It’s not too late to plant, in fact fall is the ideal time to plant spring bulbs and many perennials. Join us on Saturday, Oct 5th from 10 am to 2 pm at the Port Credit Library for our Fall Plant Sale. Bring your garden questions along for advice from the experts.
May 25th: Our Annual Spring Plant Sale @ Riverwood
Join us on Saturday May 25th, rain or shine, 10 am to 2 pm for our spring plant sale. Mississauga MGs will be answering your gardening questions as well as offering a wide assortment of perennials, native plants & vegetables along with a selection of annuals & herbs for sale. Cash only. Come early for the best selection!
Tips & Techniques for the Home Gardener on Growing Plants from Seeds
Brampton Seedy Saturday, March 9th, See you there!
Mississauga MGs will have a gardening advice clinic at Brampton’s
Seedy Saturday March 9th. Bring your garden questions!
The event also offers a great deal more to interest garden aficionados:
- Hear from environmental experts
- Access gardening resources
- Connect with vendors
- Share, swap and buy seeds
- Enjoy the Seedy Café
- Explore the Kids’ Zone
- For more info: //www1.brampton.ca/EN/residents/parks/pages/seedy-saturday.aspx
Mississauga Seed Library 10th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday Feb 24th: 10 am to 2 pm. Join Mississauga MGs there!
Mississauga Seed Library 10th Anniversary & Launch
Join us as we celebrate the 10th year of the Mississauga Seed Library with workshops, gardening experts and family friendly activities.
Saturday, February 24 | 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Small Arms Inspection Building
Visit Mississauga MGs advice table and bring your garden questions!
Seed Library Launch Drop-in Schedule
10 am – 2 pm | Exhibitors
10 am | Opening Remarks
10:30 am | Indigenous Gardening Methods and Techniques
12 pm | Attracting Pollinators to Your Yard with Credit Valley Conservation
1 pm | Get Growing: Vegetables in Pots, Vegetables in Plots with Master Gardeners
Attracting Pollinators to Your Yard
12 pm – 1 pm | Drop-in
Pollinators help plants to bloom and thrive. Want to support butterflies, bees and other pollinators in their natural roles? Discover the top native flowers, shrubs and trees you may plant to help them along. Learn how to create beautiful, healthy habitat even in the smallest spaces. Presented by Credit Valley Conservation.
Get Growing: Vegetables in Pots, Vegetables in Plots
1 pm – 2 pm | Drop-in
Learn about growing edibles and planning your vegetable garden in pots or plots this growing season. Presented by Master Gardeners.
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Seedy Saturday @ The Unitarian Congregation Feb 24th
Visit the Master Gardeners’ Kid’s Garden & Advice Clinic @ the Home & Backyard Show Feb 2-4, 2024
Mississauga Master Gardeners (MMG) & Etobicoke Master Gardeners (EMG) invite you to visit us at the Home and Backyard Show February 2-4, 2024, Mississauga International Center. Explore the Children’s Garden and get your hands dirty while enjoying a hands-on gardening experience, including learning how to care for different plants. Learn about Good Bugs & Bad Bugs, find out who are the Pollinators in the garden, and how to attract them. Make a pine-cone bird feeder, create your own grass head, and participate in other fun and creative activities. Children will have a great time discovering the joys of gardening in this enjoyable and educational gardening experience.
Have a gardening or horticultural question? Ask an Expert. Drop by the Master Gardener Advice Clinic and visit our experts bringing your questions, pictures, and challenges, and they will have you walking away with a number of solutions and ideas.
Hurray for the Amaryllis! Queen of the Christmas Flowers
By Diana Westland, Mississauga Master Gardeners
At this time of year, it is common for us to celebrate the holiday season by filling our homes with evergreens and flowers. The showiest among the flowering plants is the mighty Amaryllis. Many people are intimidated by these bulbs, and once the blooms are over, they discard them. However, for those who can take the time, aftercare for these exotic bulbs is simpler than you think. These bulbs can continue to bloom for you every year.
First, a little background on the Amaryllis plant. The bulbs sold during Christmas originate in South America and are Hippeastrum spp. rather than the original Amaryllis belladonna native to South Africa. These Hippeastrum bulbs have been heavily hybridized over the years. The natural cycle of dormancy, blooming and leaf growth must be emulated for them to bloom for us in December.
The larger the bulb, the larger and the more numerous the flowers. The energy for producing the flowers is stored in the bulb. Therefore, there must be a period where leaves are permitted to develop exposed to full bright but indirect sunlight for a period of several weeks. During this growth period these plants can be treated as houseplants and placed in a sunny window, or placed in the ground or on a sunny balcony in late spring and summer once danger of frost has passed. The more sunlight the leaves receive, the more energy the bulb can store to produce the flowers.
However, as the plants are tropical, grown in USDA Hardiness zone 9-11, the bulbs cannot stay outside in Mississauga in late fall/winter. They must be brought inside. Repotting with sterile soil is recommended if they have been exposed outside to ensure no insect eggs or fungal spores are carried inside to breed during the dormancy period.
My first Amaryllis was a gift. When the blooms ended, I decided I would care for it and hope to get blooms the following year. I moved the plant to a window exposed to morning light. Lily-like leaves emerged and continue to thrive from that Christmas to the following September.
In September I moved the bulb to my cold cellar where there is no light, and temperatures are slightly cooler. The bulb received no water or nutrients during this dormancy period, roughly 8 weeks.
As the leaves faded, I removed them. I restored the bulb to a sunny window in Mid-November and sparingly watered and fertilized it: the soil was allowed to dry between waterings. The flower stalk emerged and produced the flowers in time for Christmas once again. Success!
References:
//plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/amaryllis/
Amaryllis, Hippeastrum – Wisconsin Horticulture
Going to the CNE this year? Bring your gardening questions to the Master Gardener’s Booth @ Heritage Hall
The Canadian National Exhibition 2023 runs from August 18 to
Sept 4, including Labour Day Monday.
Master Gardeners from all over the GTA will be on hand at Heritage Court at the Master Gardener’s booth throughout the event. Find us near the flower show.
Bring your gardening questions along; our MG volunteers are ready and willing to offer our expert advice.
Hope to see you there!
Native Plant Sale @ Blooming Boulevards Mississauga June 10-11th
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Plant Sale!! Saturday May 27th 10am-2pm @ Riverwood
Mississauga Seed Library Launch
Welcome spring with the re-opening of the Mississauga Seed Library for 2023.
Now in a new location (while the Port Credit library is under renovation.)
Celebrating the 9th year of the Mississauga Seed Library with workshops, gardening experts and family-friendly activities.
When: SATURDAY MARCH 11th. 10:30 am to 1:30 pm
Location: Small Arms Inspection Building (SAIB)
1352 Lakeshore Road East Mississauga, ON L5E 1E9