Back to Basics a blooming success

The Prince Edward County Horticultural Society went Back to Basics, Back to Green with its Gardeners’ Gala Saturday, June 11 at the Crystal Palace, Picton Fairgrounds.
The afternoon’s keynote speaker was Ed Lawrence, retired head gardener to six Canadian Governors General and Prime Ministers and the phone-in “gardening guru” for CBC Radio’s “Ontario Today”.
Lawrence  provided practical, down-to-earth advice that has become the final word in gardening for more than half a million loyal listeners and fans.
His book Gardening Grief & Glory is available throughout Ontario at independent bookstores, garden centres and at all Chapters, Coles and Smithbooks locations.
He shared his famous recipes for pests:
Aphids, earwigs, mites, thrips, etc…
*Mix 40 parts water with one part liquid soap (20 oz spray bottle plus one tablespoon soap)
*Spray plant thoroughly and leave on for 10 minutes.
*Rinse with spray of clear, room temperature water
*Repeat three times over 10-day period.
Ants
*Mix 2 cups warm water with 1 teaspoon of boric acid and six tablespoons of sugar
*Cut six 1-cm holes around sides at the base of a plastic margarine-type container
*Soak 2 cotton balls and place in container, replace lid
*Place in path of ants and leave for several weeks. Label and store surplus mixture in fridge, replenish as necessary.

The Garden Show’s judged floral competition produced a bounty of County Garden Winners. (list below photos). Visitors viewed the blooms and enjoyed tea and goodies in the Victorian Tea Room. The Gala featured local vendors, exhibitors, professional floral displays, a Bug’s Corner for the young featuring crafts and fun and the PEC Master Gardeners with free gardening information.
Tickets were also be available for the Green Trust Garden Tour of 10 glorious Prince Edward County gardens to be held Saturday, July 9. For more information on the self-guided tour, call Kevin at 613-393-2111. Tickets, $15 are available at Funk & Gruven A to Z, Belleville; Chatsworth Antiques and Flowers by Marvin in Picton; Wight’s Greenhouses in Wellington and Green Gables, Bloomfield. The ticket also includes the chance to win an original Aiden Haley oil painting.

2011 Award Winners:
5 Shrub
1st-Patricia Stuckey
6 English (David Austin)
1st Patricia Stuckey
8 Heritage
1st-Patricia Stuckey
9 Fragrant
1st Hedy Campbell
10 Floating Rose in clear vase
no foliage
11 Arrangement of 3 roses-1 variety
different stages of development
1st Hedy Campbell
SPECIAL – Best Rose  Hedy Campbell

SECTION 2 IRISES
Bearded – 1 stalk
12 A blue  mauve, purple, blacks,
A. 1st—L. Roblin
B. Blends1st Judith Young
13 any other colours
A.1st-Patricia Stuckey-
B Blends.1st L. Roblin
Other Iris Varieties
14  Siberian
1st-Patricia Stuckey
SPECIAL – Best Iris Patricia Stuckey

SECTION 3 PAEONIA (peonies)
17 Single White and Light Pink
1st Patricia Stuckey
18 Single Red and Dark Pink
1st Sandra Dowds
19 Other Single (include Japanese)
1st Patricia Stuckey
20 Double White and Light Pink
1st Sandra Dowds
21 Double Red and Dark Pink
1st Sandra Dowds
23 Tree or Itoh
1st-Sandra Dowds
SPECIAL- McClure Cup for Best Peony –  Sandra Dowds

SECTION 4 Other Favourites (with foliage when attached)
24 Allium-large-1 stem
1st  Kim Katanik Kuris
25 Allium-small-3 stems
1st Patricia Stuckey
26 Aquilegia-(Columbine)2 stems
1st L. Roblin

29 Clematis-1 stem
1st Hedy Campbell
31 Dianthus Barbatus (Sweet William)1 cluster
1st Patricia Stuckey
32 Dianthus (Pinks, Carnations) 3 stems
1st Patricia Stuckey
33 Digitalis (Foxglove) 2 spikes
1st Colleen Green
34 Hemerocallis (Daylily) 1 stalk
1st Patricia Stuckey
35 Heuchera (Coral Bells) 3 stems-foliage and/or flowers
1st Patricia Stuckey
37 Lupin 1 spike
1st Marg Vardy
38 Pansy/Viola with foliage 5 stems
1st Patricia Stuckey
39 Papaver Orientale (Oriental Poppy) 1 stem
1st Margaret Vardy
40 Flowering Shrub 1 branch
1st Colleen Green
41 Other blooms with foliage (small 3 stems/large 1 stem)
1st Patricia Stuckey

SECTION 5 VEGETABLES
45 Rhubarb, 3 on a towel,
1st  Bill Soles
47 collection of Herbs at least 3 in container of water, labelled
1st Kim Katanik Kuris

SECTION 7 – Division II  Theme “Back to Basics, Back to Green)
53. 40 Shades of Green
1st Sandra Dowds
54. Put On Your Green Shoes
1st Hedy Campbell
55. It’s Not Easy Being Green
1st Margaret Kirk
56. Green Sleeves
1st Judith Young
57. All The World is Green
1st Patricia Stuckey
58. Bitter Green
1st Judith Young
59. Bein’ Green
1st Walter McGee
60 When the Wind was Green
1st Judith Young
61. The Grass is Green
1st Judith Young
62. A Little Bit of Green
1st Walter McGee
SPECIAL –BEST DESIGN-Margaret Kirk (First-time exhibitor)

SECTION 8 – YOUTH—DIVISION III
Exhibitors will be recognized as “Friends of the Earth”
These are:
Sienna Campbell
Courtney Kerr
Kelsey McCaw
Samantha Wilson
Nick Young
Their exhibits were:
63. Home Grown fruit or vegetable
64 My best flower
65. Look what I grew
66. look what I drew
67. What’s inside my bird’s nest
68. Bug any material
69. A day at the beach
70. Green, green grass of Home miniature
YOUTH SPECIAL Jr. Gardener (Judged for number of entries, quality of arrangements and plant material)  Nick Young