President Georgie Hutchison welcomed 25 members and guests to the Clifford and District Horticultural Society meeting on March 24 at the community hall in Clifford.
Canvass kits will soon be in the hands of the volunteers who will be knocking on doors seeking support for the Society through membership sales and, donations.
The Earth Day clean up day is set for April 25, starting at 10am at the Rotary Pavilion at the foot of Allan St. East. Vests, latex gloves, and garbage bags will be provided along with a barbecue lunch.
The 55th anniversary to be held at the flower show will be celebrated in May. Ruby Bell was a charter member of the society. In her memory, a shrub will be planted along the trail. A meeting was held on April 2 regarding a community garden. The District 7 annual general meeting will be held in Harriston on April 18. The 109th Ontario Horticulture Association (O.H.A.) convention will be held in Ancaster in July.
Guest speaker Frank Sluys of Listowel Greenhouses brought along an array of plants and containers to create original planters. An original design can be as simple as one pot, one plant, one picture frame as demonstrated with a vibrant green shrub, a true red planter, and a black picture frame. He showed how one shaped and trimmed plant once balanced with a planter in a 60/40 ratio looks more appealing than a 50/50 ratio. He took a hand constructed plywood base, layered in nutrient balanced earth, and proceeded to pluck and plant succulents that will form a unique design once rooted, framed, and mounted on the wall.
Sluys showed how strategically-placed flowers can create the illusion of two birds sitting in a cage. Keep the foliage, plant material, and flowers light, airy, and feathery. Designs will appear classic, simple, but thoughtful. Anything that holds dirt can become a planter.
Plants and fertilizer in the door prize draws were won by Georgie Hutchison, Elizabeth Kuersten, Helen Braun, Doris Jaunzemis, Irene Judge, Wayne Pfeffer, Jean Yenssen, Jim Measures, Karen Dowler, Rita Measures, Janet Huth, and Bonnie Whitehead.
Lunch was prepared by Marion Derbecker, Elsie Grummett, and Karen Dowler.
