Schomberg Horticultural Society celebrates its 80th anniversary

June 17, 2015 · 0 Comments

Since its inception on April 12, 1935, the Schomberg Horticultural Society has been an integral part of King Township.
The objectives of the Society are to hold meetings, featuring guest speakers which will encompass all aspects of horticulture to encourage all types of gardening. It promotes the protection of the environment through good gardening practices, tree plantings, public beautification and educational materials.
Further, the Horticultural Society provides competitions, exhibits, field trips, contests and awards to promote these objectives, which are bound by the constitution and are governed by the Agricultural & Horticultural Organizations Act of the Province of Ontario.
The Schomberg Horticultural Society has not taken these tasks lightly, which is evident by the numerous projects, installations, maintenance and beautification of gardens it has taken on over the years.
Linda Jessop, the former president, reflects on the history of the society:
The first project was the planting of a hedge around the War Memorial at the Cenotaph.
In 1938 the Horticultural Society took part in a school yard beautification program, where one dollar (the dollar went much further than it does today) was given to each school for the purchase of bulbs and shrubs.
In 1939 a tree was planted to commemorate the royal visit to Canada by King George the VI and Queen Elisabeth.
Also in 1939, the Schomberg Horticultural Society had their first display at the Schomberg Fall Fair, where it received a government grant of $7.35 , which today amounts to $1,000.
In 1967, when Canada celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, Paul Olsen (current owner of BTN Nurseries) was hired to design the new Centennial garden at Highway 27 and Main Street to commemorate the event. The gardens were planted with various shrubs, but most notably a peony from each member of the Society. In 1997 the “Welcome to Schomberg” garden was added to this site, which Joes Melo, from Melo Landscaping, donated the spectacular stone adorned with a Trillium, called the “Gateway Sign” as it is the gateway into the village of Schomberg. This project was also possible because of generous donations from other local businesses.
In June of 1969, members of the Society visited the Parliament building.
Today, the Society takes care of numerous gardens around Schomberg which include the lily bed at the library, (it was planted with over 1,000 flowering bulbs and more than 90 different lilies to commemorate the new millennium), the Kitchen-Breedon Manor gardens, and the Centennial Garden and the plantings at Olsen Lions Park, which was established by Janet Orr, past-president and long-time member and supporter of the Society.
There are numerous trees planted around the village which are dedicated to members who have passed on.
One of the biggest events is the annual participation in the Schomberg Agricultural Fair on the last weekend in May. The Society puts on a judged flower show, educational displays and ample gardening advice is given during the fair. Young children are given sunflower seeds which they can plant and watch grow over the summer.
Other major fund raisers for the society are the plant sale in May and the widely known and anticipated garden tour at the end of June. All money goes into the maintenance and beautification of community gardens which are maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers under the leadership of Barb Prince and towards the cost of bringing interesting, educational speakers to the monthly meetings, organized by Angela Rose, the program coordinator.
Upcoming speakers at the monthly meetings are:
June 23, 7:30, “Gardening to Attract Birds to Your Yard.” Speaker is Paul Oliver, Urban Nature Store
September 22, 7:30, the topic will be “Moss Gardens.” The speaker will be Frank Kershaw
October 27, 7:30, “Closing the Garden & what to do with Plants over the winter” will wrap things up. The speaker will be Ian MacCallum of Woodhill Gardens.
The Schomberg Horticultural Society welcomes new members and volunteers. It might be a person who has extensive gardening knowledge or somebody who has just given up a big house and garden, moved into a condo and still wants to be part of a vibrant gardening community. For membership information contact president Jill Watts-Hayward at 905-939-2781, e-mail: haywatts@yahoo.com.
One of the signature events for the society is the Annual Garden Tour, which showcases various gardens and estates in and around the Village of Schomberg and the rolling hills of our picturesque King Township. The garden tour is spear-headed by Barb Niemeyer and co-chaired by Eleonora Schmied.
Tickets are available on tour day at the Community Hall on Main Street in Schomberg and can be purchased ahead of time at Pathways to Perennials at 4681 Lloydtown Aurora Road in Pottageville; Black Forest Nursery at 15445 Keele Street in King City, and at Sheena’s Kitchen at 357 Main Street in Schomberg.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary, the executive decided to make its mark and showcase their members’ expertise and commitment to volunteerism by revamping the overgrown and weedy gardens at the Kitchen Breedon Manor, a retirement community, on Roselena Avenue in Schomberg.
This very labour intensive task included the removal of weeds and preservation of all usable plant material. Under the expert guidance of Janet Orr, a handful of volunteers descended on the gardens: Jill Watts-Hayward (president), Janet Orr, Barb Prince, Angela Rose, Mary Tsarik, Niki Hildebrand, Bev Lunau, Eleonora Schmied (taking the pictures). Donna Parish helped with the garden tour poster.
Once the plants were replanted and supplemented by new plant material, courtesy of the Schomberg Horticultural Society, the gardens were covered with a thick layer of mulch for easier maintenance and to prevent weeds from growing.
This spring, the residents of the Kitchen Breedon Manor were greeted with a spectacular show of vibrant spring colours, including tulips, different iris varieties and bleeding hearts. The revamped gardens will provide year-long enjoyment with flowers blooming all season long. Flowers and plants include grasses, a burning bush, heuchera, sedums, columbines, Russian sage, black eyed susan, echinacea, perennial geraniums and many more.
“The Schomberg Horitcultural Society is an important and integral part of King Township and active in the community, just last year its members recorded over 600 volunteer hours,” proudly announced president Watts-Hayward at the April meeting, which kick-started the year-long 80th anniversary celebrations.