Something to crow about with Shelburne & District Horticultural Society

Written By MARNI WALSH

The Shelburne and District Horticultural Society got ready for autumn on Sunday, September 9th with a Scarecrow Workshop in Horningmill's. The interactive event was held to raise the public profile of the Society, as well as to create colourful props for their, always stunning, Shelburne Fall Fair Display in the Exhibit Hall this week.

The event, which included guests of all ages, took place on the beautiful property of Horticultural Society member Rhonda Besler of Mill Street. For a modest $10 fee, to cover the costs of materials, participants created impressive, life-sizes scarecrows by using traditional wood, straw, and burlap supplies.

Shelburne has been a member of the Ontario Horticultural Association since 1962, and the hydrangea was adopted as their official flower in 1986. The organization has about 60 members, and is always ready to welcome newcomers “regardless of skill or knowledge.” As the Society says, “We live in a zone that can make gardening a little tricky, learn from those that have been there done that.”

The group meets once a month from March to November on Tuesday evenings at the Agricultural Society Building on William Street in Shelburne. The next meeting is September 20th and future meeting dates can be found on their blog site at shelburnehort.blogspot.com. Wayne Hannon of Melancthon is the President of the Horticultural Society and Beverley Long is the Secretary-Treasurer.

Long time member of the Horticultural Society, Beverley Parker says, “Membership includes monthly meetings with interesting speakers and a question and answer period, fun draws, bus trips to some of Southern Ontario's most beautiful gardens, a garden social, a November potluck, and a plant sale in the spring. Horticultural members also receive discounts at some of our local garden centres, and the Society maintains the Town entrance gardens at all three entrances, as well as the flowers at the Shelburne Public Library. 

The Shelburne Horticultural Society yearly fee for membership is $15, but the group welcomes new members to join them, at a monthly meeting of their choice, free of charge to see if it is something they would enjoy. For more information please email: 

bevlong@sympatico.ca or call 519-925-1549, or find the Shelburne Horticultural Society on Facebook at “Shelburne Gardeners.”