The Columbine N E W S L E T T E R O F G A R D E N I N G K I N G S T O N

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

President’s Message 2

Loving Spoonful Donation

2

Mike Twigg’s Rose Regime

3

Upcoming Meetings 4

Music From Plants 5

Area Events & Reminders 5

Book Review 6

M A R K Y O U R

C A L E N D A R :

• January Meeting

and guest speaker

Nancy Louwman—

Thurs. January 9th

• February Meeting

and guest speaker

Joyce Hostyn—

Thurs. February

13th

• 13th Annual

Kingston Seedy

Saturday - March

9th from 10 am—3

pm at Loyalist

Collegiate and

Vocational Institute

January / February 2020 U

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N e w B o a r d E l e c t e d f o r 2 0 2 0

At our Annual General Meeting on November 14th,

2019 a new Board was elected for 2020.

From left to right: Lorna Lee (Director), David Kelly

(Publicity Chair), Suzanne Maranda (Vice President

& Outreach Chair), Jean Barna (President),

Alita Battey-Pratt (Past President & Programs

Chair), Maureen Williams (Treasurer)

Absent: Denise Owsianicki (Membership Chair)

Congratulations to our new Board of Directors! Photo: Bryan Williams

2 0 1 9 A n n u a l G e n e r a l M e e t i n g

B Y J E A N B A R N A

Thank you all for coming out to celebrate the successes of Gardening Kingston. Without

your support, where would we be? On behalf of District 3, Brad King brought greetings from

Garden Ontario and installed our slate of officers. Our salute to another successful year

was displayed in a slide presentation packed full of photos created by Grant LeDrew and

me. Throughout the evening, the sweet and savoury appetizers were enjoyed by all.

The President’s Award was presented to Suzanne Maranda for all her leadership contribut-

ing to the development of the new website, our society banner, and acting in the role of

Publicity Portfolio Chair.

Our unique Golden Trowel Awards were presented to Lorna Lee, for her leadership with the

Plant Sale and Share the Wealth fundraising efforts, and to Dennis Williams for his time

spent working with all aspects related to the Flower Show Committee.

The In the Spotlight Flower Show Awards were highlighted in the previous newsletter with

successful and dedicated exhibitors being recognized: Adrian Cooper, Rebecca and David

Kelly, Nalini Stiemerling, and new this year, the E for Effort Award to Joanne Minnion.

Congratulations to all. I am really looking forward to see what will happen next. Join us as

we continue the celebration of our 120th year.

P a g e 2 T h e C o l u m b i n e

P r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s a g e

Welcome to 2020. Are we anticipating something new and exciting this year? Should this year be any different from

last? Is this the year for renewed energy, clearing out the cobwebs, and redefining our endeavours? It all depends

on what our new focus will be. Setting our sights on what the upcoming year might hold creates hope and direction,

striving towards something better, an improved state of mind, taking a risk, reaching out in support, making a new

connection. Take a chance; give it a whirl, another window opens even just a crack to reveal the light.

As this year continues, we anticipate the spring season that lies ahead for Gardening Kingston. However, our society

events are only as successful as the planning that lies behind them. Can we really wait till the warm weather arrives

and the snow has melted before we start our planning? Wouldn’t that be a great way for all of us to enjoy the winter

season! Certainly not. For us gardeners, it is a quieter time of year and the best time to invite additional members to

join us in shaping our plans. Here are some opportunities for you to contribute:

• The Flower Show committee will be meeting in January to design a new schedule for the upcoming year. Do you

have some great ideas to share?

• The Plant Sale committee is meeting in February to start their planning. Wouldn’t it be great if a few seed sav-

ers could assist by propagating seeds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs? Last year, there was great interest in

the variety of pepper plants and herbs we had to offer. Pick up some seeds at the next meetings, lovingly care

for and transplant them, then donate them to the sale in May.

• The Awards committee will be meeting soon. Share your voice by contributing to the selection team as we con-

sider those deserving of recognition for their volunteerism.

Take time to ponder and think. Become active and make a difference.

Share your intentions with us at kingstonhortsoc@gmail.com or contact me directly. See you soon.

