Halton Region Master Gardeners
The Halton Region Master Gardeners began in 1986. The founding group was The Burlington Master Gardeners, under the leadership of Bruce Aspen (deceased). As the group expanded, members were attracted from the communities of Burlington, Oakville, Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Milton, Freelton, Hamilton, Waterdown, Acton and Georgetown . In 2004 the name of the group was changed to The Halton Region Master Gardeners to better describe the membership geographical area.
The members volunteer at Information Tables for community garden events, garden tours and special summer events at the Royal Botanical Gardens. In addition the members take a lead role in special community projects. Members contribute articles to the newsletter “CROSS POLLINATION” that is published 8 times a year. Download our brochure here.
Hotline:
Royal Botanical Gardens
Garden Information
1-800-694-4769 ex226
www.haltonmastergardeners.mgoi.ca
Coordinator: Claudette Sims haltonmastergardeners@gmail.com
Norfolk County Master Gardeners
We represent all of Norfolk County and we meet the 3rd tuesday of the month at the OMAFRA building outside of Simcoe.The staff at OMAFRA have our members phone numbers on record and direct public questions to us. We are a small group that formed in 2002. Currently we have 13 members- 4 of them are MGIT.
We do not have a website or a hotline number. Our group hosts 2 public clinics each year- one in April and the other in October. We bring in good speakers, they are free to the public and we get around 50 people attending. We also have a booth which we all volunteer at during Norfolk County Fair. This is a week long Fair so we meet a lot of the public and have activities for children also.
We do volunteer at the local Hort Societies spring plant sales too.
Coordinator: Jackie Cave
Master Gardeners of Niagara
In existence for more than 20 years, the Niagara group was started by the late Lydia Szukis in 1987. Currently we have 28 active and enthusiastic members who meet the second Thursday of the month at the Vineland Research & Innovation Centre. We serve our communities in the Niagara Region by answering gardening questions through a telephone Hotline (courtesy of Stokes Seeds) and through email. Our website address is www.mastergardenersofniagara.com . In addition to offering gardening advice at the St. Catharines Library every Saturday during the busy season as well at Rice Road Garden Centre (Fonthill) in May and June, our members also participate in the Shaw Guild Garden Tour (NOTL) in the Spring and offer workshops at Hospice Niagara. We enjoy monthly “hands-on” gardening sessions at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture where we work in the herb garden or the flower beds and take part in greenhouse activities.
Hotline: 905-646-2818
Email: niagaramg@hotmail.com
Coordinator: Marie Johns
Brantford Master Gardeners
We are 19 members in our group. We do not have a web site. We stopped our hot line because it was too costly for the amount of calls we would get. At the co-ordinators meeting we discussed this and were going to think of a way that calls to the Master Gardener hot line could be directed to the group in the area of the caller. Not sure if this has been considered.
Some of the Activities we are involved in are listed below:
Bite of Brant - each year grade 5 children are bussed to Burford Ontario and farmers and our Master Gardener members give them an information lesson on animals, plants etc. This is done in the form of stations where each station gives a five minute presentation.
Bell Homestead - We look after the herb garden at the Bell Homestead in Brantford , planting and maintenance
Norfolk County Fair - Some years our Master Gardeners hold an information booth there
Malls - Set up information booths in malls on occasion
Garden Tour - Each year we have a garden tour in Brantford (about 8 gardens) and our Master Gardeners are on duty to answer questions
We will now Fund up to 2 MGIT a year.
In 2008 we assisted in restoring the gardens of the Manse at the old Church in Glen Morris. The group donated money to buy some larger plants and members went out one Saturday, brought plants from their own gardens and then ripped out, weeded and replanted. We achieved a wonderful result and this will be maintained by our members. Each year, some of our members go the Bell Homestead and clean and plant the herb garden on the property.
Coordinator Ferdinand Otawa