Iris as the first choice and ten to six in favour of the White Swirl Siberian

Iris as the second choice.

With the results in, an order for 2800 Sparkling Rose Siberian Irises was placed and confirmed with

Balamore Farm Ltd.

Thanks is extended to the Hants North Late Bloomers Garden Club, whom have graciously offered to

help organize and pack the plants for distribution this coming April. As well as thanks to past Plant

Giveaway Committee Chairman, Arthur Haskins, who not only made this transition smooth and

successful, but has also volunteered to pick up and deliver the plants to the Hants North Late Bloomers

Garden Club this April.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jamie McLellan & Geoff MacDonald

NSAGC Plant Giveaway Committee Co-Chairmen

Web Master Report To the NSAGC Board Meeting, 29th Sept 2018 Truro, Nova Scotia This report covers activities from April 2018 through to September 2018 Small changes to the site took place over the reported time frame. Minor changes were completed on the Club Executive pages, due to new executive and other changes in the various clubs. The 2017 Convention page was changed several times due to scheduling changes and the plant sale page was put to good use this year. A new project for this fall will see updates to the NSAGC History Update pages with new additions being added. In closing, the site is functioning well. I am looking for new ideas, items, and information, if you have suggestions or information send me an email. Respectfully Submitted by Paul Despres NSAGC Web-Master 9September 2018

Report of the Editor Scotia Gardener/NSAGC Facebook Group

September, 2018

The Scotia Gardener as per the motion in September 2017 is now only published electronically. I updated my list to include all the contact people designated by the new assessment form. I now have 361 people on my direct e-mail list. The June, 2018 edition was not sent until August, 2018, because I was away in June and July. The September issue will be sent on deadline. The advantages of having only an e-version is there is no cost for printing, mailing or labels, not limited to a specific number of pages, the font is larger because not restricted by cost of printing in a larger font. It eliminates the need to prepare packages for mailing and taking them to the post office. Disadvantages – not everyone has access to the technology. . I remain concerned that not all members are receiving the Scotia Gardener. I received no comments about the last issue. Is there some way the directors could determine if the Scotia Gardener is being sent on to members by the Club contacts?

NSAGC Facebook Group

In May, 2013, we initiated the NSAGC Facebook Group. Kathy Harvey and I are the administrators. This has been highly successful with multiple posts, comments and “likes” each day. There has been an exchange of photos, advice, events with many comments amongst the members. To date we have over 4,453 members. This is an increase of almost 1,000 members since April, 2018.5 months ago. I think this is one of the best ways we have spread the love of gardening throughout the province and beyond. In the last 30 days we had over 24,000 posts/responses/comments and thought you might like to know that in September, the highest post was from Ray Brady, “A true gardeners delight…”, a picture of a cucumber & mayonnaise sandwich. It had over 2000 views, 84 comments and 106 likes. Respectfully Submitted, Ann Jones, Editor, Scotia Gardener/NSAGC Facebook group.

NSAGC Tags @ Seals Report as of September 29 2018

Since May 22, 2018, I have received 4 orders for tags and seals from 4 garden clubs. 3 orders were picked up and 1 order was mailed to Weymouth and postage was $4.72.

Items sold were:

1700 entry tags, 120 - 1st place seals, 120 -2nd place seals, 130 – 3rd place seals, 50 - Honourable mention seals and 1 best in show seal.

Inventory as of Sept 29, 2018 is as follows:

Entry tags = 4,694

1st place seals = 1,021

2nd place seals = 1,022

3rd place seals = 1,187

Honorable mention seals =1,012

Best in show seals = 4,280

Total items = 13,216

Inventory value @ .10 = $1321.60

Respectfully submitted

Valerie Despres

Photo Chair Report

September 29, 2018

As Photo Chair for the past year, I have taken on the challenge of converting our print photo contest to a digital one. It was a simple process and was very successful.

As noted in the past, the entries were late coming in, the bulk of them coming in the end of March and more coming in toward the end of April. There were entries in all categories.

Because we advertised on FaceBook, we had several entries that did not qualify due to the fact that the entrants did not belong to a club. For these people, I sent club information and directed them to a club in their area that they could join if they wished.

In 2017 we had 169 entries in 12 classes. This year, since we went digital, there were 362 entries in the same 12 classes, 13 of which were printed copies, either mailed or dropped in my mail box. Three people chose to enter print copies. These were scanned and judged as digital.

