March 25, 2021 · 0 Comments
I believe Mayor Brown and the Sustainability Committee have arrived a bit late to the garden party. The Orangeville and District Horticultural Society has been promoting gardens and providing information on gardening in Orangeville and surrounding area for more than 50 years. After joining the society, the first workshop I attending was all about vegetable gardening. The Society offers workshops and speakers throughout the year on all aspects of gardening. Many of Orangeville’s citizens have taken advantage of our plant sale each June, a wonderful opportunity to acquire different types of perennials, herbs and even tomato plants.
A large part of our mandate is to share our knowledge and experience in our gardens with everyone who is interested in learning more. Eleven of the public flower gardens in Orangeville are maintained by Society Garden Angels. One project each year (until the pandemic) was to assist, in a collaborative effort with other community groups and businesses, to provide potted tomatoes, herbs, lettuce, etc. for food bank clients to grow at their homes.
Many Orangeville citizens may not be aware that Mono has a beautiful pollinator garden located on Hockley Road, quite literally at our doorstep. Their large native plant garden provides habitat and food for the pollinators needed in your vegetable gardens. This garden has lovely walking paths, benches to rest and enjoy the serenity, even an interpretive centre where groups can arrange workshops. Without pollinators you would not have many vegetables in your gardens.
While I applaud our Mayor and the Sustainability Committee for promoting gardening for all its many benefits, this is not a new movement, gardening has been in Orangeville for a long time. For those of you who are just taking up the hobby I would highly recommend you look at the resources already available in the area. Contact the Horticultural Society, the volunteers at the Pollinator Garden, staff at our wonderful local garden centres, everyone who gardens will love helping you get started on your journey.
Suzanne Orlando
President of the Orangeville & District Horticultural Society