Sunday, December 11, 2016

Harvey Wrightman of Wrightman Alpines Nursery

We are saddened by the sudden death last week of Harvey Wrightman of Wrightman Alpines Nursery. Fundy Gardeners members recently visited their gardens last summer. I personally enjoyed his hospitality as he took the time to explain and show how the tufa planter boxes were made. Our condolences to his wife Irene and their daughter Esther and her family.
CBC did an interview in 2014 with Harvey Wrightman
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2600386683/


t is with sadness that we have learned of the passing of Harvey Wrightman -owner of Wrightman Alpines Nursery. Harvey died at his home in St. Andrews on Friday. Many of us have bought alpines from Harvey over the years and in August Fundy Gardeners visited his nursery in St. Andrews. He, with the help of his wife Irene and daughter Esther have developed wonderful display gardens along with 2 greenhouses for growing and propagating his treasured alpines. Harvey was a wealth of knowledge and passionate about his plants - he will be truly missed.
Harvey's life work will continue as Esther and Irene will run the business. Below is a wonderful tribute to Harvey, written by his daughter Esther.
RIP Harvey!


The Life of Harvey Wrightman
by Esther Wrightman Dillon
December 10, 2016
My dad was born in a garden, or pretty near to it. His parents were of the same breed and even had a rockery back in the day. As a boy he built his own natural spring water garden and bog, complete with orchids and other treasures he would order by mail. That he reverted to gardening after university, then teaching, seemed like the only appropriate thing for him to do. I knew him only this way, working with hands as a stonemason and gardener. In recent years he told me that the nursery was the best job he could imagine. And he’s right - all of his children saw this and followed in his footsteps. Dan and Maria are stonemasons, and I took to the plant nursery.
Thirty years ago he and my mom Irene published the first catalogue for Wrightman Alpines. It was a hobby, or more like a passion that was clearly running wild and the only way to make sense of it in the real world was to create a small business from scratch.
The gardens of my childhood were always changing, from just a sandy scree with grapes and California poppies sprinkled about, to granite fieldstone terraces, stone walls, troughs, and eventually his favourite — the crevices gardens. To my child eyes they became a land of fairies. We played every imaginary game in them, hopping from stone to stone, crouching down to examine each flower, imagining what it would be like to wear each one as a pretty dress.
Just as he experienced as a child, my dad would let me build a garden anywhere. At four years old I remember scattering zinnia seeds in a triangular patch, and watching them magically grow. Then there were playhouse gardens full off every kind of cosmos and cottage annual.  My dad never scoffed at other types of gardens. They were all part of exploring, and he’d encourage it by buying some wild collected scented stocks to add, or fresh loads of rich topsoil, or a liner for a pond and bog (“How big do you want it?”).
By the time I was eighteen I had worked my way though multiple gardens. Unbeknown to me — this was my education. That year I walked out on university after only two weeks. To be honest I was always reluctant to go, my grades were good but being in a school was always difficult for an outdoor cat. He picked me up the next day with never a question of whether I was out of my mind. He had left medical school, though rarely talked of it. From what he said, it was what everyone expected him to be, a doctor. But with the freedom of leaving, he was finally able to start doing what he loved again. The autumn I came home was the most poignant and exhilarating season I had ever experienced; I didn’t know that the sweet long days of autumn went on for so long. I hadn’t felt them since before I went to school. This was the year I started working with my dad full time with plants. Up to that point, we had spent many summers on stonework job sites. I was basically the 5' scrawny cement mixer for the sidewalks and walls he built. We worked well together and this just drifted over into plants quite naturally.
But the nursery was different. This was something we both dreamt about.
