My apologies, but this month’s newsletter is late because, frankly, I’m still recovering from May.

First, the unusually cold weather rendered the frost dates and planting schedules pretty meaningless. Despite this, the plant sales were amazing this year, so I wound up with an overwhelming lineup that now have to planted. Then, at the end of the month, there was a week of bizarre drama with a local celebrity.

Now that the wild days of May are behind us, and the weather has warmed up, we have plenty to look forward to though! If you have flowers in your garden, why not enter them at a local flower show and win a lovely prize?

Or you could take a stroll around other people’s gardens on one of the upcoming garden tours. It’s a good way to figure out what you can do with that crowd of plant sale purchases that are crying for attention on your porch/deck/driveway.

🕰️ Now’s The Time

…to get your heat-loving veggies into the ground!

Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers - if you eagerly planted them before the cold snap then they might be looking a little sad right now. They could be stunted, but they’ll be ok. If you’d like to get a few happier plants to inspire their recovery, Vicki’s Veggies still has lots of awesome seedlings left over from the sale.

If you held off on planting your veggies, then this weekend could be the right time (just take care gardening in this wildfire smoke). I’ve been reliably informed that peppers, in particular, are best planted out when the nighttime temperature is around 15C.

Tip: plant your tomatoes deep, as this will encourage more roots to grow from the stem. ✨

📅 What's Happening This Month

1. June 7 - Community Plant Sale - 9am-noon

   • at: 66 Jasper Avenue, Picton

   • Pick up some seedlings and enjoy a tour of Jasper Ave. Park’s native species garden.

   • Dropseed Nursery will be on site to answer garden questions.

   • Organised by Jasper Park Native Garden Volunteers.

2. June 7 - South Shore Fest - 9am-3pm, and at 9pm

   • at: Mariner’s Park Museum, Milford

   • Day & night all-ages experience to enjoy nature through nature walks, plant sales, kids activities, laser-guided night sky tour and much more. There will also be BBQ.

   • Free to attend

   • Organised by South Shore Joint Initiative

3. June 7 - Thrashers Garden Centre re-opening - 2-6pm

   • at: 26 N Front St, Belleville

   • After a devastating fire burned down this popular garden centre, celebrate the grand re-opening with champagne, prizes, and more.

4. June 8 - Miyawaki Forest Planting - 1pm

   • at: Ameliasburgh Public Library, Whitney Rd, Ameliasburgh

   • Help to plant a small forest of native trees behind Ameliasburgh Public Library

   • Organised by Ameliasburgh Garden Club

5. June 14 - County Blooms Garden & Flower Show 2025 - 10am-2pm

   • at: Wellington United Church, 243 Main St, Wellington

   • Come along to see beautiful peonies, roses, irises, arrangements and much more in this annual judged show.

   • Win ribbons, trophies and cash prizes! Just $2/person for unlimited entries in over 60 categories. Exhibits must be dropped off night before (5-7pm) or show day (7-8.30am)

   • Garden Bistro serving delicious food and refreshments opens at 10am, flower show at 11am. There will also be kids activities.

   • Organised by County Garden Club

6. June 14 - 100th Anniversary Garden Party - 10am-3pm

   • at: Brighton Memorial Park, Main St, Brighton

   • Judged ‘Rose & Peony Show’, plus tea room, vendors, displays, croquet and lawn bowling, speakers and demonstrations.

   • Organised by Brighton Garden Club

7. June 15 - Soil is Alive w/ Ewa Bednarczuk - 10-11.30am

   • at: Dropseed Native Plant Nursery, Milford

   • Through hands-on activities we will explore the fascinating world under our feet by learning how to figure out the different soil textures, soil, permeability and organic content.

   • Tickets $15. Bring a hat, good walking shoes and sunscreen.

   • Organised by Dropseed Native Plant Nursery

8. June 16 - Potluck Dinner & Meeting - 6pm

   • at: Farmtown Park, Stirling

   • Potluck dinner - bring your best dish (plus lawn chair, plate and cutlery). There will be an overview on how to prepare plants and flowers for a design.

   • Contact Stirling & District Horticultural Society about attending this event as a guest.

9. June 18 - Meeting (details tba) - 6.30pm

   • at: St.Patrick’s Parish Hall, Napanee

   • Organised by Lennox & Addington Garden Club

10. June 21 - 26th annual CFUW A Town and Country Garden Tour - 10am-4pm

    • Mix and mingle with other garden enthusiasts on this self-guided tour of 9 beautiful gardens in the Bay of Quinte.

    • Tickets are $35 each, and include a box lunch, wristband, and maps.

    • Raffle table with generous gifts from many sponsors.

    • Organised by Canadian Federation of University Women. All proceeds go to the Scholarship Trust Fund, a registered charity.

11. June 21 - Rose Show & Wine Tasting - 3-5pm

    • at: Batawa Community Centre, Batawa

    • Smell the beautiful roses from the competition, then enjoy a wine speaker and tastings at 4pm.

    • Tickets are $15 for guests, $10 members.

    • Organised by Trenton Horticultural Society

12. June 22 - Garden Tour - 2-4pm

    • Exclusive tour around the stunning gardens of a popular County events venue, with beautiful displays of native plants in gorgeous scenery.

    • Attendees can take advantage of a 10% discount at a nearby plant nursery (applicable only on June 22)

    • Free for County Garden Club members. Purchase a $15 membership to attend this, and other members-only events.

    • Organised by County Garden Club

13. June 24 - Annual Rose and Summer Flower Show

    • Note: New members are welcome!

    • Guest speaker Rowland Cave-Browne-Cave, City of Belleville Manager of Operations, Planning & Development will talk to us about roses and some of his other favourite topics!

    • Contact Belleville Garden Club to enquire about attending this event.

14. June 24 - Eat Your Flowers (Nikki Fotheringham) - 7pm

    • at: King Edward Park Arena Community Centre, Brighton

    • Organised by Brighton Garden Club

15. June 29 - Native Orchids day trip - 8:30am-6pm

    • Rescheduled coach tour to see Canada’s largest colony (16,000!) of Showy Lady Slipper orchids, this round trip will leave from Picton, to Purdon Conservation Area, then Frankford, returning to Picton by 6pm.

    • There will be a lunch stop at Wheeler’s Pancake House (not included in ticket), followed by a tour of Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery and time for plant shopping.

    • Tickets $45 non-members, $40 members (with discount code)

    • Organised by: County Garden Club

16. June 30 - Lisa Schalzer-Missen: Roses 101: Demystifying Romantic And Classic Roses - 7pm

    • at: Ameliasburgh Town Hall, Ameliasburgh

    • Organised by Ameliasburgh Garden Club

Guest fees may apply and events sometimes change or get cancelled, so do check the details prior to making plans.

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🤫 Tip-offs

Rumour has it there are some freebies in the County:

• Free plants on Huyuck’s Pt Road, County Road 20. Veggies, flowers and herbs (leftovers from plant sale).

• Free mulch pile on Sandy Hook Road. Origins unclear, but it’s been a community resource for a while.

🔊 A little self-promotion

Fun fact about me: I’m a portrait photographer - of insects!

If cute/unusual pictures of bees and other garden visitors are of interest to you, then perhaps you’d like to check out my work (or find out more here).

I currently have several portraits on display at Melt Gallery in Picton and at KCAD in Kingston, and you can also get in touch if you’d like to see more.

Thanks for reading!

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