All photographs were displayed on large screens during convention.

The quality of the photos received was generally excellent. The judge was a school teacher (Art) and photographer, Jennifer Oldford. An honorarium of $50 was provided to her after judging was complete.

Expenses:

Honorarium for the Judge: $50

Prizes: $75, $50, $25

Photo Printing: $12

Total: $212

The list of winners is attached. I noted that the same entrant had 3 winners in 2 cases. Elizabeth Hill won in 3 classes as did Ericka Crowell.

A few points I would like to make concerning the digital photo contest.

1. One contestant submitted a photo that was downloaded from the FaceBook page and not her own photo. We need to add a rule that states “Submitted photographs must be the work of the person submitting the photograph.” (This was brought to my attention by the person who owned the photo and posted it on FaceBook.)

2. The numbers of submissions in each class increased substantially.

3. Quality of photos was excellent.

4. Transmission was easy.

5. It was suggested to me that due to the professional appearance of some photos, we should have a beginner category and a more advanced category. All photos are supposed to be taken by amateur photographers.

6. It is still necessary to print the winner’s photos and display them on the board.

7. Certificates should still be presented, (paper format).

Respectfully Submitted,

Pamela MacLean

Photo Chair 2017/18

NSAGC Photo Contest 2018 Winners

Class 1

1. Rena Nixon (3rd overall) 2. Sharon Bryson 3. Bill Reader

Class 2

1. Barbara MacLean 2. Carol Harvey 3. Susan Stevenson

Class 3

1. Cynthia Spraggs (4th overall) Honorable mention

2. Carol Harvey 3. Marlene Grigg 4. Rena Nixon

Class 4

1. Ericka Crowell 2. Darlene Hart 3. Marlene Grigg 4. Olga Kidson (Honorable Mention)

Class 5

1. Darlene Hart 2. Rosalyn Duffus 3. Kathy Harvie

Class 6

1. Carol Harvey (1st overall) 2. Elizabeth Hill 3. Anita Daye

Class 7

1. Elizabeth Hill 2. Rena Nixon 3. Roslyn Duffus

Class 8

1. Janet Simpson 2. Rena Nixon 3. Marlene Grigg

Class 9

1. Elizabeth Hill (2nd overall) 2. Anita Day 3. Bill Reader

Class 10

1. Ericka Crowell 2. Barbara MacLean 3. Kathy Harvie 4. Bibianne Lessard (Honorable

Mention)

Class 11

1. Elizabeth Hill 2. Ericka Crowell 3. Bill Reader

Class 12

1. Ericka Crowell 2. Barry Gorman 3. Pat Leader

Overall Winners:

1. Carol Harvey, Class 6 2. Elizabeth Hill, Class 9 3. Rena Nixon, Class 1 4. Cynthia Spraggs, Class 3,

Honorable Mention

Chair’s Comments The first overall photo told a story. It was fruit likely grown by the man in the photo with the dirt embedded in his hands, and around his nails. The photo is clear and concise, in focus and very original. The second winner was also very original, using food in jars as garden art. It was very vibrant and colorful, taken on an interesting angle and of very good quality with the sun coming through providing good lighting. The third place photo used complimentary colors to make a striking array of beautiful inners of fritillaria, obviously taken from the ground to the sky. This composition and combination of colors is inspiring. This photo shows originality, shows a part of a flower you don’t normally see, and was of excellent quality.

Historian Report, September 29, 2018 Meeting

Telephone contact was made with the NS Agricultural College, Truro to inquire about historical reports and any other materials they may have in their library associated with the NSAGC. I spoke to two people and was told that they had a copy of Cultivating Garden Friends, History of Gardening in Nova Scotia 1850 – 2000 by Barbara Morton and also some pamphlets relating to gardening. They did not appear to have any of the other historian reports. I did ask about any digital files but was told they did not find any and would contact me if any were located. No other contact has been made since May 2018.

The following historian reports have been scanned to pdf files:

- 1954 – 1973 - 1973 – 1989 - 1990 - 1995 - 2000 – 2004 - 2005 – 2009

I have not scanned Cultivating Garden Friends, History of Gardening in Nova Scotia 1850 - 2000.

I do not have a copy of a history update for the period between 1995 and 2000. Was there a separate history update during that time, or was the information only in the Cultivating Garden Friends history?

