STRATFORD – 

A winter-weary traveller stumbles through piles of drifting snow, only to stop abruptly and catch the magical sight of Hebe, the goddess of youth, standing by her reflecting pond under an open gazebo.

What might have been a seasonal mirage is actually one of many fascinating moments at the 13th Stratford Garden Festival (Feb. 28-March 3) at the Stratford Rotary Complex — set to unleash countless artistic images symbolizing the event’s theme this year of Reflections.

This particular garden is the imaginative work of Steve Coxon, owner of the Sebringville Garden Centre, who clearly likes to dabble in the worlds of fantasy, whimsy and magic, delighted at the prospect of catching “a glimpse of the magical wee folk at play.”

“This is our lucky 13th,” says Lung Association area manager and festival spokesperson Deedee Herman.

“We are up to 10 display gardens this year, with three new entrants and a couple who have participated from the very beginning. It’s exciting to contemplate how these talented folk will interpret our theme.

“Some of the gardens will enchant visitors with their unique vision, while others will clearly illustrate practical ideas for people to apply to their own gardens. It could be just about anything — from a quiet green oasis to an ultra-modern setting.”

Coxon, who admits his creations are theatrical and “quite packed, loud and colourful,” says he relishes exhibiting his work before local spectators and visitors, bringing them a reminder that spring is just around a corner in a show that rivals Toronto-based events.

“With our garden, you will see Hebe standing in the centre, behind her six-foot mirror,” he explains. “People looking at her will also see themselves at the same time. The mirror is mounted in the water so she will reflect down as well.

“Around the ponds there will be a huge log structure with posts coming out of the ground like tree stumps, anchoring the garden. You can sit on benches and be part of it. A huge stump will be converted to a fairy house. We also want to draw people to the meditation gardens behind the greenhouses.”

Since Day 1, the event has been sponsored by Orr Insurance and since then more than $700,000 has been raised to support the Lung Association in its medical research commitments and lung health initiatives, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Herman says.

It’s also been a centre for creativity and artistic experimentation that has lured spectators from Southwestern Ontario and beyond to marvel at gardens that stretch the boundaries of the imagination.

About to exhibit for the fourth time, Helena Luyten, owner of Helena’s Gardening just north of Sebringville. plans to reflect on the past with a garden exhibit that will be “very old and rural, including a vegetable garden, old tools and a plow.

“I went for the rural setting for several reasons, one of them being the fact that the International Plowing Match is being held this year in nearby Mitchell,” she says. “My setting will feature lots of vegetables, cedar rails, flower beds and a wonderful old plow.

“There will be benches where you can just sit, enjoy the scenery and reflect on the way we used to garden and have fun. This is such a great event because everything really becomes part of the whole community. During the winter, which is a slow time for us, it gives us the chance to be really creative.”

Although he contributed a small container at last year’s show, Hilko van Til, owner of Copper Beech Custom Landscape Construction in Stratford, will offer his first garden for the festival next week — an ultra-modern garden studio.

“I utilized reclaimed barn boards as well as new material,” he says. “This will be a place where you can escape your busy life and have time to reflect. I wanted to create something new, to give people a demonstration of my creativity, and maybe inspire others to do something different themselves.

“This will be a little teaser of what I can offer, thinking outside of the box. Inspiration is the foundation for creativity, but sometimes we need a space to be inspired. We think this modern garden studio may just be what is needed to inspire your creativity.”

Meanwhile, Johan Bossers and his designers from A Touch of Dutch Landscaping Garden Services have created a fantasy area that takes green to the ultimate. The walkway is intertwined with grass and plants with the quirky nature of the garden destined to “infuse the senses of those who love gardening.”

The kitchen counter and stove overflow with plants; light fixtures with flowers hang from above; furniture created from wire mesh and stone present an earthy feel to the patio while the soothing sound of the water feature is the backdrop for relaxation and reflection.

“Raising funds for the Lung Association is great,” says Bossers, who has participated since Day 1. “But it is also unique because this is about gardens, not home and gardens. There are no sales of lawnmowers, homes and windows. This is about gardens.

“This is a great time for such an event and to get together with other garden designers and the general public. This is the kick-start for our creative season and, in the end, everyone from the gardeners, the public to the Lung Association comes out a winner.”

Herman says the speaker series is one of the festival’s most popular attractions. The subjects are varied and the speakers are some of the top people in gardening.

“We’ve got Frank Ferragine, or as most people know him Frankie Flowers of Breakfast Television,” she says. “His presentation is the Weird and Wacky World of Gardening. Sean James will be talking about xeriscaping, which is designing your garden to reduce the need for supplemental water or irrigation.

“There are other presenters and we have our seniors’ tea, the opening garden party and family fun night. No question about it, there is something for everyone, from the novice to the expert gardener. Besides, everybody walks away with the feeling that spring is just around the corner.”

If the gardens and the special events aren’t enough enticement, Wayne and Nancy Stuart, owners of W. Stuart Farm in Troy, just outside of Brantford, have another idea to chase away the winter blues — hot and spicy jams and jellies.

“We’ve got 10 pepper jellies from mild to hot enough?” says Nancy. “Raspberry Zing, which is one of Deedee’s favourites, is great on brie. Golden Glow is a wonderful mix of yellow hot peppers, yellow sweet peppers and yellow raspberries. It will drag your palettes out of winter and into spring in a hurry.

“This year we’re really excited about our new Saskatoon rhubarb jam. The berry from the west province is quite difficult to get but we have bushes here. Apparently birds also like it. We introduced it in the fall and it was a hit, so we’re looking forward to the reaction at the show.”

Wayne says though they are farmers, they are also gardeners, so the event gives them the opportunity every year to meet gardening enthusiasts.

“We talk about gardens, what kind of fertilizers and the weather.

