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FRIENDS OF THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM
Farm Notes - May 2017
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Guided Tree Tour of the Arboretum
Explore this urban gem with tour leaders
Sunday May 7 - Flowers in Trees: blossoms and pollination.
The tour will focus on showy tree flowers like the magnolias but there is much to learn about all trees in bloom. Some trees are male, some female, but most are both! Climate change is also affecting the flowering and leafing-out of trees. The flowers and pollination are the key to their survival. Come and enjoy the colour as you learn about the trees.
The
tour leaders
are Robert Glendinning and Zoe Panchen. The tour will start at 2pm by Building 72 in the Arboretum. Visit Arboretum Tree Tours for more information.
Although the tours are free and open to the public, please register in advance at
[email protected] or call 613-230-3276. Donations to the Friends of the Farm will be kindly accepted during the tour.
Mark your calendars! Upcoming Tree Tours include:
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Volunteers for Garden Teams
Help us make a difference
It's once again time to spring out and get into gardening. What better way to enjoy nature, fresh air, exercise, plant life and contribute to the beauty of the Farm than to join one of the Friends' Garden Teams. Go to our
Volunteer activities page for more info on garden team days, times and tasks.
For those interested parties download and complete our enrollment and waiver
Volunteer form
then mail it directly to our office at Bldg 72, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6.
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The tradition continues
 Every year the Friends partner with the
Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton to offer timely and informative presentations. May's Tuesday night lectures include:
with Rebecca Last (photo)
All presentations are from 7pm to 9pm in
Building 72
just east of the Prince of Wales roundabout with free parking. Lectures can be purchased individually $12 members and $15 non-members. For more information call 613-230-3276 or email
[email protected]
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Friends' Plant Sale
Sunday May 14 from 9am to 1pm
Get everything you need for your garden at the spectacular
Friends' Plant Sale
. New and returning specialty growers and nursery vendors offer hundreds of beautiful plants all in one location!
Master Gardeners
are on hand to answer any gardening questions.
Don't forget to check out the Garden Accessory vendors and Plant Coat Check service under the Friends' Canopy. Keep your hands free by dropping off your plants at the canopy and when you're done shopping, our volunteers help carry the new treasures to your vehicle. Also under the Canopy are gardening books, photo cards, and Friends' book publications. Come and browse!
The sale is located in the K.W. Neatby Building
parking lot
at Maple and Carling Ave. Free admission and parking with donations to Friends of the Farm always kindly appreciated. Refreshments with Bridgehead donated coffee and delicious baked goods will keep you nourished while shopping.
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Lilac Walk Garden Tour
Sunday May 20 at 2pm
Did you know that lilacs, native to the European Balkans, were carried along the spice route and the history of lilacs traces the first collection to the Austrian court in 1563?
Meet at the Macoun Garden, park in the lot at
Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (Pay and Display) off Prince of Wales and follow the signs. Donations are kindly appreciated during the tour.
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June Blooms!
Strolling Through Garden History
A gem in the heart of Canada's Capital, the Central Experimental Farm's Ornamental Gardens have enchanted visitors for more than a century. CEF Ornamental Gardens were selected as one of
Canada 150 Garden Experiences and is an Official Activity of
Garden Days 2017.
As a tribute to Canada's 150th anniversary, the Friends of the Farm invite you to the gardens on this National Historic Site for
June Blooms!
Saturday June 10 from 10am to 2pm. Join the
Friends expert garden volunteers for free guided tours of the CEF
Ornamental Gardens. Although
there is no charge for the tours, donations are always kindly appreciated.
Park at the Agriculture Museum parking lot (Pay and Display). The Friends will be "under the tarp" at the Farm entrance near the parking area with information on the garden tours and book signing. Light refreshments will also be available.
More Blooms events:
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OHS-Friends Joint Project
Celebrating two anniversaries on the Farm June 10
This year marks a double anniversary: Canada's 150th since Confederation and the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Ottawa Horticultural Society (OHS). To celebrate, OHS and the Friends have joined forces to undertake a commemorative project with two components in the Ornamental Gardens. On June 10 from 10am to 2pm, OHS members will be on hand to introduce these projects to visitors.
Read the full story on page 10 of our Spring Newsletter.
Research and Beauty: Hybridization and the CEF will be celebrated with information plaques (French and English) permanently installed in the pergola. One plaque introduces the project and plant hybridization at the Farm. Three other plaques detail the important work done by Isabella Preston (lilacs), A.P. (Percy) Saunders (peonies) and Dr. Felicitas Svejda (Explorer Roses). QR codes allow visitors with smartphones to access more information on the Farm's illustrious history of hybridization in Canada.
 Perennial Favourites: Macoun Memorial Garden is a two year project with plantings of historical perennials in the Macoun Memorial Garden. Opened in 1936, the garden honours William T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist (1910-1933) and OHS president (1899) on the site of his former house. Using historical records, perennials favoured by Macoun will be planted in the garden close to the Driveway. In 2017 an array of annuals with a colour scheme preferred by Macoun will be planted while the perennial plant discovery process is underway.
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Friends' Used Book Sale
Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, from 10am to 4pm
 Thousands of the best used books in Ottawa are for sale at the Friends annual
Used Book Sale. Enjoy browsing outstanding selections culled from the home libraries of friends and families from around the region. It's a 2-day sale for a reason!
Stock up now for your summer reading, find that very special elusive title, and don't forget to bring a friend. All fiction is alphabetized with 18 categories of non-fiction plus vintage books. Great selection, great prices - $1 for paperbacks, $2 for trade paperback and hardback.
Your support in donating books at our annual book drop-off makes it possible for this to be our biggest event every year. Heartfelt thanks to all our generous donors and tireless volunteers who sort and stack them! Have more books to donate? Hang on to them for the
Fall Used Book Drop-off on Saturday October 21 (mark your calendar).
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Volunteer Spotlight
Over 10,000 hours donated each year
Did you know that Friends' volunteers donate over 10,000 hours every year
to support its mission and activities? Every month a different volunteer is highlighted on the Friends website. We invite you to read the stories of our volunteers such as
Rob Leslie
,
our Volunteer of the Month.
Previous spotlights
are also listed. Each volunteer has an interesting story to tell and a unique connection and commitment to the Farm. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by the entire community!
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Fletcher Wildlife Garden - Native Plant Sale
Saturday June 3 from 9:30am to 12:30pm
 Visit the
Fletcher Wildlife Garden for their
Annual Native Plant Sale! Hundreds of beautiful local wildflowers grow in the Ottawa area.These native plants attract and support local wildlife, including pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies. Loss of natural spaces has resulted in the decline of many species. FWG encourages growing native plants so that pollinators and other wildlife can find shelter and food.
A wide variety of native plants creates a garden that flowers throughout the summer and whose ecological balance makes herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers unnecessary.
Volunteers will be on hand to advise about which plants suit your garden.
The sale is located at FWG building on the east side of Prince of Wales Drive, just south of the Arboretum.
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Canada 150 Lectures at the CEF
Free monthly lectures by ORDC scientists
T
he
Ottawa Research and Development Centre
(ORDC)
is celebrating Canada 150 with a
free monthly lecture series. The ORDC was formerly known as the Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC) on the Central Experimental Farm.
Here are the
ORDC Canada 150
lecture listings.
The public is invited to attend the free lectures at
K.W. Neatby Building
, Salons A/B,
starting at
7:00pm.
Each lecture is about 45 minutes with a question/answer period following the presentation. Free parking is available in the lot beside and spaces around the building. For more information please contact [email protected]
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