Harvey (I called him this, never Dad, that’s just the way it was) never thought I was incapable of anything. He didn’t start me off with easy plants like sedums and sempervivums to propagate, like most would with a new employee. There was a bed of saxifrage that he had given up growing, not because he didn’t want to, but because they had suffered under the conditions we had them in. He had just learnt that our water had three times the 'normal' salt content and this was slowly killing treasured plants like gentians and saxifrages. I could tell this was depressing him but he faced it a different way. “Do you want to propagate those Saxifraga? They’re yours. See what you can do.” And that’s how it started. He gave me total authority along with the responsibility to a novice eighteen-year-old to rejuvenate a collection of Kabschia saxifraga. This was how he was.  Not once in my life did he doubt what I thought I could (maybe) do, and he always gave me the tools and knowledge to make it happen.
If there was one thing he loved most, I'd say it was growing seedlings. The spurt of new growth was pure joy for him. To an outsider they'd think he was crazy, excited over a ziplock bag of tiny green sprouts. Or showing the smallest of plants in the crevice garden, with just a flower or two on it.
I know that the one thing he always wished to see was what he called a "democratization" of growing alpines. He wanted everyone to have the opportunity to grow and enjoy them. Seed collectors started this by selling wild, normally unavailable seeds to the general public.  And nursery growers like Harvey continued it in plant form.
When the cancer returned this fall we started to make the transfer of the nursery happen. It was bittersweet — not something I wanted to announce or speak happily of. Hard reality was hitting us fast. In the greenhouse one day he asked me with such sincerity, “Do you like to do this? Does this make you happy?” It does, incredibly!  It’s the best job in the world. That’s all that he cared, that I was happy. Then he quietly went about ordering supplies and setting up the nursery to be transferred, without any bumps or upsets. He even knew that the digging fork’s handle would break soon, so he had a spare one hanging in the shop, ready to be put on when the time came.
Yesterday I was up the hill in the shop, holding a jar of gibberellic acid. Over seventy cups of seeds were sitting there on the workbench, and all I could think was: if I pour the GA3 on these seeds then I have to plant them tomorrow, and what if my dad passes away, maybe I won’t be able to plant them. I should wait. Or no, Harvey would not want me to. Smiling, I knew what my dad would ask as soon as I walked in the house, if he could still hear and speak, “Did you get those seeds soaked?” I poured the GA in the cups and went down to check on him. After two weeks in palliative care and three weeks at home with us he was beyond frail, but the night before he managed to half smile at me and that’s all I needed to keep up the day and night care.
He passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon [December 9, 2016]. Mom had gone into town for medication and I was sitting with him as he lay in bed. I'd played him some Irish airs on the concertina (which he always liked, I'm not sure could hear, but I was hoping he could feel them). I picked up the seed lists on the side table. I was looking at the three of them (Czech collectors: Holubec, Piatek, and Jurášek) and thinking how he had ordered the seeds from one a few months ago, another he ordered half and I picked out the other half while he was in the hospital, and the last one I had to pick out the seeds on my own. There was a huge snow cloud coming across the bay at Brandy Cove — dark, but a bright white top from the blue sky behind it and the snow was just gently starting to fall. Gulls were splashing along the shore; it looked like they were almost playing. I heard him make two quick breaths in. I put down the papers and went over to him, called to Dan upstairs, felt his still chest. He gave one sweet long exhale, and I knew he had slipped away.
I know I shouldn't say this, but it was a very gentle death, not a bit of anxiety on his face, and his eyes were closed. He was very much at peace. I cried, but it was not painful. I'm so glad he is at rest now. At some point it will hit me again, but for now I'm so glad I was able to be with him to the very end like this. For all of my thirty-five years he has been by my side, daily. Essentially I spent my entire life heavily intertwined with him — because we 'got' each other. We didn’t even have to speak to one other as we worked together, because we knew what the other was thinking.
He was the best of dads.
Today I’m going back out to the shop to plant all those seeds.  For him. He needs to know — everything keeps growing.
Harvey lived to 67 years of age, with his wife Irene; children Dan (Kim), Maria (Jeremy), and Esther (Daniel); and grandchildren Kassandra, Angelica, Rita, Adele, Thomas and Clara 

