Even though spring has not yet sprung, members of the Watford-Warwick Horticultural Society want to give local green thumbs a great head start to gardening season by providing them with the latest and greatest knowledge through a pair of upcoming presentations.
The society, which understandably scaled back in-person events during the pandemic, are two inviting speakers who will share their expertise on Feb. 16 and March 17 at the Horticultural Society’s headquarters, located at 5306 Nauvoo Rd. in Watford.
On Feb. 4 at 7 pm, horticulturalist extraordinaire Jessica Bos-Landry will be speaking about how to get the best out of your seeds as part of her presentation Staring Your Spring Seeds: When and How.
Bos-Landry, who holds a bachelor of science in horticulture and an associate diploma in horticulture from Olds College of Agriculture and Technology in Alberta and the University of Guelph, Ridgetown campus, will be covering a variety of topics that will help local gardeners better prepared for the spring, said Horticulture Society member Holly Watson.
“Jessica has worked in horticulture for a while, she has a really good knowledge of how to propagate seeds, so she’ll be speaking about how to start your seeds early in spring and all the tricks to give them an extra boost so they can start growing,” she said.
“It’s a great topic because of the rising cost of vegetables,” Watson added. “A lot more people are interested in starting their seeds early, keeping them growing, knowing when to fertilize and knowing how much light to give them. Jessica will also be talking about different methods for different seeds to start to germinate.”
Recycling will be the topic of the evening on March 17, as Bluewater Recycling Association’s own Wendy Yamamoto-Chapman will be talking about the do’s and don’ts of what to put in your blue bin.
“(Wendy) will be giving a presentation on how to recycle properly. People can ask questions and understand why certain materials are not currently accepted in the recycling program,” Watson said.
“There are all sorts of things – pill bottles, cans with labels, cans without labels – that a lot of people don’t know what to do with,” she continued. “From talking with other committee members on the Twin Creeks landfill, I know that often times if there’s one wrong thing included in the recycle bin with cardboard, they have to discard the whole load. So it’s really important to make sure that we’re all recycling properly and supporting the environment.”
Both talks begin at 7 pm and will feature question and answer sessions.
Tickets are free for Watford-Warwick Horticultural Society members or $10 for non-members, which will buy them a membership.
For more information, visit the Watford-Warwick Horticultural Society’s Facebook page or contact Holly by text at 226-402-0116.