The scanned copies of the 1954 - 1973, 1973 - 1989 and 1990 - 1995 histories were emailed to Paul on May 31st.

Telephone contact was made with the Nova Scotia Archives to inquire about historical reports and any other materials they may have associated with the NSAGC. They have the following histories: 1954 – 1973, 1973 – 1989 and 2005 – 2009. They also have other materials such as correspondence from 1944 to 1975, minutes from 1962 to 1986 and newsletters from 1962 to 1973. Attached is a list of materials sent to me by email. All are in paper form. They would be interested in additional materials such as histories, minutes, newsletters and correspondence (president and executive). The material would need to be as originally created – paper form or electronic.

Received the reports from Kathy d’Entremont, District Director for the following District 7 clubs: Bridgetown Area Garden Club, Champlain Garden Club, Pubnico Area Garden Club, Rooted in Clare Garden Club, Weymouth Garden Society and Yarmouth Garden Club.

Also received reports from Sue Gilmour, South Shore District Director for the following District 6 clubs: Lunenburg and Area Garden Club, Mahone Bay Garden Society, Shelburne County Garden Club, Queens Garden Club, Bridgewater Garden Club and Chester Garden Club.

Respectfully submitted,

Dixie Cress, Historian

NSAGC District 1 Report-April to September 2018 Isle Madame Garden Club During the past six months the IMGC has had a plant sale & Royal Tea Luncheon in May with 70 attendees. In June they visited Sharon Bryson’s Willow Garden & the Farmers Market in Antigonish. A Pressed Flower workshop & a Celtic Medicinal Herb Garden as well as the club being published in the porthawkesburyreporter.com all took place in July. In August IMGC filmed a TV commercial to inform local residents of plans re : The Daffodil Trail & The Maple Tree Project and they also had their annual flower show with 50 entries. In Sept. they visited 2 local gardens. Report submitted by President Joanne Ford Inverness Garden Club Over the past 6 months the Inverness Garden Club ordered 100 trees through the Celtic Colours program, asked for funding from the Municipality for the 50 barrels & the 50 hanging baskets (from Mabou Gardens), had a Mother’s Day fundraiser at the Coop and their annual plant sale. Two of their members attended the Convention. Four big square planters were also filled with succulents and placed in strategic areas. Caroline Camereon did an outdoor workshop on « getting started » for new gardeners, they had a float in the Inverness Gathering parade & they had a summer get together at the home of Marg & Jim Ryan. September brought a letter from the Celtic Colours program that due to problems at the tree nursery their order would be delayed by one year. They also hosted the District 1 meeting that was held on Sept. 25. Report submitted by President Betty Anne Cameron North Sydney Garden Club In April the NSGC celebrated their 60th anniversary with an Open House Tea. Indoor plants were donated to Hope House Recovery Centre for Women in Point Edward at Easter time. Their annual plant sale was held in June. Two members of the club participated in a Community Cares Youth Outreach which involved planting 3 raised vegetable garden beds & teaching Children how to care for the plants. Funds were raised by auctioning house plants to purchase Christmas gifts for Talbot House residents. In August they participated in the Cape Breton Exibition Floral display booth & competitions. Report submitted by Lorna Williams for President Edna Jabalee Westmount Garden Club Over the past 6 months the Westmount Garden Club established a Facebook page with info & photos from Club members, began the work on a new banner for our 60th anniversary next year, had 9 new members join our club. All members received garden gloves donated by Rona. Our project at the Skyway Senior Citizens Residence is ongoing, 2 hydrangeas at the entrance and 4 grasses as well as petunias were planted in a triangular bed. Our plant sale was a great success with much participation from members. 3 members attended the NSAGC Convention. We had 2 garden tours over the summer as well as a potluck supper in August followed by a garden tour & social. 6 members attended the District 1 meeting. Report submitted by President Bibiane Lessard

submitted by Sharon Bryson

I had made contact via email and telephone with the Presidents and Secretaries (communicationpersons) on several occasions to convey information regarding District Fall Rally, deadlines for variousevents plus NSAGC Convention info and to request a small synopsis of the clubs activities for myinformation and for this report.

Guysborough and District Garden Club

The Guysborough Club was visited in the spring. A bit more formal slate of officers wasinitiated.

In the spring the Food Bank garden was planted and tended by member MichaelWilson.

