“A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” – Maya Angelou
February 16th Meeting
St Johnʼs Anglican Church, Parish Hall, 33 Pine Street North, Port Hope. Social time: 7pm; Meeting
start: 7:30pm
Rob Stavinga, Alumnus of the Kawartha Conservation Authority-
Bird Friendly Gardening.
Rob Stavinga was a watershed resources technician at the
Kawartha Conservation Authority. He is an avid birder and
runs informative ʻbirding hikesʼ through various sections
of the Greenbelt.
Come hear Robʼs talk on tips & tricks for bird friendly
gardening. To learn more about Robʼs work, check out his
series of videos on Youtube: Birding with Rob Stavinga
January in Review
AGM
The following were unanimously passed at the AGM: Minutes of the January 2025 AGM, Treasurerʼs
Report, Financial Reviewerʼs Report, Budget 2025-2026, Board of Directorsʼ Report, Actions of the
Board of Directors and Nominations Committee Report.
Victoria Terry and Paulette Mouzer have agreed to continue in their roles as Financial Reviewers for
the upcoming year. This allows our Club to avoid hiring an (expensive) auditor.
Two members agreed to join the Board for the upcoming year: Joanne Racic and Louis Racic.
Maggie Money stepped down from the Board after 11 years.
Thank you for your many years of service Maggie!
2026 Board approved at the AGM: Back row: Darlene
Mack, Louis Racic and Bill Kamula. Front row l-r: Janet
Clark, Joanne Racic, Beverley Batchellor, Marilyn
Homewood, Lyn Bradshaw, Bonnie Tuttle, Yvonne Lane,
and Jeanne Banka.
Yvonne Lane – ʻTravel Through a Gardenerʼs Eye – Japan, France & UKʼ.
Club member, Yvonne Lane, dazzled us with a slide show of fabulous
gardens on her recent travels. Although the gardens of Japan use very little
colour, their use of water, sand, wood and stone offer serenity, calm and
ability to ʻsoothe the spiritʼ. What a delight to come across a ʻhot-spring
foot bathʼ on a main street! In the Dordogne Valley, France, Yvonne visited
the gardens of ʻmuseʼ Josephine Baker (1906-1975) an iconic entertainer
and French Resistance hero. Le Chateau et jardins des Milandes.
And in London, Yvonne visited The Garden Museum something that has
been on her bucket list for years. It is the only museum dedicated to the
art, history and design of British gardens. Chelsea Physic Garden was
another stop. Itʼs the oldest botanical garden in London. Not to be
outdone, Yvonne closed with a collage of what was blooming in her own
Port Hope garden when she returned at the end of April. Also garden-tour worthy! Thank you Yvonne
for a fabulous and inspirational slide show.
A Note from your program committee
We have again put together what we think is an interesting and varied program of speakers and events for 2026. As our club is made up of a marvellous group of volunteers, we do look to their skills and talents to incorporate into our program, hence the January program often includes a presentation
from one of our members. This works in that it’s our AGM and it also helps with not having to provide a speakers fee.
We generally have spots in the program where we can accommodate something out of the ordinary or something you are passionate about – so please don’t be shy to offer up your services. Contact Yvonne
Lane or Jeanne Banka if you have ideas.
Refreshment committee needs you!
Wendy Wotton and Marilyn Curzon have done a marvellous job in the past year providing us with coffee and tea and keeping the kitchen area spic and span. And now Wendy needs a helper for when
she is not available. The chores are not onerous – putting out the cups and making the coffee and tea, and clearing up after the meeting and putting the dishwasher on – but important, in that we all enjoy
the refreshments and socializing before our meetings. Are you able to help out – and if so, please let
Wendy know
2026 Yearbooks are here!
Your 2026 Yearbooks are now available for pick up. This booklet contains
everything you need to know about the year ahead: the monthly program, flower
& photography show details, our Presidentʼs message, key contact information and
a great look back at the highlights of 2025. Keep it handy. Itʼs going to be a great
year!
Did you know? The ʻsnowdropʼ is our clubʼs official flower.
