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FRIENDS OF THE CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM
Farm Notes - July 2020
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Summer Newsletter
Now available on our website
"Wellness gardens" are in the news these days, and in our
Summer 2020 newsletter, Susan Kehoe suggests that the public spaces at the Farm fit the description of a wellness garden -- a place of renewal in the new normal of COVID-19.
Linda McLaren writes about a space of special interest -- the Hosta Garden in the Arboretum -- and how, even after all the changes in the last 10 years or so, this garden continues to be a quiet, shady place to enjoy.
Linda and Diane McClymont Peace discuss hostas in the context of climate change.
Diane shares information about some of her favourite hardy shrubs in the Arboretum, which home gardeners can then use as a guide to select the right shrubs for their own gardens.
We remember one of our earliest and longest-serving volunteers, Beryl Anderson, and we meet Michel Girard, a volunteer on our hosta team who, if he hadn't retired from Health Canada, would be helping to find a vaccine for COVID-19.
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A glorious splash of summer colour
A tour of Canada's daylily history
In mid-July the vibrant colour of daylilies bring added zest to the perennial borders. The history of daylilies at the Central Experiment Farm goes back to 1895, the very beginning of the gardens at the Farm. In her time with the Farm, renowned hybridizer Isabella Preston praised the glory of daylilies and their place in the border gardens. Through the years, each generation of Farm workers has celebrated the strides made in hybridization of this much loved perennial.
Fittingly, near the Prestonia lilacs rows (close to the Canada and Agriculture and Food Museum parking lot and the Friends toolshed) resides a splendid collection of daylilies created by the famous Canadian daylily hybridizers Douglas Lycett and Henry Lorrain. Their passion for daylilies began at their postage-stamp-sized Toronto home garden and then continued and expanded in a property they bought in Orno, near Bowmanville, in 1984. The two men christened their new site "We're in the Hayfield Now." They decided that, rather than just buying and selling daylilies, they would begin to hybridize them.
The blooms they created are in a range of intense colours like burgundy rose, melon, dark lavender, wine, and purple-edged silver, and have romantic and tongue-in-cheek names like 'Paris Café,' 'Not Misbehaving,' and 'Summer Fling.' Other names refer to popular culture - 'Dream of Jeannie,' 'Miss Otis Regrets,' and 'Daydream Believer.' Douglas passed away in 1998, and Henry carried on their work for a number of years but retired in 2015. In 2012, Canada Post featured two lilies from the Farm's collection - 'Louis Lorrain' and 'Jeff Holden' - in a booklet of postage stamps.
The Hayfield collection came to the Farm via a donation from the Ottawa Horticultural Society, which acquired them from a garden in Ottawa once owned by Henry Lorrain's sister. The Hayfield daylily beds continue in the Farm tradition of ornamental plants for Canadian gardens.
In addition, a collection of 160 daylilies grows in gardens south of the Rockery and the Heritage Rose Garden. These gardens feature some specimens that have been at the Farm through the decades alongside other more modern introductions, including spider daylilies. Some came from private gardens across Canada and some are donations commemorating people or battles of the First World War.
When you stroll through other gardens, such as the Macoun Garden or even the Shelterbelt, you will find divisions that have been planted from the Farm's impressive collections. So do drop by and enjoy their splash of summer colour!
Photos by Richard Hinchcliff.
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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!
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.
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.
n 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.
*Some restrictions may apply.
**These nurseries will honour all FCEF membership cards expiring in 2020 and beyond, as FCEF is currently not able to process membership renewals. For more details contact [email protected].
Due to Covid-19, p
lease call first or visit their websites as interprovincial travel restrictions for certain members may be in place.
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Blooms for your garden
For the Love of Trees co
mpanion book
Blooms is a colourful celebration of one of Ottawa's most beloved landmarks: the Ornamental Gardens of the Central Experimental Farm. Written by local author Richard Hinchcliff, this beautiful book explores the Gardens' fascinating history and unique collection of heritage plants.
Blooms
is the perfect resource to help you localize your own garden with made-in-Ottawa flowers and shrubs.
Take a peek inside for a preview! Cost is $35 plus HST and shipping.
You can purchase either book by visiting our online boutique. Pickup is not currently available at our office in Building 72, which remains closed, but arrangements can often be made for local pickup elsewhere. Just email us at [email protected] to discuss.
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Donations
Your help makes a difference!
The work we do here at Friends of the Central Experimental Farm would not be possible without the help of generous volunteers, donors, supporters, and members like you. Your kind donations of time and money mean we can continue to fulfill our mandate to preserve, maintain, protect, and enhance the Farm's historic Ornamental Gardens and beloved Dominion Arboretum.
If you wish to direct a charitable donation to the
Friends of the Farm to honour a friend or loved one, or to make a general or
non-dinner donation, we make it simple and straightforward.
Any donation over $10 receives a charitable tax receipt by mail.
If you prefer to donate via
PayPal, select one of the
donation buttons listed
here, and a
fillable form will open. Simply complete the donation form and select "
Submit" to confirm the donation. PayPal will send a transaction receipt by email.
If you prefer to send a cheque,
click here for a printable version of the donations form, complete it and mail it with your cheque made payable to "Friends of the Central Experimental Farm" at FCEF, Building 72, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0C6.
Friends of the Farm is a registered charitable organization, charitable Number 118913565RR0001.
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Over 10,000 hours donated each year
Did you know that
Friends volunteers donate more than 10,000 hours every year
to support our mission and activities? Every month we celebrate a different volunteer on the Friends website. We invite you to read the stories of volunteers like
our Volunteer of the Month.
Previous spotlights
are also available on our website.
Every volunteer has an interesting story to tell and a unique connection and commitment to the Farm. Their efforts are greatly appreciated by the entire community, and we thank them wholeheartedly!
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Update on our 2020 events
We'll be back!
The following Friends of the Farm events have been cancelled or postponed for 2020, but stay in touch! We'll be back next year!
Cancelled
Art on the Farm
(originally scheduled for Saturday, August 15)
Cancelled
Master Gardener Series lectures
(originally scheduled for September 15 and 29)
Postponed
Annual General Meeting
(originally scheduled for May 6)
Postponed
Used Book Sale
(
originally
scheduled for June 20 and 21)
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Follow us on Social Media
Facebook and Twitter
We're active on social media platforms promoting Friends of the Farm activities, events, and products, and sharing interesting gardening tips, awe-inspiring garden photos, and general information about gardening, nature, and life on the Farm. Stay in touch by visiting us on our
Facebook
page or catching our
tweets
. We love to hear from you!
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Reducing the risk of West Nile Virus
To reduce the risk of West Nile Virus, a Public Works and Government Services Canada qualified contractor will apply larvicide to control larval mosquitos on the Central Experimental Farm on July 23, and August 18, 2020 (previously applied on June 25). Methoprene larvicide pellets will be placed into the catch basins of storm drains across the CEF. All larvicide will be applied by Ministry of the Environment licensed applicators and trained technicians.
Please note that this application is in line with the City of Ottawa's West Nile Virus Surveillance Program.
If you have questions, please contact Robert Ranger at 613-759-1802 or by email at
[email protected].
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