Ripley Horticultural Society installs new executive, learns about rain gardens

The Ripley and District Horticultural Society, formed in 1927 for those interested in promoting education of horticultural activities, beautification of home, and maintenance of community gardens, held its first meeting of 2018, Wednesday, at the Ripley Legion.

President Sandra MacDonald welcomed 24 members and one guest to the eventful assembly which included regular business, year-end reports, installation of new board members, and a guest speaker talking about rain gardens.

District 8 director Vicky Culbert, installed the executive and directors, thanking them for their service to the society and community. She also brought news of provincial and regional Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) initiatives.

The new executive and directors include: past-president Ann Finlayson, president Sandra MacDonald, secretary Christine Roberts, second vice-president Dianne Simpson, directors Isabel Carter, Shirley Galloway, Brenda Gillespie, Evylene MacTavish, Eleanor Kraemer, Janet Nixon and Rose-Marie Meyer, youth convener Tryntje Eisen, archivist and card convener Gail vander Hoek, and auditor Sheila MacDonald.

The Ripley Horticultural Society is hosting the OHA 2018 District 8 annual general meeting, and MacDonald, representing the planning committee, shared ongoing plans for the regional gathering to be held May 5 in Point Clark.

Guest speaker Emily Martin, project co-ordinator with the Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN), began her presentation on rain gardens with an overview of the work of PRWIN: its grassroots origins, the importance of water quality, and the many ways PRWIN addresses this issue in our area.

Although residential gardening may seem outside the usual scope of her organization’s work, Martin detailed the ways in which a rain garden can be an attractive and environmentally-friendly method to absorb excess stormwater, allowing pollutants to be filtered out while recharging the groundwater supply and creating wildlife and pollinator habitat.

Through detailed graphics and photos of the garden installation at the Ripley Library, Oct. 16, 2017, Martin led the group through the many steps of deciding whether a rain garden suits a particular property, to design, installation and choice of organic materials.



Guest speaker Emily Martin of PRWIN talks about rain gardens at the Ripley and District Horticultural Society meeting, Wednesday, at the Ripley Legion; photo by Christine Roberts

She thanked the many Ripley Horticultural Society members who attended and/or participated in the October workshop and invited them to visit the garden in the coming year to enjoy and gauge its progress. For more information about PRWIN visit www.pineriverwatershed.ca.

The next meeting of the Ripley Horticultural Society is scheduled for Feb. 21, at 1:30 p.m. at the Ripley Legion. Members are invited to bring horticultural questions to be shared and answered. Follow the Society on Facebook @Ripleyhorticulture.



The new Ripley and District Horticultural Society executive and directors includes, in back, auditor Sheila MacDonald (left), directors Isabel Carter, Shirley Galloway, Brenda Gillespie, and Rose-Marie Meyer, youth convener Tryntje Eisen, archivist and card convenor Gail vander Hoek; and in front, past-president Ann Finlayson (left), president Sandra MacDonald, and secretary Christine Roberts; photo courtesy of Christine Roberts