Friends of the Central Experimental Farm
Farm Notes - April 2021

Invasive Aliens!
Beetles, bindweed, burdock, and buckthorn
Our Spring Newsletter explores the wide variety of alien species threatening the biodiversity of the Ornamental Gardens, Arboretum, and Shelterbelt, including dog-strangling vine, Canada thistle, star of Bethlehem, Japanese beetles, bindweed, burdock, and buckthorn.

“Unfortunately, the Central Experimental Farm is not immune to invasive species,” writes Julianne Labreche in an article about the invasive aliens our volunteers face. We get an update on the biocontrol project on the dog-strangling vine, and we learn more about invading insects in the Arboretum, how alien species come to Canada, and about biocontrol research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Elsewhere in the newsletter, Blaine Marchand shares his poem “Turning the Page,” which captures our impatience as we await an end to bleak times and a return to our gardens. 

If you're a Friends of the Farm member but you haven't been receiving your quarterly newsletter (in addition to our monthly Farm Notes) by email or post, contact membership@friendsofthefarm.ca to check your status or update your membership!

Our Master Gardener Lectures are Back in 2021 
Time to get the garden started!

Our Master Gardener Lecture series begins this month on April 20 with a fascinating presentation by Master Gardener Lesley Peace, who will discuss climate change and its impact on our gardens. Lesley will offer strategies and techniques for maintaining resilient gardens and offer suggestions on how we can be better stewards of our changing environment.

Every year the Friends partner with the Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton to offer timely and informative presentations on gardening and plant care. Individual Master Gardener Lectures are $8 for FCEF members and $10 for non-members. Until April 19, the series of 5 lectures is available at $35 for FCEF members and $45 for non-members. After April 19, lectures may be purchased individually.

This year's lectures will be held virtually via Zoom. A link will be sent by email to registrants on the day of each lecture.

Click on the dates below to find out more about the rest of the series, or visit our Master Gardener Lectures webpage for the full picture.


And don't forget you can email us anytime at info@friendsofthefarm.ca to find out more.

Join us May 19 for our Annual General Meeting
Welcoming horticultural therapist Sarah Shapiro
The Friends of the Central Experimental Farm's board of directors cordially invites you to attend our FCEF 2020 AGM on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Membership is not required to attend; however only fully paid FCEF members may vote.

The AGM will take place virtually, with details to follow soon. The business portion of the meeting will be followed by a fascinating virtual presentation by the horticultural therapist Sarah Shapiro.

Sarah Shapiro practises horticultural therapy at the Perley and Rideau Veterans' Health Centre in Ottawa. She runs both one-on-one and group horticultural therapy programs for veterans and community seniors, including those with dementia and in palliative care.

Sarah incorporates complementary and adjunct therapies into her programs, including mindfulness, meditation, and aromatherapy. She is a member of the Ottawa Horticultural Society, Ottawa Herb Society, The Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association, and the Friends of the Farm.
Admission is free, but please register if you plan to attend. The attendance link will be sent only to registered attendees.

Members, please make arrangements to renew your membership to be eligible to vote. You can do so via mail with cheque payment by printing the membership form, (please allow at least 2 weeks for mail delays) or you can renew online, (preferably more than 24 hours prior to the meeting).


Spring has Sprung!
Our boutique is bursting with beautiful blooms!
Spring is here and we're celebrating by introducing a selection of Spring Greeting Cards featuring breathtaking images from author and photographer Richard Hinchcliff.

These beautiful cards showcase the timeless beauty of the Ornamental Gardens and Arboretum, and celebrate the work of horticulturalists like Isabella Preston who, through the decades, created some of the stunning flowers you see there.

Our Spring Greeting Cards are available now in our Boutique in sets of 6 and can be shipped to you or picked up curb-side at a location near the Farm. Available in sets only. Each set is $20 (regularly $24).

Visit our online Boutique to order yours!
. . . also in our Boutique . . .

For the Love of Trees is a beautifully illustrated tribute to the heritage collection of trees that have grown and continue to grow in the Central Experimental Farm's beloved Dominion Arboretum.

Now in its third and final printing, fewer than 20 copies remain of this treasured book, a must-have for tree-lovers, walkers, historians, arborists, birders, and green space advocates.

