News

Upcoming Events

Emieke Geldof — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:14:40 +0000

Coach Tour - Saturday, June 22

We still have some seats on the bus for our fabulous tour to the Niagara area with visits to nurseries and a winery. This tour includes a buffet lunch at a lovely lakeside hotel. To find out more click here.

Strawberry Social - Monday, June 24

This delightful event will be held in the gardens of the church of St Martin in the Fields. What could be nicer than eating strawberries and cake on tha lawn in a beautiful garden? To find out more click here.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Garden Tour - Saturday, July 7

10 Unique Gardens for $10.00 with hidden garden treasures await…behind some garden gates. Don’t miss the artists in the garden. Buy tickets online or at various locations. Brochure and map also available on the website. www.notlhortsociety.com

Neighbourhood Garden Sheds

Emieke Geldof — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 02:13:00 +0000

Neighbourhood Garden Sheds is an easy to use online share service that helps facilitate sharing and use of lawn and garden tools within local neighbourhoods. Members can freely share lawn and garden and other property maintenance items. Membership is free so NGS is great for younger gardening enthusiasts who lack the tools for garden and property maintenance. NGS can also be used as a fund raising tool in support of local beautification and community improvement projects. Visit www.neighbourhoodgardensheds.com for more information. The info icon on the home page identifies page links that describe and explain how the service works.

Garden Tour June 9, 2013

Emieke Geldof — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:12:20 +0000

Merry May Meeting - May 27

Emieke Geldof — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:12:00 +0000

The May meeting is held at St. George the Martyr Church, 197 John Street. Doors open at 6:30pm. The meeting starts at 7:30pm.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the merging of the Parkdale Hort with the Toronto Hort, which we will celebrate at our May meeting. We hope to make it a festive occasion with birthday cake and no charge for refreshments, lots of door prizes, and special acknowledgements for many of our hardworking volunteers.

Here is a brief outline of what you can expect:

Enjoy a stroll in St.George’s garden when you arrive.
Green Elephants for sale.
Plant divisions for sale.
Purchase your Garden Tour tickets.
View the entries in the Flower Show.
Eat cake.
Presentation by Hort member Gina Matesic.
Celebrate your fellow volunteers.
Answer Trivia Quiz questions and choose your prize…
Two special presentations on Étienne Brûlé and Historic Swansea.

Check your door prize stubs—prizes are courtesy of :

Windergarden
Fiesta Gardens
Martin’s Flower Shop
Guffin Hardware
Alternative Grounds

Please come. Bring spending money, an empty tote bag for your prizes.

Strawberry Social - Monday June 24

Emieke Geldof — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:24:00 +0000

All Hort members are invited to the Strawberry Social, to be held in the garden at St. Martin in the Fields, on Glenlake Ave. between Keele St. and Indian Grove. Rain or shine the event is on. Please bring a non-alcoholic beverage for yourself. Time 6:30pm to 9pm.

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Plant Fair May 11, 10:30AM - 1:30PM

Emieke Geldof — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:04:30 +0000

Coordinators Mary Mosser and Anne Wong bring you the Plant Fair at Parkdale Public School and Community Centre (in the gym), located at 75 Lansdowne Avenue at Seaforth. It is always a busy, fun day for beginning and sophisticated gardeners.

We’ll have a fantastic selection of plants, products, green elephants, information and vendors. To find out more click here.

LEAF subsidized backyard tree planting program

Emieke Geldof — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:03:00 +0000

It’s spring! Consider planting native trees around your home through LEAF’s subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program. Native shrubs and garden kits are also available to help you build biodiversity and attract songbirds, butterflies and other pollinators to your yard. Help protect and improve the urban forest. www.yourleaf.org

On Island Time - April 29 Hort Meeting

Emieke Geldof — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:56:00 +0000

As the summer turns to fall, our intrepid traveler, David Leeman leaves Toronto Islands and heads south to the equally beautiful islands of the Caribbean, where he has become something of an expert. He will show us his favourite gardens in St. Lucia, Barbados and other island paradises.