Jean Barna, President

Loving Spoonful representative Madison Hainstock

attended our AGM on November 14th to receive a donation

of $500 from Gardening Kingston. A decision to support

programs under the Loving Spoonful umbrella was based

on better than expected fundraising efforts in 2018 and

2019.

Examples of Loving Spoonful in action:

• The Community Garden Network has grown to 39!

• Over 850 elementary school students learn about

growing good food in the GROW project.

• Volunteers collect fresh food from restaurants, grocery

stores, gardeners, and farms, and deliver it to shelters, meal programs, and Fresh Food Market Stands.

You can learn more about Loving Spoonful at https://www.lovingspoonful.org/

L o v i n g S p o o n f u l D o n a t i o n

B Y M A U R E E N W I L L I A M S

Photo: Grant LeDrew

P a g e 3 J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 0

M i k e T w i g g ’ s R o s e R e g i m e

B Y A L I T A B A T T E Y - P R A T T

For some years now, Gardening Kingston has awarded the Mike Twigg prize for total points scored in the Horticulture

Class at the June Rose and Flower Show and in the Fall Vegetable and Flower Show, now called Joys of June and Autumn

Bounty respectively. Mike Twigg was president of KHS in the 1990’s and he died in October of 2004. The society has

honoured him annually by dedicating a prize of gardening books, that may be read by the recipient over the first month,

and then afterwards, donated to the Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) . The books contain a bookplate identifying

the award and the winner for that year. The more recent books have been ‘tagged’ and are now searchable in the KFPL

system. Mike also constructed an oak and glass case to hold all of the KHS trophies under lock and key at the Isabel

Turner branch. In recent years, the books have been selected and presented by Ann Levison, a friend and member of the

Board of Directors when Mike Twigg was President.

In the 2001 edition of the magazine called The Limestone Gardener, Anne Munro wrote an

account about Mike’s magnificent rose garden. His west-end backyard held rows of potted

roses of all descriptions from hybrid teas to ramblers and climbers. Every year, Mike over-

wintered and moved more than one hundred roots. People asked him how his container-grown

roses survived the winter. Ironically, it was his decision to keep them in pots and his winter

care routine for them that enabled all the plants to survive longer than roses grown in beds.

He discovered this technique in the 1980’s when he moved from Oakville to Kingston in early

fall. His twenty-five roses, at the time, were transported with bare roots and then buried en-

tirely in the ground in trenches a metre wide and 30 centimeters deep. Over the years, Twigg

said that when he had tried to keep his roses in flowerbeds, mounding them with mulch, he

regularly lost more than a third of them each winter. ‘The problem isn’t the cold. It is dehydra-

tion that kills the exposed canes,’ he told Munro. He also tried wrapping the roses in carpet

underlay and insulating boxes filled with leaves. Despite various attempts to insulate and to protect the canes in winter,

the losses were high when they remained planted in beds.

Then, in 1992, he read an article entitled Let’s Grow a Few Roses by John and Judy Schroe-

der describing their method of growing roses in containers. They removed the plants from

containers in late fall and buried them over the winter. In the spring, they re-potted the roses

in good new soil. Twigg copied this method and lost very few plants after that. Another ad-

vantage of this method was that diseased roses were immediately identified and destroyed

before they could affect healthy plants. In arranging the containers, the roses were given

their best location for maximum light and growth habit. Twigg admitted that it took extra

time to bury the roses in the fall, and pot them up again in the spring, but the financial sav-

ing and reward of a beautiful result made it well worthwhile. He continued to purchase new

varieties each year and so his collection grew beyond his ability to retain all the roses.

Accordingly, he donated a few to our KHS spring plant sales, which benefited our members

and made money for the society. Perhaps a few of our members still own some of these

lovely specimens in their gardens today. Twigg kept details on his computer about all the roses and recorded the dates

for optimum pruning in order for new blooms to form, and then he noted their peak dates for flowering. He competed an-

nually in the spring and fall KHS shows as well as allowing the public to view his gardens. His favourite fertilizer was al-

falfa because it promoted the growth of new basal shoots. As the older canes deteriorated, the new shoots came along to

retain the vigour of the plants. The only problem Twigg had with burying his roses before winter, was remembering exactly

where they were in the spring when he had to dig them up again. He said that he understood the problem squirrels have

in not remembering where their treasures are hidden.