“We just have fun.”

— — —

If YOU GO

What: 13th annual Stratford Garden Festival

When: Thursday, noon-5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., March 2, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and March 3, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Stratford Rotary Complex, 353 McCarthy Rd., Stratford. Directions can be found at www.stratfordgardenfestival.com.

Why: Presented by the Lung Association and sponsored by Orr Insurance. Funds are raised to support the association in its medical research commitments and lung health initiatives, focusing on asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Tickets: $9 at the door. Children 12 and under free. Pre-arranged groups of 15 ormore $7 per person

Theme: Reflections

Website: www.stratfordgardenfestival.com

Contact: Deedee Herman, Lung Association area manager

Phone: 519-271-7500

E-mail: dherman@on.lung.ca

Posted: Friday, February 22, 2013 3:00 pm

Spring Garden Day event planned at Extension Demonstration Gardens in Bear Creek

Submitted

Houston Community Newspapers

Jump start your garden by attending Spring Garden Day, March 16, featuring timely talks and how-to demonstrations at the Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service Office and Gardens, 3033 Bear Creek Dr., Houston.

Harris County Horticulture Extension Agents and Harris County Master Gardeners will give three informative lectures:

– “The Dirt on Great Garden Soil” will tell how to amend your garden soil and check nutrient levels to ensure great results.

– “Grow Your Own Groceries” will provide tips on what vegetables to plant in our area and techniques to grow them to an optimal harvest.

– “Good Bugs and Great Flowers” will give a glimpse at some of the beneficial insects in local gardens and what plants will help to attract them.

Running concurrently with the talks will be demonstrations in the gardens surrounding the office.

Trained Master Gardeners in the vegetable gardens will discuss soil preparation in raised beds, proper seed planting, setting out transplants and managing pests.

Others in the flower gardens will show how to divide perennials, plant woody ornamentals, prepare in-ground soil and properly mulch beds.

More Master Gardeners will be demonstrating composting techniques and container gardening methods. There will also be an Ask-A-Master Gardener Booth to answer attendees’ questions on other horticulture and landscaping topics.

The educational event begins at 8 a.m. with refreshments and registration. Lectures and demonstrations begin at 8:30 a.m. and run through noon. Cost is $15.

Harris County Master Gardeners are volunteers trained to share research-based horticulture knowledge with residents of the county in support of the Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service.

For details of this and other upcoming events, call (281)855-5600 or like Harris Count Master Gardeners Association on Facebook.

Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids, services or accommodations in order to participate in Extension programs are encouraged to call (281)855-5600 to discuss specific needs. Harris County Master Gardeners is a program of the Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service. Educational programs of the Texas AM AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.

ranchernews@hcnonline.com

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Friday, February 22, 2013 3:00 pm.

With snow in the forecast, it’s hard to remember that spring is just a few weeks away. The Flower and Garden Show this weekend at the Connecticut Convention Center is a chance for many outdoor businesses to stir warm thoughts of yardwork and gardening.

The Garden Barn, a Vernon nursery and landscaping firm, doesn’t sell plants at the show and the booth is more busy giving out $5 coupons than selling garden tchotchkes.

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Still, it would be wrong to conclude that the cost of the booth rental is more than what they get out of the show. “We get to be seen by people that are farther away,” says manager Kim Gliha.

Selling products this weekend isn’t really the goal for the Garden Barn. Last year, a third of the coupons were redeemed, which Gliha thought was good.

Last year’s attendance over the four days was 40,000. Gliha said she thought there was more traffic on opening day this year than on a typical garden show Thursday.

Over the last several years, the Garden Barn has had stable sales, Gliha said, which, compared to the national industry trends, “is pretty good.”

In 2008, Americans spent $36 billion on lawns and gardens. In 2009 that figure fell to $30 billion, and by 2011 it was down to $29 billion. Average spending per household fell from $444 to $351 over that time.

Given those trends, and the fact that the majority of shopping has shifted to big box stores rather than local nurseries and hardware stores, reminding customers that you’re around is worth a booth at the show.

Thoughts Of Spring

Carol Sauerhoff of Bethel visited the show for the first time because a friend invited her.

“I thought it sounded like fun on a wintry day,” she said. She hadn’t expected all the succulents on display by amateur gardeners, or the non-garden items, like fancy tote bags.

Sauerhoff no longer has a garden, but she fills her little deck with potted plants. “It brightens your day,” she said.

There were plenty of scenes in the convention center to distract visitors from the exhaust-blackened snow banks that make Hartford less than a winter wonderland.

Pondering Creations had an elaborate burbling pond and landscaped garden.

Perennial Harmony created a landscape that included a Hobbit Hole playhouse, tucked under a hill of sod. The playhouse, made by a Maine company, is available through the Waterford landscaper.

Bright colors of blooming azaleas, daffodils and live butterflies, and the smell of mulch, were all there offering thoughts of spring.

There were even booths for items that can be enjoyed on bright wintry days. Four Season Sunrooms had a booth with pictures of sunrooms, including elegant Victorian-style conservatories, that could be added to your house.

A fellow vendor was drawn in, shooting pictures with his phone of the display. “I’d be the hero in my house if I got one of these sunrooms,” he said.

Next to the sunroom display, Coca-Cola was running a raffle, giving away rain barrels made from the plastic barrels that bottling plants receive syrup ingredients in. The East Hartford plant goes through 50 barrels a week, and they’re all repurposed in some way, either for rain barrels, recycling receptacles at large events or sent to another company. The rain barrels, which have a spigot handle on them, cost the company about $15 to make. They will give away 32 during the four-day weekend garden show.

Beth and Bob Yoon of Deerfield, Mass., had never come to the show before, but decided that attending on a day off from work “would make it feel like spring.”