They are moving ahead with plans for the District Fall Rally, October 13th.Communications have been very difficult, but a bit improved recently.

Some members are absent during the winter months, when no meetings are held.

St. Mary’s District Garden Club

Great efforts have been made to increase membership and thus vitality in the club.They now have close to twenty members (new and old).

St. Mary’s District Garden Club had a reasonably active summer, but opted to not havetheir usual flower show.

I visited the club in September and was encouraged by their new lease on life.

Lismore & Area Garden Club

The Lismore & District Garden club meets on the second Monday of the month. Thereare ~38 members in the club.

The club had several members attend the Antigonish Garden Club 35th Anniversaryevent in April.

District #2 Director Report for Sept. 29, 2018 Board Meeting

In July we accepted the invitation from the Sobeys family to tour their gardens. InAugust we embarked upon a wonderful day on PEI. In September we enjoyed ourannual Vegetarian meal.

This is the twentieth anniversary of this club. We are planning to acknowledge thismilestone as the year progresses. No specifics have been conveyed.

Pictou Garden Club (most up to date info has not been received)

Several members did attend the NSAGC Convention in Bridgewater.

Antigonish Garden Club

The Antigonish Garden Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month at The John PaulCenter in Antigonish.

April was highlighted by a special gathering April 21st to celebrate the 35th Anniversaryof the Antigonish Garden Club. Our club members have planted “35” Pinkie WinkyHydrangea which came from West River Nurseries .

May was busy with The Plant Sale and special speaker Henri Steeghs.

We met at “The Willow Garden” for Wine, Cheese & Rhododendrons in June. Ourannual BBQ/Potluck was held in July and was hosted by Joan Corsten.

Several Garden tours were held through the summer. The last being a day trip toBaldwin’s Nursery and the Tangled Garden in the Valley.

The H.M. MacDonald School garden was beautifully maintained this season.

Fall meetings resumed in September. The remainder of the fall meetings are planned.

Members are planning to attend the District Rally in Guysborough.

New Glasgow and Area Highland Garden Club

Meetings are on the 4th Tues. of each month.There were no regular monthly meetings for the summer. Last meeting was May 22,2018 and our next meeting will be on Sept 25th. We enjoyed 2 events this summer, oneof which was a lovely tour of Debbie Sobeys gardens on July 5th and a day trip to theEastern Shore of Nova Scotia. We travelled by Chad Transit and first of all visitedmember, Joanne Cumminger's cottage in Malay Falls where we were treated to a

wonderful lunch and tour of her garden. We continued up the shore to Spry Bay;visiting artist, Sara Sheffield of Southwind Studio and her unique gardens and then toHarbour Breezes Daylilies in Salmon River for a tour of their spectacular gardensfeaturing hundreds of different daylilies and irises.

The Westville and Area Garden Club

There has been no summer update for this club. They did lose their treasurer, so expecta new one will be announced.

I was in touch with Margie Beck with respect to the Fall Rally.

The Westville and Area Gardening Club meets in the Walter Duggan Elementary Schoolthe third Wednesday of each month with exception of July and August.

District 3 North Report – September 2018 The gardeners of District 3 North enjoyed a beautiful summer of gardening as we all did. Monthly meetings were held. Plant exchange and auctions were held. Clubs enjoyed tours of their club members gardens as well as a bus trip to P.E.I., Lavender Gardens, behind the scenes of Lloyd Maplebeck's Hillendale Gardens, Harbour Breeze, Dal Rock and Alumni Gardens and Pheasant Gardens. Guest speakers Sue Whalen from Fall River told how her garden became a Habitat Wildlife Garden. Provincial Gardening week was acknowledged by community planting and signs. Hilden bought two potted mums and put them in church and then to a nursing home. A workshop was held on container gardening. Some members attended Convention and some worked at the N. S. Provincial exhibition as volunteers. Bursaries were given to graduates. Brookfield Garden Club entered a float in the Come Back to Brookfield parade. As usual, summer passed too quickly and we rest for the winter anticipating next year and back in the garden. Elsie Locke

Central District 3 South Director’s Report for

Provincial Board Meeting September 29th, 2018

As Director for Central District 3 South I have:

• Distributed the give-away plants to the clubs in my district. • Attended the 2018 convention. • Encouraged other clubs’ members in my district to attend convention. • Attended other clubs’ meetings as director, including Stewiacke G C, Village G C,

Musquodoboit Valley Weeders G C and of course Hants North Late Bloomers G C. • Forwarded all literature that comes from the Provincial Secretary to the clubs that I

represent. • Mentored, along with Arthur Haskins, Geoff MacDonald and Jamie McLellan on their

new adventures as our Plant Give-away Chairs. • Have been an advisor to the Village Garden Club who are hosting the Fall Rally. • Provided contact information within the clubs to other clubs within the district. • I will send the clubs annual reports to the historian after our Fall Rally. • Our Fall Rally will be held on Saturday October the 13th. In the Rawdon District Fire Hall.