DAVID LEEMAN’S BAJUN TANNING AND WEIGHT LOSS PLAN

Well, it’s that time of year again. No! I don’t mean that! If you haven’t already divided your perennials and potted up your donations to the best Plant Fair in the city, this isn’t a reminder. No, it’s time for snowbirds to re-acclimate to Toronto weather after their winter migration. Though he misses three or four of our meetings through the winter, our Hort’s ‘resident’ snowbird, David Leeman, always makes it back just in time to present on his winter ‘vacation’ before we go on summer hiatus. No doubt he’s having a hard time adjusting to the winter that seems to have lingered a little too long this year. Then there’s the lifestyle change: no more Sunday morning “Hike Barbados fun walks”, the three hour hikes through “some of the most beautiful and otherwise inaccessible parts of the island”. (www.funbarbados.com) Gone are the fresh exotic fruits growing in the backyard, like golden apples. Nope, David’s now done with his winter of honing his mixology skills, natural weight loss plan, and laying down the best base tan a Torontonian could expect by April. So he’s back here and ready to share his lovely ‘winter project’ photos, as well as tales of pests, disease, and natural woes—all manner of adventures he manages to pack into a few short months as a reverse seasonal migrant worker.

David claims this winter’s work was particularly arduous—working long hours in the hot winter sun of the Caribbean, putting in a brand new garden from scratch. That was the most exciting part of the experience, he says, working with a blank slate—almost literally. Only, it wasn’t slate, but limestone, the bedrock beneath the shallow, “ugly, heavy clay soil” that made this a real challenge. Come out to hear and see all about the inventive ways David made it all work out, from his unconventional source of plant material to sleeping in flannel pajamas, and more!

- Maria Nunes

Hort Coach Tour to Niagara Region - June 22, 2013

Emieke Geldof — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:47:00 +0000

Our annual coach tour will be on Saturday, June 22, 2013. The Fletcher Tours coach will pick us up at the Keele subway (Indian Rd. side) at 8am and return us at 6:45pm. The cost is $70 per person and includes the following:

Palatine Fruit & Roses - After a short lecture on roses we will then have the opportunity to purchase some of the gorgeous specimens grown at this nursery.
Buffet lunch - At the Best Western Beacon Inn,with its view overlooking lake Ontario, we will dine on a variety of salads and vegetables, pasta, roast chicken and desserts.
The garden of Wayne Rubel - We will be treated to an exclusive tour of this beautiful private garden, which has been the feature of many magazine articles with its arbours, ponds and skilful plantings.
Magnotta Winery - Wine tasting is on the menu at this award winning winery, along with the opportunity to purchase from their extensive selection.
Northland Nurseries - Located in Clapison Corners, this nursery has an extensive variety of plants for the connoisseur. As an added bonus all 1 gal pots are $5.99.

Do remember to dress for the weather, rain or shine. In particular you may wish to wear comfortable shoes and bring your water bottle and sun hat. To reserve your spot, please mail your cheque, made payable to the Horticultural Societies of Parkdale & Toronto, along with the names of the participating individuals, to Patrick Mulroney, 153 Westminster Ave., Toronto, M6R 1N8. Reserve as soon as possible, as the places go quickly. Questions? Please email bustour@parkdaletorontohort.com For a more detailed description of the tour click here.

Humber Arboretum Tour - April 20

Emieke Geldof — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:49:20 +0000

The Humber Arboretum, in support of community education in horticulture and landscape stewardship are pleased to present the 2013 series of Free Outdoor Tours, a partnership between the Etobicoke Master Gardeners and Humber Arboretum.

Please join us for the first 2013 Tour “Spring into the Arb”. Please check out our flyer for details on future 2013 tours and events.

Tour: “Spring into the Arb”
Date: Saturday, April 20th, 2013
Time: 10:00 – 11:00AM
Location: Humber Arboretum (at Centre for Urban Ecology) 205 Humber College Blvd, Toronto, Ontario
Trail Difficulty: Moderate (not wheelchair accessible)
FREE Admission

Book your spot today:

Registrations via phone 416-675-5009 or email arboretum@humber.ca