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President's Message - 2005
Yearbook 2006 By: Jeff Blackadar Back to the web versionDuring 2005 we had an excellent program that focused on the interests of members. One of the highlights was a special presentation of Alexander Reford’s talk on the Reford Gardens that was held at the National Library. Co-sponsored with the Ottawa Garden Club, $2,000 was raised for the non-profit Reford Gardens. Special tours of the lilacs and roses at the C.E.F. were arranged in addition to the our presentations by the Program committee. Thank you to Blaine Marchand, Convenor, and Lise Chislett of the Program committee for organizing these events. Thank you Rob Brandon and Jim Bossert for your work in setting up the audio visual equipment each month.
In 2005 the Indoor Plant Show featured an attractive display and sale by the Ottawa Cactus Club. The number of exhibits and exhibitors was greatly improved at the show this year as well. The Shows committee has made plans for more special exhibits at the 2006 Indoor Plant Show. Come and see and show your plants!
Last year we had one auction and four plant sales and raised $6,015 for the Society. A great deal of effort went into the organizing of these sales. Thank you to the numerous members who potted and sold plants as well as to those who made generous donations from their gardens. Some of the donated plants have been used in our community planting projects to great effect.
As you will see from the Community Planting report in the yearbook, we can be proud of the work done this year at the May Court Hospice by our volunteer gardeners. Thank you to the Community Planting committee, co-convened by Jennifer Mix and Kendra Hunter and its members Margaret Scratch and Jan Pollard, for taking on this ambitious project. A number of OHS members contributed their time and/or plants to this project.
We were also active in other areas of our community. OHS members took part in two “10,000 Tree” plantings this year. Kendra Hunter represented the OHS at Health Canada’s Environment Day, and I made a presentation about Ginkgo trees at a school.
This was the first year of the Mary Bryant Award for a garden featuring native plants. If your garden has native plants, I encourage you to submit your garden for consideration for this award. This was also the first year we awarded the Indoor Gardeners’ Bursary at the Ottawa Regional Science Fair. The Trillium Award committee was busy recognizing those gardens that add to the beauty of the streetscape. They also created a community award this year in recognition of a gardener’s efforts to beautify a common area. Thank you to Sylvia Spasoff and Nathalie Chaly of the Trillium committee.
An ad-hoc committee met to review our constitution and their work produced valuable information about the constitution and how the Society is governed. Thank you to D-J. Smith, Jim Bossert, Rob Brandon, Stu Herbert and Michael K. Warren for your work on the constitution this year. In addition, policies to protect the contact information of members were implemented and work neared completion on our board binder as well as new OHS expense and investment policies.
I’m pleased to report that membership remains strong, but we need to continue to grow our membership. Our members remain the foundation of the OHS, so please encourage your friends to join. In 2006 we can look forward to an excellent program based on our members’ interests, the OHS sponsored Paradise Found lecture series, the 100th Convention of the Ontario Horticultural Association, the most shows of any local horticultural society, the photo competition, our informative newsletter, “the mums”, as well as workshops and garden tours. Best of luck to our new president Sheila Burvill in 2006; it will be an exciting year.
I have enjoyed my term as president and look forward to the future of the OHS. The roots of our society stretch back through the entire history of the City of Ottawa to the founding of the first OHS in 1854. Today, we have an important role to play for gardeners Ottawa by providing a place to meet, learn, exchange tips, and see great plants and gardens. I hope to read in future President’s reports about the many activities of the OHS, both for its members and in aid of community beautification. I also think we have a role to play in the future as an advocate for gardeners with the City of Ottawa and in advancing issues that affect the green areas of our city.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be president in 2005.
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