Theme for the Fall Rally is “The Hills are Alive with Blueberries and Honey”. Registration beginning at 12:30pm. Guest speakers to be Nancy Weatherhead on Blueberries and Mike White on Honeybees.

• I am looking forward to the Special Directors meeting being held in November. • Some of the clubs in my area do not meet during the summer, some do not meet

during the winter and some of the clubs are struggling to find members to fill the executive positions. Everyone wants to belong but no one want to take part. My own club is quite small at the present time, we have nine members only.

• Goal for the next little while is to try and help the clubs boost their memberships and encourage more participation from members within those clubs. Elizabeth Hill, Director Central District 3 South

DIRECTOR’S REPORT – District 4 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Eastern Shore Garden Club started the summer with a summer tour. On July 11 we visited Hillendale Nursery near Truro, then on to the Seafoam Lavender Farm and ended our tour at the Agricultural College gardens. Although some rain was forecast, it never rained and turned out to be a very nice day.

On July 14th members of the ESGC participated in the Petals and Paint flower and art show held at the Old Community School in Musquodoboit Harbour. There was a good turn out and tea was served in the afternoon.

Three members opened their gardens on July 16th for members to “Visit My Garden”. It’s always interesting to visit other member’s gardens to get ideas and ask questions about different plants.

In place of holding our regular members meeting in August, a Summer Potluck was held on August 14th. The summer potluck was hosted by the club president. It was probably the only day in August that it rained so the potluck took place inside. A good time was had by all.

Throughout the summer a volunteer group tended the garden at The Birches Senior residence in Musquodoboit Harbour.

The Prospect Area Gardening Club held a local plant sale in June and an August program planning picnic that included a wonderful tour of our members' day lily gardens. We are also thrilled to welcome Tara Moore (taramoore1972@hotmail.com) as a new club co-coordinator this year.

Bedford Hort had a busy summer, filled with garden tours. Several members toured the gardens of Jay Wesley, Marleigh Leaman, Maureen Yeadon and James Henderson. Member garden tours included Betty Shaw’s, Pat Leader and Davena Davis. Our away tour in July consisted of a visit to the Seafoam Lavender Open House and Mary MacAulay’s garden in Tatamagouche.

St Margarets Bay Garden Club The club is a large and active group with 94 members. They host workshops for their members as well as a Christmas centerpiece one is planned for area seniors. They have a perennial sale in partnership with Oceanview Nurseries, this year’s order included annuals, perennials and shrubs. In Sept 2018 they had a promotional table at Hubbards Farmers Market to promote the initiatives of the club and boost membership. During the spring and summer members maintain the Crossroads Garden near the intersection of Hwy # 3 and the Peggy’s Cove Rd. The club had their annual plant sale in June and were sold out within an hour. SMBGC hosted a BBQ and picnic at Hubbards Barn in August. It was a huge success, a great turnout by members and their guests. They had a summer garden tour in July at the home of Neil Everton and Halina St. James. Claudy ended her report by saying that as a group we can be proud of what we have accomplished. The Lr. Sackville Garden Club had its last meeting and plant sale for the 2017/18 season on June 13th. There are no activities to report for the summer months. No reports received from Dartmouth, Fall River, Hammonds Plains or Seabreeze.

I have tried to make contact with a new club that is being formed in Dartmouth, but have not had any replies to emails that I have sent. I had a couple of invites to join club garden tours this summer, but due to other commitments could not attend.

District 5, Valley Report for September 2018

Clubs have been active with flower shows, and having outings as a group, various

gardening activities throughout our district. Some clubs have large memberships,

some have only a few yet all clubs are busy gardening for themselves and for

others.