Friday, December 2, 2016

FUNDY GARDENERS last meeting of 2016 - December 7th , 6:30 pm -note TIME CHANGE
St. James the less Church, 1760 Rothesay Rd.

As this will be our Christmas party please bring a potluck item to share - salad, casserole, dessert...whatever you choose to make. As in the past, we will provide sliced turkey, ham and pork roast. There will be 2 serving tables, so if possible please divide your food item into 2 containers so we can place one on either side of the room so everyone gets to enjoy a broad sampling of treats.
Also bring your own table setting (plate, cup, silverware) and perhaps a table decoration to add some cheer.
If you'd like to bring a door prize that will add to the fun as we'll do a Yankee Swap….please wrap it up to keep the mystery going.
We'll have our 50/50 draw and Paula will be open for membership renewals.
If you're able to help with the room set up, please meet at the Church Hall by 4:30.

Christmas  Tabletop Arrangement Workshop
Wednesday, December 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm ( storm date, December 15, same time )
St Augustine Anglican Church, 239 Quispamsis Rd. ( corner of Quispamsis and Pettingill Roads )
PARTICIPANTS ARE TO BRING THEIR OWN CONTAINERS.  If you have  any greenery, natural or artificial decorative items that you wish to use and /or share with others, please bring them.
We will provide wet foam and a variety of greenery and natural decorative items and, hopefully, some flowers.
This will be a communal effort of people getting together to have fun and to create something beautiful for the season – there will not be an expert leading the group but there will be friends sharing and helping each other!!
You must sign up and pay the fee of $10  at the meeting/ Christmas potluck on December 7 so that we will know how much material we will need.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

FUNDY GARDENERS meeting November 3

Image result for latin plant namesSpeaker: Dr. Kate FregoTopic: Latin 101: Understanding Botanical Names

Display Table: Sempervivums, please! Name: Latin: = always living

AGM: nomination and financial reports

Book Sale: Please bring books, magazines, DVDs, CDs. Sale 6:30 – 7 pm  and at the break50/50 tickets
Memberships: 2017 memberships available - $20 single; $30 couple


Workshop: Winter/Christmas outdoor pots at Shades of Green with Barb McKelvey
Wednesday, November 23 at 2 – 4 pm or 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
Last chance to sign up and pay at the Nov. Meeting – fee $30

Thursday, September 29, 2016

October Meeting

Fundy Gardeners’ meeting – Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7 pm, 1760 Rothesay Rd.
Speaker: Susan Brooks
Topic: African Violets and Gesneriads
Plant Sale: members of the Fundy African Violet and Gesneriad Society will have some plants for sale.
Display theme: Fall Arrangement -  people’s choice award
50/50 draw: $1 for one or $2 for three tickets

Tulips: The tulips will be ready for pick up at the meeting, from 6:30 – 7:00 and during the break.
( If you cannot be there to pick up your tulips, please contact me at 849-4353 or pat.mcgill@bellaliant.net. )



Workshop: Winter/Christmas Pot workshop -  Shades of Green
                Wednesday, November 23 at 2 – 4 or 6:30 – 8:30, Storm date, November 24
New designs and materials – fee: $30
Sign up and/or pay at the October meeting; all payments must be in by the November 2 meeting.

Fall Potted Plants Sale at the Public Gardens, Seeley Street, Saint John
Sunday, Oct. 2, 10 am – noon. See Mark at the greenhouses. 14 inch - $10; 10 inch - $7
This is a repeat from last Sunday, as they have pots leftover.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Garlic Talk and Demonstration

Talk and demonstration by Gagetown Garlic. It will be at Halifax Seed Saint John on Saturday ,September 24th at 10 o’clock.
 and questions you can contact Brian Pike,Halifax Seed,brian@halifaxseed.ca           

 Event and directions on Facebook/Blog

Monday, August 1, 2016

Growing Ornamental Grasses in Your Garden -Aug 3 Meeting

  • Display Theme: Gorgeous Grasses, people’s choice award
  • 50/50 draw
  • Show and Tell ( share the delights and challenges of your garden )
  • Workshop: sign up for paper making from plant material
  • Canada 150 Commemorative Tulips -
  • Last chance to order and pay for your tulips at the August meeting at a rate of $0.40 each. If you cannot attend the meeting, please contact Pat McGill to make alternate arrangements ( 849-4353 orpat.mcgill@bellaliant.net ).

Guest Speaker -

Jeff Morton, professor; grounds co‑manager

JeffMorton
I have a great job because I just go out and do fun stuff all the time. I get to take care of the environment and build new things and work on research projects with students.

Back to his roots

 

Jeff Morton grew up across the street from Dal’s Agricultural Campus, then the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC). As a kid in the 70s, he watched as new buildings went up in the area.
“I learned to skateboard on the hills over at the Cox Institute. I played road hockey in those parking lots,” he remembers. “Where the Haley building is was…where we tobogganed. That whole thing was a beautiful slope, and it was a sheep pasture so we called it Sheep Hill.
“This was quite a place to have right beside you.”
Prof. Morton teaches in the Environmental Landscape Horticulture and Managed Landscapes programs. He’s also the campus grounds co-manager. At one time, he was an NSAC student.
After completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Ontario, Prof. Morton returned to Nova Scotia with his wife and three daughters in 1992. He’s worked in the public and private sectors, and he’s been with Dal’s Faculty of Agriculture for four years.
“I have a great job because I just go out and do fun stuff all the time. I get to…take care of the environment and build new things and work on research projects with students,” he says. “There’s such a student connection to what we do (with the grounds).”
One of Prof. Morton’s favourite courses to teach is Project Management, because it gives students the opportunity to create things that will become permanent features of the campus. He also enjoys teaching Plant ID, because he gets to turn otherwise dry material into something exciting for students.
“When you see the students’ eyes begin to open about something, that’s what makes it really great,” he says.
Students come into the Environmental Landscape Horticulture and Managed Landscapes programs conscious of the environmental aspect, Prof. Morton adds.
“They’re easy converts to…that whole side of what the landscape gives back to the environment or (how it) helps protect it,” he says. “This is all becoming really important today, managing water and things. We’re the interface between agriculture and the city…so that’s kind of an exciting place to be.”
The Faculty of Agriculture has a good relationship with Atlantic Canada’s horticulture industry, Prof. Morton says.
“My want is to raise the level of our horticulture…for the community, as well as the students. I think we have a lot of really interesting things here, and our next step (should) be to create a more formal botanical garden approach.
“What we’re about is…the natural environment…being more positive in what we leave there."