From the book's 580 photographs and 72 drawings of 92 species of trees, you'll learn about tree shapes, leaves, flowers, bark, and fruit, with historical commentary provided by former curators. Several walks through this picturesque green space are described, with colour-coded maps provided at the back of the book.
Canada Post Celebrates the Crabapple
New stamps feature crabapples bred at the Farm
Our Friends of the Farm Spring Newsletter introduces us to the latest in Canada Post’s flower series of stamps, released on March 1. The stamps feature the blossoms of two crabapples bred at the Central Experimental Farm.

Crabapple bloom time is coming soon! Around the third week in May, the glorious blossoms of 'Rosyblooms' will adorn both sides of Prince of Wales Drive, while several stunning white ‘Maybride’ crabapples will bloom in front of the southern entrance to the K.W. Neatby Building, the Farm’s research centre.
Great News from AAFC
Roads are reopened at the Farm!
Our friends at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tell us that, effective Friday, March 26, 2021, the following roads at the Central Experimental Farm have been reopened to traffic:

  • McCooey Lane from Merivale Road to Ash Lane
  • Ash Lane from McCooey Lane to the NCC Driveway

The Arboretum gate has also been reopened to vehicular traffic.
Are You a Member?
Join FCEF's mission to protect and preserve the Farm
The future of the Farm as we know it is now more important than ever. Over the past number of years, budgetary constraints have placed continued pressure on research projects and jobs, and while core research areas remain, the Farm lands, Dominion Arboretum, Ornamental Gardens, and historic buildings still need constant care and protection. 

Join the Friends of the Farm to help influence decision-makers to preserve the integrity of this cherished National Historic Site and its exceptional setting in the heart of Ottawa.

Once lost, this jewel in the crown of Canada's capital city cannot be replaced.

By becoming a member today, you support the Friends' mission to bring the Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens to their full potential. Membership benefits include our beautiful and informative quarterly newsletter (by mail or email - in addition to our monthly Farm Notes), discounts at some Ottawa-area nurseries (see below), discounted events, and free admission for one adult member of a family to the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum!

And don't forget: the spring edition of our beautiful quarterly newsletter is out April 1, so if your membership is about to expire, renew it now so you don't miss an issue! If you're not sure of your membership status, you can contact us at membership@friendsofthefarm.ca to find out.
We're So Social!
Stay in touch this spring
Now more than ever we're active on social media promoting Friends activities, events, and gift ideas. Follow us for helpful gardening tips, awe-inspiring garden photos, recipes, DIY projects, general information about the goings-on at the Farm, the Ornamental Gardens, and the Arboretum, and so much more. You can see what we're up to by liking our Facebook page or catching our tweets


FCEF Membership has Even More Benefits!
Now you can support the Friends and local plant vendors too

We are pleased to announce the following nurseries are offering discounts to our Friends of the Farm members.
Thank you for supporting these local businesses! 
Since 1987, Whitehouse Perennials, located at 594 Rae Road in Almonte, ON, has been a destination for Ottawa-area gardeners. Whitehouse Perennials is offering a 10% *discount on all regularly priced plant materials at their nursery location upon presentation of a **valid FCEF membership card.
Beaux Arbres Native Plants specializes in plants native to the Ottawa Valley, and garden-worthy wildflowers from eastern North America. Beaux Arbres welcomes all current members of the Friends of the Farm to their location at 29 Ragged Chute Rd, Bristol, QC, and is offering a 10% *discount on Farm Sales only upon presentation of a **valid FCEF membership card. 
Established in 1994, Stoneridge Gardens and Nursery is a family-owned and operated nursery located at 1851 Galbraith Rd RR 2 in Clayton, ON (near MIddleville). Stoneridge Gardens is offering a 10%  *discount to all FCEF members upon presentation of a **valid FCEF membership card. 
*Some restrictions may apply. 

**FCEF resumed membership renewals on July 24, 2020. To join or renew, please contact membership@friendsofthefarm.ca.

Due to Covid-19, please call first or visit the nursery' websites as interprovincial travel restrictions for certain members may be in place.
Members and Supporters
We welcome your comments and suggestions on articles, events, activities, and more.
Please contact us at info@friendsofthefarm.ca
or call us at 613-230-3276.
Charitable number 118913565RR0001