(Continued on page 4)

Photos: Rebecca Kelly For illustration purposes only

P a g e 4 T h e C o l u m b i n e

U p c o m i n g M e e t i n g s

H o w C l i m a t e C h a n g e i s

A f f e c t i n g G a r d e n i n g

On January 9th, Nancy Louwman will speak to us about ‘Success Growing

Roses in a Northern Climate’. Nancy is a Master Gardener and member of

the Rideau 1000 Islands Master Gardeners Association and has been

gardening and growing roses in zone 5 gardens for over four decades.

Through trials and tribulations, she has developed expert knowledge of

the best cultural practices and rose varieties for southern Ontario. She

will inform us about roses that are more disease resistant and can survive

the stresses of extreme summer dryness, winter dehydration, and ex-

treme cold. Other horticultural areas of interest include woodland garden-

ing, pollinator gardens, and using unusual annuals to create interest in

your perennial beds and to extend the season. The January meeting will

also have a seed exchange and door prizes.

Our speaker on February 13th will be Joyce Hostyn. As a Master Gardener and local garden activist, Joyce is well

known to our members. She will speak about the beautiful species of the Carolinian Forest plant community that are

now increasingly present in our own region as a result of climate change that is affecting garden varieties in Eastern

Ontario. Joyce is a proponent of ‘wildscaping’ as the antidote to extreme weather patterns, such as cold, wet springs;

hot, dry summers; and variable winters. She is taking part in workshops to teach people how to deal with climate

emergencies. Joyce wants to bring to public attention, the need to replace grass monocultures with what she calls

‘meadowscapes, forestscapes, and foodscapes’, all of which promote a healthier and more sustainable use of lands.

At the February meeting, we shall also have a seed exchange.

G r o w i n g R o s e s i n a N o r t h e r n C l i m a t e

M i k e T w i g g ’ s R o s e R e g i m e

B Y A L I T A B A T T E Y - P R A T T

Mike Twigg’s method for winter rose care:

• At the beginning of April or so, he uncovered the bushes and trimmed the canes back to eight inches to balance

the root system.

• The bottom of each container was lined with shredded wood chips to contain the soil that was supplemented

with well-rotted manure and perlite.

• The surface of the soil was covered with alfalfa meal and then two inches of mulch.

• As the plants were becoming established in the pots, Mike covered the entire plant with a film of soft plastic to

act as a mini greenhouse.

• The plastic was then removed in May as the leaves developed and the nights warmed up.

(Continued from page 3)

Photo: Rebecca Kelly Les Jardins de Quatre-Vents

P a g e 5 J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 0

I s Y o u r M e m b e r s h i p O v e r d u e ?

If it’s overdue, start the New Year off right by renewing your KHS membership. It has been a

busy 2019 and we hope to see and hear from you again throughout 2020. We value your

membership.

Renewal notices can found on the KHS website. If you want your membership card mailed,

please enclose a self addressed stamped envelope.

M u s i c f r o m p l a n t s

B Y M A U R E E N W I L L I A M S & S U Z A N N E M A R A N D A

Do you talk to your plants? Maybe you just caress their leaves as you

water them. What if your plants responded to your touch and sang?

Played music would be more accurate… yes, there’s an app for that!

PLANTChoir is a new technology launched on November 21st in King-

ston. Maureen and I attended the opening and we were both amazed.

To select which instrument you would like your plant to play, you need

the phone app. Then a separate device attaches to the plant itself (see

photo). A company that specializes in lie-detection developed this tech-

nology. Can you make the connection? It’s biofeedback technology. Just

like your skin, plant leaves can interact with the world. This technology

captures the energy from the plant and transforms it into music. Once

the plant is connected, you can also hear changes to the music when

you touch the leaves. The music is quite soothing, the kind you may hear

if you went to a spa.

Of course, a choir has many voices, and since most of you must have

more than one plant, you will probably want to use more than one de-

vice, and create music with each plant playing a different instrument.

