Stirling Horticultural Society
110 Mill St. K0K 3E0 Stirling, ON, Canada

We are in lockdown again in Ontario. I can't give you flowers, but I can send you flowers virtually. I invite you to look at my albums on facebook. Have a loo...k as well at a series of covid garden tours I did during the lockdown in early 2020. Our garden was featured extensively in Canadian Gardening magazine in 2012, lots has happened since then. I live on 10 acres with extensive gardens and hundreds of different plants you can browse through to lift your spirit. Includes hydrangeas, hibiscus, daylilies, theme gardens, hostas, tropical garden, colour wheel garden, a natural pond, dry stone walls, veggie garden, stone walls and more. Just go to search Facebook in this group & type in my name. My posts are public. I hope you will have a look, it may help until we get through this second lockdown. Stay safe. See more

I love this lady’s quotes. This one about the garden struck home.

This is happily blooming in my sunroom.

A Fall photo of the alyssum in my rock garden. Anybody else out there with some photos for us? Jackie

A lovely surprise. A Clivia bloom from Norma LaCroix.

APT Designing With Evergreens --- Junipers in the Landscape ------- ... What do you think when someone mentions Junipers? At first you might tend to have negative thoughts, but Junipers deserve their spot in landscapes due to their different shapes, sizes and general versatility. Junipers have numerous uses in landscapes, like groundcovers, hedges, windbreaks, topiaries and foundation plantings. Junipers are evergreen and part of the conifer family, but produce berries instead of cones. Junipers are heat and drought tolerant once established, and tolerate poor soil conditions. Junipers perform best in full sun, but can tolerate shade. Also, junipers do not like wet locations and prefer well-drained soil. Depending on the species, Juniper planting zones range from 2 to 9. ------- General Uses of Junipers --- Junipers are an excellent choise for tall landscape hedges or windbreaks due to their fast and dense growth habits. Juniper size varies from four to eight feet wide and ten to twenty feet tall. The foliage can range from green or blue in colour. Upright junipers will need some light pruning to maintain their shape. These focal point upright junipers are used as special shaped topiaries, trimmed as spirals and poodles. A few good examples are: Hetzi Columnaris Juniper, an upright juniper with a fabulous medium green colour, good berry production and grows four feet wide by ten feet tall. Canaertii Juniper has foliage in a striking dark green colour with a compact pyramidal form that grows seven feet wide by fifteen feet tall. Blue Haven Juniper has intense blue foliage with a very symmetrical, pyramidal form which grows four feet wide by ten feet tall. --- Junipers used for foundation or backdrops in landscapes are a great choice due to their fine texture and arching branches. These junipers can reach five feet tall by eight feet wide. They are available in light green, golden, blue/green, and blue in colour. Foundation junipers will need light pruning to maintain their shape. Good examples of these junipers are: Saybrook Gold Juniper, whose new growth foliage is extremely bright yellow, has a compact horizontal spread and it grows three feet tall by six feet wide. Sea Green Juniper is a green compact juniper with a fountain like growth habit which grows four feet tall by six feet wide. Grey Owl Juniper is a medium size juniper with a horizontal spread, brilliant silver gray foliage colour and maturing at four feet tall by six feet wide. ------- Junipers as Groundcovers --- My personal favorite use of compact Junipers is as a groundcover, be it on slopes for erosion control, underplanting trees or atop retaining walls. Groundcover Junipers are excellent evergreen groundcovers that grow from six inches to two feet tall, depending on the variety. Groundcover Junipers are rugged, fast growing, and can quickly cover large areas in landscapes. The foliage can vary from green, blue/green or silver/green in colour. Groundcover junipers are outstanding plants for landscaping slopes and banks. They need very minimal pruning, however clipping the tips of main branches will promote a dense branching system. A few good examples of groundcover junipers are: Blue Pacific Juniper, a low trailing habit and ocean blue/green foliage colour that spreads two to three feet wide by four inches tall. Green Mound Juniper is very short growing with beautiful bright green foliage and just a hint of blue. It grows five feet wide by six inches tall. Blue Rug Juniper is a silvery blue, needle like foliage with a purple tinge in the winter that grows three feet wide by four inches tall. ------- My Bottom Line - With over 170 species and varieties of junipers to pick from, it should be easy incorporating junipers into your next landscape design. -------

Photos from Urn Workshop. This is the work of the following artists in order: Heather, Susan, Dee, Kathy, Penny, Evelyn, Maria, Sue and Mary. Congratulations! Really beautiful.

Want to have a bit of fun on a dreary day? Join our little game of "Never Have I Ever" and leave your answer below.

The Great Stirling Horticultural Society Photo Contest Overall Prizes First Prize, Charles Swerdfeger Second Prize, Judi Kryzyzanowski Third Prize, Glenn Bennett

The Great Stirling Horticultural Society Photo Contest Category Winners 1. Joan O'Brien, The Strong Silent Type 2. Charles Swerdfeger, The Troublemaker 3. Caroline Smith, The Survivalist... 4. Glenn Bennett, So Glad We Have Each Other 5. Judi Kryzanowski , Days are Getting Longer 6. Charles Swerdfeger, Too Close for Comfort 7. Glenn Bennett, Potpourri See more

Hello everyone! I was hoping to post updated pics of my 84 year-old Dad’s Cactus in full bloom! So here they are! Since we’ve been social distancing and ...live in different towns, he’s taken these pics himself and sent them to me. And because he doesn’t have wifi or belong to any sort of social media, I’ve decided to post more Proud of my Dad plant pics! Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming likes and endless positive comments. (He’s still scratching his head wondering how I know 800+ people in the gardening world. Lol!). Anyways, wishing everyone a happy, healthy, green-thumb, & Stay Safe holiday and winter season! See more