To celebrate, pick up one of our new, super-cute snowdrop lapel pins at the
registration desk. The snowdrop symbolizes hope, purity, resilience and new
beginnings, representing lifeʼs triumph over winterʼs darkness. It is one of the first
flowers to emerge in spring, often through the snow. Wear your pin out & about in Port
Hope and encourage others to come check us out.
Planning Ahead for the OHA Meeting – April 11, 2026
As Iʼm sure you know, Port Hope Garden Club is hosting the April 11, 2026 meeting of
the Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) – District 4 Annual General Meeting. In
the coming months, weʼll be asking for volunteers for specific roles. We hope youʼll
consider helping out.
For anyone who was collecting plastic containers for our ʻseed snailʼ project (first,
thank you!) and second, there has been a change in plans. We wonʼt be doing this activity at the April
meeting after all. But, hey, now you have some containers for your own seed snail project. Spring is
right around the corner. (we hope).
Silent Auction Items needed!
Hosting this meeting comes with costs. We, therefore, need to run a Silent Auction at the event to
help offset those costs. If you have any items that you feel might make a good silent auction item, we
would greatly appreciate it. Jeanne Banka is collecting items and will assemble the baskets. If you
have donations or questions, reach out to Jeanne. Thank you in advance!
Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Sauces?
Do you preserve anything? If you do, would you consider donating just 1 jar of your homemade
goodies to what we consider to be our premier item at the OHA Meetingʼs Silent Auction: “from the
pantries of Pope Hope”. For many, the art of preserving jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, sauces or
antipasto are a part of their annual traditions. We thought it would be a thoughtful and fitting tribute
to offer a little taste of Port Hopeʼs ʻgoodies from the gardenʼ. Afterall, the OHA was founded as an
agricultural group where food is at the heart of it all. Please bring any donations to the next garden
club meeting or reach out to Jeanne.
New Members
Please give a warm welcome to Bev Noble and Joanne Noble who joined our club at the last meeting. Weʼre so glad you came!
Reminders
Membership Renewals. Itʼs that time of year again to renew your annual memberships. See
Maggie at the desk when you check in. Individuals $20. Families $30.
Guests. A reminder that guests are always welcome at monthly meetings. If you have a friend or
family member who would be interested in any of our monthly topics, please bring them. Guest fees
are $5/meeting.
Refreshments. A big thank you to Beverley Batchellor and Liz Stewart for providing the most delicious refreshments for the January meeting.
Cards to Members
If you know of a member who is ill, has had surgery or has lost a loved one, contact Paulette Mouzer with the details so we can send a card and
message from the club.
Social Get Together over Coffee
The next coffee get-together is Wednesday February 4th at Starbucks, Port Hope at 10:30am.
Upcoming Events
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 13-16. How to participate.
- Port Hope Seedy Saturday. Saturday Feb 21, 2026 Full list of Seedy Saturdays nation-wide
Links of Interest
- OHA – OHA Trillium Winter 2025-2026 (Port Hope Garden Club pg 34)
- BBC Gardenerʼs World – Monty Don’s Top 5 Gardens to see in the World
- Peterborough Master Gardeners: Emma Murphy – The KISS Principle – Winter Sowing 101
- Peterborough Master Gardeners: Thom Luloff – Snow Laughing Matter: Why Winter’s White Blanket
Deserves Respect - Gardening with Mark & Ben Cullen – February Newsletter
- Lanark County Master Gardeners – Trowel Talk Newsletter – Jan 15/26
- Birds Canada – Your Guide to Helping Canada’s Birds
- Gardening Calendar – February Update – The Most Romantic Gardens of France
Winter Seed Sowing – Giving it a try
There seems to be lots of information out there on winter seed sowing.
(see Links of Interest above or the fb links below). Any seeds that need
cold stratification apparently work really well. I thought I would give it a
try. Most of the literature suggests using milk jugs but they are impossible
to find so Iʼve used a variety of water and juice bottles. It was pretty
straightforward. The hardest part was finding a spot on the ground now
that we have literally 10 feet of snow! Wish me luck.
Has anyone tried it? Drop me a line with a picture and what seeds youʼre
starting or any advice you have on the topic – Janet.