Not all plants sound the same…the possibilities are endless!

If you want to know more, visit https://plantchoir.com/

We are hoping to arrange a demo of this made-in-Kingston technology at one of our meetings.

M e e t i n g C a n c e l l a t i o n s

If there is inclement weather on the day of any of our monthly meetings, please remember to

check our website for any cancellation announcements. If you have provided us with your email

address, we will also send-out a cancellation notice that way.

A r e a E v e n t s

• 13th Annual Kingston Seedy Saturday - Saturday, March 9th from 10 am—3 pm at Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational

Institute, 153 Van Order Dr. Kingston, ON. Come celebrate local seeds! Swap seeds with others and visit our local

seed vendors. Come early for the always popular Kids and Seeds workshop. Suggested donation of $2 at the door.

Photo: Suzanne Maranda

Kingston Horticultural Society

P.O. Box 774

Kingston, Ontario

K7L 4X6

Contact Us:

By Phone: Jean Barna 613 389-1714

By Email: kingstonhortsoc@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/Kingston-Horticultural-

Society-of-Ontario/496123443738841

Website Coordinator: Hugh Pollitt-Smith

Email: hpollittsmith@gmail.com

The Columbine Editor: David Kelly

E-mail: columbine.editor@gmail.com

K H S B o a r d f o r 2 0 2 0

P R E S I D E N T : Jean Barna

V I C E P R E S I D E N T : Suzanne Maranda

P A S T P R E S I D E N T : Alita Battey-Pratt

S E C R E T A R Y : Vacant - TBD

T R E A S U R E R : Maureen Williams

M E M B E R S H I P : Denise Owsianicki

O U T R E A C H : Suzanne Maranda

P R O G R A M S : Alita Battey-Pratt

P U B L I C I T Y : David Kelly

D I R E C T O R : Lorna Lee

P o r t f o l i o C h a i r s

Member OHA District 3

WE’RE ON THE WEB

KINGSTONHORT.CA

M i k e T w i g g A w a r d B o o k s 2 0 1 9

B Y R E B E C C A K E L L Y

Companion Planting, Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks for

Healthier, Happier Plants. By Allison Greer. Skyhorse Publish-

ing, 2014

The book is designed for the kitchen gardener, and it explains

how to use companion planting to grow an edible landscape

organically. Companion planting is also known as ‘polyculture’,

but Allison likes to retain the somewhat old fashioned term

‘companion planting’ to describe the concept of growing vege-

tables, annuals and perennials together tightly in the land-

scape to their mutual benefit. The book is organized from seed

starting to harvest, and includes an A to Z Plant Companion

guide by vegetable, which includes suggestions for seed selec-

tion, as well as good companions, and pests to watch out for.

Allison describes the inter-planting technique

as not just planting a few annuals amongst

your vegetables, instead, each bed should in-

clude five to seven crops, flowers or herbs,

planted “strategically considering their varied

rooting depths, final height, growth rate, and

shade tolerance … arranged to symbiotically

contribute to each other’s success.” I would imagine that this

might prove to be a daunting task for someone just starting

out. She does provide some suggestions for inter-plantings,

and that might be the best way to start, simply with one bed

and a couple of vegetables planted in it, rather than remaking

your entire garden using this method.

Glorious Shade: dazzling plants, design ideas,

and proven techniques for your shady garden.

By Jenny Rose Carey. Timber Press, 2017

Glorious Shade is a comprehensive guide to

gardening with shade. Jenny Rose Carey cov-

ers all aspects of creating a successful gar-

den, such as planting techniques, pests and maintenance, as

well as design tips specifically for the shade. Although packed

with photos, this is not a coffee table book. She examines the

concept of shade minutely, noting daily and seasonal changes

that affect shade patterns that can affect your plantings.

The book includes a large section on plant choices, including

trees and shrubs, vines, ferns, perennials and annuals. It even

includes a section on tropical plants that thrive in the shade

and can be used as annuals in the garden or containers.

Highly recommended for the gardener who wants serious ad-

vice on how to deal with shade in the garden. Photos: David Kelly