Opportunities are blooming for gardening enthusiasts looking to improve their growing power.
Lansdowne plays host to the Ottawa Home and Garden Show from March 25-28. With more than 300 home and gardening experts, the show is sure to offer plenty of inspiration and advice for any upcoming projects you have planned.
But if the crowds are keeping you away from Lansdowne, there are other options.
One of Ottawa’s oldest clubs, the Horticulture Society of Ottawa, offers monthly presentations, free to the public. While lecture topics may vary, each presentation features a social break where members are available to answer questions.
“Everyone here is friendly,” said executive member Jeff Blackadar. “We have members of varying experience, from beginner level to PhDs in botany. You can get the answers to pretty well any question.”
Blackadar encourages anyone wanting to learn more about plants to check out the meetings, which are usually held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Tom Brown Arena.
If a more intimate learning environment better suits your needs, the city provides one-time gardening classes for interested residents.
For horticulturists with little space, they are offering a new class called container gardening. For those who lack any growing experience, they are also currently offering gardening for beginners.
“We just started off running them for this spring. It was a trial to see if there is an interest in the work shops,” said Michelle Stephenson, program co-ordinator with the City of Ottawa.
Courses are offered at locations around the city and are tentative based on interest from the public. For those interested, Stephenson recommends contacting the city for specifics on course details.
If your interest lies in growing your food, the Community Gardening Network of Ottawa offers a number of resources to help maximize your harvest. Beginner level vegetable gardening, natural pest control, seed saving and food preservation are all available, with new courses popping up all season.
All workshops are $5 or pay-what-you-can, and are free for members of the Community Gardening Network.
With the final snowfall behind us, and spring in the air, timing is perfect for Ottawa residents to learn how to turn those black thumbs green.
