GRAVENHURST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AGM SEEKS NEW GREEN THUMBS

LOIS COOPER | Gravenhurst Horticultural Society

Special to MuskokaTODAY.com

GRAVENHURST — The Gravenhurst Horticultural Society annual general meeting (AGM) takes place on Tuesday,  September 17, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Gravenhurst Active Living Centre, 480 First St. N.

The club is looking forward to a renewed vitality with president Pat Wright re-elected and moving forward in their 72nd year.

The club is focussing on being environmentally friendly in all that it does.

At their September meeting Wednesday, member Maggie Keats led the way with getting the club to use popsicle sticks with coloured ends to price plants for their annual Plant and Bake Sale that will take place next May.

This will take the former  plastic tags out of the environment.

Member Lois Cooper pushed ahead with the replacement of 30-year-old light fixtures in the greenhouse with LED lights that use 70% less power to do the same work.

Cooper says she is looking forward to growing different herbs, garden plants and maybe some vegetables such as lettuce.

To that end, she is asking for donations of leftover seeds for lettuce and other greens.

The club will also look at all activities through the environmental lens.

It is hoped that a bursary for a Gravenhurst High School can be in place for June 2020, to help a youth who is moving on to environmental studies, horticulture, agriculture or similar studies.

At the same meeting, the awards earned at the Garden Show and judging in August will be presented.

The club has enjoyed growth in their yearly show with more members showing and each one who showed winning at least one award.

The number of entries grew to pass the 200 mark.

The club’s 2018 show won first place in the most entries division at the Ontario Horticultural Association’s District 18 level.

The club is looking for more participation at all levels from interested members of the community.

All are welcome. Door prizes and refreshments will be enjoyed.

Please come out and get involved in one of your community’s oldest entities.

Five best in show awards were presented to Marg Nicholson, left, Tina Stone, Pat Wright, Lois Cooper and Iva Hodge at the August Garden Show.