We had a meeting for the 2019 Convention Planning Committee on September 26

in New Ross hosted by the Charing Cross Club. There was a great turnout and

much planning was started. We worked on the budget and discussed ideas and

visions for the convention.

We had a contest over the summer where all clubs were to submit an idea for a

theme to me and I would present them to the board who would not know ‘who-

made-what’ suggestions. I was given 7 great choices. The committee then voted

their favorite one which is ‘Friends in My Garden’ submitted by Frances Shilliday

from the Annapolis Valley African Violet Society.

We are meeting in the Louis Millet Centre for our next meeting in October so we

can do more effecting planning by being on site.

Our spring District Meeting is being hosted by the Charing Cross.

I am sorry that I cannot attend this board meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Debra Carey, director

District 6 Report – September 2018 It was a busy year in the South Shore District for the garden clubs. We kicked off the year with the NSAGC Convention being held on June 1st and 2nd at the Days Inn in Bridgewater hosted the Bridgewater Garden Club and co-hosted by the Lunenburg Garden Club. Lunenburg Garden Club handled all the registration details for the convention. All the clubs contributed by selling tickets, donating door prizes or making lovely centerpieces for the tables. The convention was well attended by the clubs in the area and also from other districts. The clubs did a commendable job. Earlier in the year in April, I attended a program at the Mahone Bay Garden Club. I didn't want to miss that one as it was a pictorial of a trip to gardens in England and France given by two of the members, Cathy Gregoire and Pam Kydd. The Mahone Bay Garden Club does not hold meetings on their program nights. They have an executive who make all the decisions for the club and who also plan everything and ask for volunteers, etc. for their plant sales and programs. I did have complaints of the amount of emails I send! I attended the NSAGC meeting on Apr 28th. Picked up the give-a-way plants for the clubs and delivered them within 3 days. Some of the clubs met me on the 103 on the way home. I have had no bad reports of the plants not doing well. I attended a Chester Garden Club program on May 21st. The program's speaker was Myra Knight who demonstrated a new flower design called the Duo Design. It is a two-sided design which is judged as two designs, as you look at one straight on you cannot see the design behind it till you go around and look at it, a lot of work! Chester Garden Club is a well-oiled machine, the executives just seem to change around, the few do most of the work to keep the clubs activities arranged. They also have a blog. I volunteered to help out the NSAGC crew at the Garden Festival in Halifax on June 16th. I made a day of it and enjoyed all the vendors. One of the perks was the $5 all day parking at Park Lane. Well organized by Niki Jabour and Iain Jacks of Fernwood Nursery. I attended the Bi-annual Dogwood Festival on July 7th put on by the Queens Garden Club and the Mersey Band. They had a lovely luncheon and a silent auction. Proceeds were shared by the two groups. The garden club provided the luncheon and the band played music and helped serve. They had 3 private gardens open to tour, including a map of where all the flowering dogwoods were in the town. It was such a lovely and different day. Cosby's Garden Centre also had their sculpture gardens open for the festival. Queens Garden Club is getting more members and more executive which will help out the president. I attended and entered the Bridgewater Flower Show on July 10th at the Baptist Church. The show was very well done with many flower arrangements and a wonderful luncheon. I even won the Vice President's award and best specimen in show. The club had a silent auction as a fund raiser. Bridgewater Garden Club is another club with very helpful members. The club has a committee for everything and it works well for them. The president, Charles Barry will be stepping down this November so hoping this won't change the well-run organization that it is now. Bridgewater has recently created a Facebook page.