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Fundy Gardeners July 6, 7PM

St. James the Less Church, 1760 Rothesay Rd.
Speaker: Arthur Haskins
Topic: The benefits of the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs
( The NSAGS is a very active association with many member clubs throughout the province and their coordination and collaboration is beneficial for all. )
Display Table  theme: Summer Bouquet
Show and Tell table: Please bring along anything of interest to gardeners.
50/50 draw

These will only be available from Home Hardware.
We can make a bulk order or you can purchase them yourselves.
PK of 25 – $12.97  ( 0.52 each )
PK of 100 - $44.99 (0.45 each )
Bulk order of 500 for $199.99 ( 0.40 each )
These are a beautiful tulip, large snow white blooms with pronounced red streaks and green foliage edged in white.
Please be prepared to give the # you require at the July meeting. They can be paid for at the August meeting.
Depending on the number we order, they may be able to give us an even better price, but we need to know what you need ahead of time.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Garden Club Activities

Date - Wednesday, June 15
Time - 6-8 pm
Location - Halifax Seed greenhouse - Rothesay Ave.
Presentation by Brian Pike -  Perennials...the stars & supporting players in the garden
Agenda-
.welcome
.presentation
.Q&A
.shopping


Visit  to the Public Gardens -Saturday, June 18th  9 am  (Open Fundy Garden Club Members Only)
Seely Street, Saint John
Saturday, June 18th  9 am
We will meet with Geoff to purchase potted plants between 9 and 10 am ( Geoff only has an hour for us  so come early) and then members can view the gardens.
Cash and carry only. Many of us got beautiful plants at our last visits.
Hope to see you there.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

FUNDY GARDENERS meeting, June 1st, 7 pm Aerial videography and photography

FUNDY GARDENERS meeting, June 1st, 7 pm
St. James the less Church, 1760 Rothesay Rd.

Speaker: This month our guest speaker will be Nick DeMerchant of Horizon Aerial who will discuss how aerial videography and photography can help showcase our gardens and landscaping. 

Following this will be "How is your garden growing" Q&A, so please bring all your questions and tips!

Display Table Theme: Because of the mix-up last month, we will happily accept an arrangement featuring “Everything Violet” OR “Wild Flowers” – People’s Choice Award

Show and/or Tell Table – please share the interesting happenings in your garden!
50/50 Draw
Bus Trip: If you have not paid the full amount already, the second half is due at this meeting.
Car Boot Sale: planned for Wednesday, June 8, 6:30, Overflow Parking Lot, Qplex – Tell your Friends!
Memberships available: $20 single; $30 couple
Hope to see everyone on June 1st.
-- 

Sunday, May 1, 2016

FUNDY GARDENERS’ meeting: Wednesday, May 4, 7 pm

Location-St. James the Less Church, 1760 Rothesay Rd.
Topic: Creating a Pansy Living Wreath
Speaker: Jean Wilson


Display Table theme: Wildflowers
50/50 draw
Seedlings for Sale ( If you have extras, please share them with us. )
Spring into Action, Enjoy your Gardens!!

Friday, April 1, 2016

This month's the topic will be.

Amphibians of NB and how to identify those in your garden Don McAlpine ,Head of Zoology at N.B. Museum



Display Theme - Signs of Spring-

 Fundy Gardeners’ Book Sale

April 6th meeting
Be an Early Bird with your donations and get a first crack at the items for sale!
We will be ready for you by 6 pm and the sale will take place from 6 – 7 pm and during the break.
 
