Pine Ridge Garden Club news

Helen Nicolaou, Special to The Standard

September has been a wonderful month with magnificent weather. The warm days and cool nights are the perfect time to assess how your gardens fared through the summer. This summer's extra rain has many established perennials over-crowded and benefit from being divided.

The Autumn season provides perennials time to establish new roots in a fresh space. Once you have dug up the root ball and separated it into three or four pieces, place each root into the newly dug hole, carefully placing the stem at the same depth as it was growing originally. Add triple mix soil, water the division well to settle the soil around the root, top dress with compost and add a slow-release fertilizer to develop a good root system before winter sets in. Newly established perennials will grow vigorously next spring and reward your efforts with bigger blooms. It's also a great time to think about donations for our May Plant Sale for 2025. Pot up some of the extra divisions now, remember to label your pot with variety and colour, set them in the ground, water them well and add a layer of mulch or leaves till next spring. Also, share the extra divisions with friends and neighbours.

As the gardening season comes to an end I'd like to thank our members on the Scugog Museum and Nestleton Garden Committees for their efforts in bringing beauty to the Community. The gardens have been exceptional this season.

The Tuesday, September 3rd meeting was well attended with speaker Mary-Jane Pilgrim from the Durham Master Gardeners. MJ entertained and tested our members' skills/knowledge with Garden Trivia. Monkshood, also known as Wolfsbane, has stalks of pretty deep purple flowers and blooms late in my garden. I did not know the interesting trivial fact that superstitious folks grew it for protection to repel werewolves. Teams with the highest scores were surprised and rewarded with prizes. Congratulations to all our members for their participation in a fun evening.

The 'Fall Flower and Vegetable Show' was a resounding success, with a great turnout and many striking entries. The Designs Celebrating the Autumn Harvest Season showcased great imagination. Ann Julia B's 'Standing Tall' won Best In Show Design Class, Norma H's 'Red Dahlias' was awarded Best in Show Horticulture Class, and Anita J's 'Delightful' took First Place in the Novice Design Class. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our members who participated. Your efforts truly made this show a wonderful end to the last show of the season.

On Tuesday, October 1st at 7:30 p.m., we will be setting up for the Dried Floral Design Workshop for registered members. If you haven't registered yet, there are a few spots available for you. The cost is $25 at the door. Please note that this will not be a regular meeting. Refreshments and snacks will be available. We look forward to your participation. Be kind and lug a mug.

To become a member, visit Pineridgegardenclub.com.

Where gardeners come to bloom.