On July 19th I had Mahone Bay Garden Club over to tour my gardens. It was a fun evening of chit chatting on the gardens and plants. Many plants were at their best at this time. I also attended and entered the Chester Flower Show on July 26th at the Chester Legion. They had lots of wonderful arrangements and a lovely tea. I did win Best In Show for my Modern Mass Design. Such a shock and a lot of fun. The flower show was well attended by locals. They had a silent auction as a fund raiser. I always get an invite to attend and enter the Forties Flower Show in District 5 on Aug 1st. I enjoy their flower show immensely. Probably because it was the first flower show I ever entered. I love all the older gardeners and they put on a lovely tea and show. I also won a few prizes here for Best Specimen in Show and Best Adult Arrangement in Show. I attended a daylily sale the Lunenburg Garden Club had on Aug 25th. Came home with too many daylilies. Lunenburg is a large club of 60 people, but everything is run by the president Kathy Kilpatrick, at times she seems over whelmed although the secretary Cheryl helps her out. The get their help for programs by asking for volunteers which seems to work for them. Lunenburg has a Facebook page. Bridgewater Garden Club had a tour of Freeman's Forest for the garden club members and guests on Aug 20th, it was a very interesting property. It is being kept up by Helping Nature Heal who use bio-diversity to encourage wild life and flora. They also handle any problems including flooding, the property is on the river. They use nature (logs and plant native flora) to help with these problems. They have also built gardens over the septic field that bloom from spring to fall, wonderful ideas. The Queens Garden Club will be hosting the District Meeting on Oct 13th at Queens Place in Liverpool. They have planned a luncheon and speakers. Emily Liot will be speaking on vermiculture and Mary Lou White on food security and community gardens. Ivan Higgins will be giving a guided tour of his sculpture gardens at Cosby's Garden Center in the afternoon. Shelburne Garden Club has a new president this year, Marilyn Johnston, she was previously the secretary. I have yet to attend one of their meetings but have met her and some of the club's members over the past few years. I think this will be the last year for the Basin Gardeners Association. They have no executive as no one wants to volunteer to be on the executive and the past executives are worn out. The good thing is that almost everyone is also a member of the Chester Garden Club which is only 10 min down the road. They do have a blog and Myra Knight did have a workshop on May 28 creating a Duo Design. This was annotated in the blog with pictures. I really enjoy keeping up with the garden clubs. Some of the clubs have me on their email list which is a bonus as I can see how they are progressing. Susan Gilmour South Shore District Director Sept 28, 2018

Western District #7 September 2018 Report

Submitted by Kathy d’Entremont, District Director To start my report, I am pleased to announce that there was strong representation from District 7 at the NSAGC Convention in Bridgewater, with delegates from all but one club attending. I sent out a request to each club in my district for a brief report of their successes, failures and challenges plus any concerns or information they would like to share with the NSAGC. I was pleasantly surprised to hear back from nearly all of them, and their reports were anything but brief, as they had been busy and wanted to share all the events and activities that had taken place since last April. In light of that, the following is a very short recap of that correspondence, and I will forward the full reports to the Historian if it is appropriate to do so. Pubnico Area Garden Club

In keeping with the unusually dry summer this year, the club decided to focus their programs on natural plant/herbal remedies, succulents and other drought tolerant plants. Concerns for this club include lack of youth interest and difficulty sourcing new guest speakers. Also, district meetings have fallen by the wayside for many years now and they would like to see them revitalized. Yarmouth Garden Club This club had a very busy spring and summer with good attendance at meetings and garden tours. Club membership has increased to over 100! That being said, they are still challenged to fill executive positions. Also, those members who actively participate in club projects seem to be from the same group of about 20 people. Rooted in Clare Garden Club Although this is a new and very small club, they keep quite busy and are involved in several community gardening projects. On their agenda for the summer of 2019 is their very first garden show and tea, to be held as part of the Acadian Festival. I wish them much success! Weymouth Garden Society The society has provided financial support to maintain the village gardens and to the historic Gardens in Annapolis Royal. The club also maintains planters and another garden in the community. They are very proud to have hosted a successful flower arrangement workshop for children. Champlain Garden Club

This club in Annapolis Royal hosted some unique events this season. There was a wilderness tour in May to view trilliums, lady slippers, Indian cucumbers and other early spring wildflowers. Another was a ‘Painting Our Garden’ workshop using charcoal and watercolors to create individual works of art.

Each year, the Historic Gardens provides plant material for their plant sale. I think this would be a good sale to attend. Bridgetown Area Garden Club This vibrant club has seen a significant increase in their membership, having doubled from 25 to 50 in just three years. This has allowed them to establish committees to oversee the many projects and activities they are involved in, relieving the workload of the club executive. Their main challenge expressed was to retain and diversify the membership, hoping to attract more male members and the younger population. Coming up with fresh ideas for programs is an ongoing challenge. Clements Garden Club All correspondence with this club is sent to two individuals, yet I rarely receive a response, so regretfully, I have nothing to report. NOTE: A common thread amongst all of the clubs is a lack of resources to locate guest speakers for their meetings. It has been suggested that perhaps a province-wide platform could be developed to share contact information for presenters and also for ideas for club activities.