Books: $2  or $3 for hardcover; $ 1 or $2 for soft cover
Magazines: 50 cents each or 3/ $ 1
CDs and DVDs: $ 1 or $2
 
This is a fundraiser for Fundy Gardeners; please participate.
      ( No textbooks or really out-of-date items that likely won’t sell )  




Wednesday, March 9, 2016

PEI Bus Trip July 23/24,2016

Attention Fundy Gardeners - if you missed the March meeting and/or are away for the winter, I wanted you to know that the dates for our summer Bus Trip have been set for July 23/24,2016 and this year we're off to PEI.
We'll be staying at UPEI - 2 sharing a room (twin beds) with a bathroom for every 2 rooms, and visiting a mix of Nurseries, a U-Dig and several private gardens which I hear are spectacular!! See list below.
 
Here's how to secure a seat….contact myself (Lynn Kinsella) at or prior to April 6 saying who is going, who you plan to share a room with and will you be at the April meeting to pay your deposit, or if you're away for the winter we'll send you Paula's address to mail your cheque - payable to Fundy Gardeners.  Right now we have 21 signed up with many having paid the full amount, so you don't want to delay if really interested in coming along.
 
  • Cost will be $110/pp based on the shared room and 40 people going. There are a few single rooms but I need to know by April 7 if you need a single and the cost is slightly higher.
  • A deposit of 50% is needed by the April 6th meeting
  • The final payment is due no later than the June 1st meeting.
  • No refunds after July 1.
  • The tour will be open to current Fundy Gardener members first. The tour will be advertised to other gardening groups after our April 6th meeting and I know there are a few Fredericton gardeners who are keen to join us. If you have a friend who wants to come along, after the April 6 meeting, providing there is room, they are welcome to join us.
 
Tour will include visits to:

Red Lane Gardens for daylilies,
Flower Patch U-dig perennials,
MacPhail Woods Nursery for native wildflowers and trees, Honey Tree Nursery for Magnolias and Japanese Maples,
Aiken House Country Garden at Warren Grove,
Ridley Gardens at Rice Point
Garth Davey gardens at Kildare Capes.
Betty Lou Abbott, Glen Valley, Prince Edward Island


Leave from on the Saturday about 8 AM and return early evening on Sunday. The $110/pp includes your seat on the bus, toll, accommodation and entrance fees for gardens. Additional costs to you will be meals and of course the PLANTS!
If you've never been on a Fundy Gardener bus tour, we always have a GREAT time!!

Monday, February 29, 2016

Understanding Lyme Disease in NB Speaker: Bob Doucet



Robert Doucet (Hampton, NB)

Former Land Survey Technician for the NB Department of Natural Resources
Robert’s health began to decline in fall 2002. After much suffering, Robert was eventually diagnosed with Lyme, and has since set out to promote Lyme education.
He was also selected by the regional chief medical officer for the city of St. John, N.B. to sit on the “Climate Change and Lyme Disease” committee for Milledgeville Area (an endemic Lyme area). Robert also works closely with New Brunswick’s health authorities to promote Lyme awareness

The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) was formed to provide the public, including medical professionals, with balanced and validated information on Lyme disease and related coinfections.

Other Business
 
Display Table Theme: Easter
Seed Exchange
50/50 draw
Memberships available: single $20, family $30
Sign-up for Workshop: 3-tier cedar step shelf ( $40 – 45 )
2016 Bus Trip – get all the details!
We are not buried in snow and spring is coming, so join us on Wednesday evening.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Feb 3,2016 meeting "Taking Photographs in the Garden"

Calling all floral arrangers ( and we know we have many from our January meeting )! We will be having our Display Table again in February.
The theme is Valentines, Love and Stuff. Have fun with your creations. Gift certificate for the winner.

Guest Speaker will be Steve Nason - Photographer/Gardener speaking on "Taking Photographs in the Garden"
Lots of information so you can dust off your Brownie camera and capture those images.  




Landscape New Brunswick is having an evening speaker Paul Zammit on Feb 16th at 7:00 P.M.
Reports at that he is an awesome speaker, knowledge level 100% and one of the most enthusiastic speakers you will ever see.
His passion is infectious. I know you will spread the word to the garden club.
The cost is $15.00 and Jim Landry will be at the meeting to take registration and collect your money.

Monday, January 4, 2016

First meeting of Fundy Gardeners for 2016.


Happy New Year to all! Please join us for the first meeting of Fundy Gardeners for 2016.
Wednesday, January 6th at 7 pm
St. James the Less Church, 1760 Rothesay Rd.
Program: The Amazing Floral Designers
                 Coordinators: Lynn Kinsella, Jan Wilshaw
  • 50:50 tickets - one for $1 or three for $2
  • no display table this month
  • seed exchange each month until planting season
  • bring your ideas for the suggestion box
  • memberships for 2016 - $20 single; $30 family