Board of Directors

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE FOR 2024
Presidents' Report - September 2023 to August 2024

This past year was one of growth as we saw our membership climb from 81 to 98 members.              

In September 2023, we had our outdoor plant sale, and the weather co-operated yet again. The reduction in sales from the previous year, however, made us realize the importance of signage, so this prompted us to invest in 10 very large coroplast signs to be used for the September 2024 fall sale. The spring 2024 plant sale and auction, however, was our best attended in several years, and we realized close to $2,000 in sales with thanks not only to our many donors of plants but also to Sandra Hession and her volunteers, who organized the day of the sale and auction.

We continued to have our monthly speakers, with members having the option of either attending in person or joining via Zoom. Thanks go to Trish Santos and her team for arranging for the speakers and to Noémie Muller for her technical support.

We participated in the March Seedy Saturday at the Emmanuel United Church, which allowed us to promote the Society as well as sell seeds and gardening books. Berit Erickson was particularly busy with the sale of her native pollinator plant seeds and provided advice non-stop to interested members of the public.    

Another endeavor that we continue to participate in is the maintenance of the Nepean Museum Gardens under the leadership of Elaine Petermann. In addition to the cleanups in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, we were fortunate to have members do ongoing summer maintenance. The footprint for the native plants has been expanded and invasive trees have been removed from the museum property.

The NHS also partnered with the Fisher Heights and Area Community Association in establishing a native pollinator garden in Trillium Park. The garden benefitted from an ideal growing season, and it appears to be well established for 2025.

We continued to hold our three flower shows, and we tried a new venue in the church for the spring show: Room 1. The location with its natural lighting was well received. There was a marked increase in the number of members participating in the design competitions. This is due largely to the special workshop that was held in the spring with Judy Fine showing the elements of basic design. Thanks to Liz Livermore and her team of volunteers for organizing the shows and the workshop.

Speaking of Judy, we were delighted she was the recipient of the District 2 Service Award for 2024. Judy is a past president of the NHS and has been active in so many aspects of the horticultural society and the district as well. She is the first member of the NHS to receive the award.

One activity that did not proceed were the official garden tours. Members were reluctant to offer their gardens for public viewing after we became aware of an OHA stipulation that OHA insurance did not cover such events. One member, however, did hold an unofficial tour. I am happy to report that since then the OHA is looking to have Duuo, a third-party insurer, provide insurance at a modest rate for such events. We hope this will encourage members to hold tours in 2025.

Finally, I want to recognize those members who have retired from positions on the Board: Karin Lynch and Trish Santos, who have been serving faithfully as Social Convenor and Program Director, respectively. Their time and talents have benefitted the Society with the return of our social events such as the potluck dinner and dessert social, and the provision of engaging presenters on a wide variety of horticulture-related topics. Karin, I am happy to say, will continue on the Board as a Director, and we welcome her successor as Social Convenor, Diane McComb.