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1 | Presentation Topics | |||
2 | Presentation Topics | Format | Length | Description |
3 | Last modified February 21, 2025 | (Slides) | (Minutes) | |
4 | EDIBLES | |||
5 | Organic Gardening 101 | 20 | 45-60 | An introduction to the topic of organic gardening, with a focus on growing food. LR |
6 | 10 City Veggies | 12 | 40 | Easy veggies you can grow in pots or on small urban lots. LR |
7 | Vegetable Gardening in Smaller Spaces | Growing vegetables in pots and bringing the outside in. coj | ||
8 | How to Grow Tomatoes: From Seeds to Salsa | PPT | 45-60 | How to start your tomatoes from seed, grow them on, deal with pests and diseases and Enjoy! Coj |
9 | Heavenly Heritage Tomatoes | PPT 11 | 20-30 mins | What are heritage tomatoes, and why should we grow them? This talk covers some definitions of heritage tomatoes, discusses different types and how best to grow them. There is also a brief introduction to some of the main breeding programs for “new heritage” varieties. You will also learn about sources of seeds, a bit about starting tomatoes from seed, and the pluses and minuses of heritage tomatoes. Lr |
10 | Culinary Herbs (presented with hubby Richard Guenette) | 13 | 20-30; or 60-70 with demo | Note: There is a minimum fee of $2.50 per person for the demo portion of this talk because we provide food samples, including shrimp, guacamole and pesto with noodles. Lr |
11 | Culinary Herbs - Easy to Grow, Nutritious and Delicious! | 60 | Annual and perennial herbs are great additions to your garden and your kitchen! mn | |
12 | Culinary Delights with Herbs & Edible Flowers | PPT | 60 min | Herbs are great starter plants for food gardeners. Some of the edible flowers presented may already be growing in your garden. Learn what this Master Gardener grows and easy ways she uses both herbs and edible flowers in food preparation. mn |
13 | Flowers with Vegetables: Beauty and the Eats | Add depth, pollination possibilities, and beauty to your vegetable garden with edible flowers. coj | ||
14 | The Edible Garden | 41 | 60-75 | This presentation discusses incorporating edibles, into your landscape. A discussion of perennial and ornamental edibles. Lr |
15 | Companion Plants | Attracting good helpers to your garden. coj | ||
16 | Cold Frames & Cold Crops | PPT | 45 mins | Cold Frames and Cold Crops is about growing delicious veggies, beyond the usual gardening confines and calendar, using cold frames and the cool season crop palette. In this presentation you will learn how to extend the season with cold frames, the different cold frame options as well as costing. We’ll also have a look at cold weather vegetables, their resistence to cold in particular, why they should be included in your growing spaces, what they are and how to grow them. This is an up to date view of gardening in Ottawa. MO |
17 | Cold Weather Crops | PPT | 20 mins | Cold Weather Crops is about growing delicious veggies, beyond the usual ways, using the cool season crop palette. Think crispy lettuces & radishes, asian vegetables, beets and multicolor carrots. A feast for the eyes. In this presentation you will learn why cold weather vegetables are so resilient to cold, why they should be included in your growing spaces, what they are and how to grow them. An inspiring, comprehensive, new way to look at cold weather crops. mo |
18 | The Urban Potager – A Field To Table Experience | PPT | 45 mins | Think rainbows of color in the saladier and beyond. Crisp lettuces, asian greens, sweet tomatoes and blooms. In this presentation you will learn how to create an attractive living space full of vegetables, ornamentals, herbs and structures in an urban setting where space is a constraint. Grow beautiful blooms, unique veggies and greens to enhance your table and thrill your guests. Find out about vertical gardening, best practices, found objects and more. An exciting, wide-ranging, transforming way to look at your garden. Mo |
19 | The Dry Run | PwrPt | Approx. 40 minutes | This shorter presentation begins with the pros and cons of dehydration. We explore different methods of dehydration, and different strategies for different foods. We address the dos and don'ts of drying food to ensure the best quality, food safety and nutritional content, including storage tips for dried foods. Finally, we discuss uses for dehydrated foods. |
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22 | GARDENING HOW TOS | |||
23 | Gardening Basics | PPT | 45-60 mins | With the beginning of Spring only weeks away, many people are excited about buying new plants or planting seedlings they started from seed themselves. To ensure success with your plants and garden, it is important to master the basics of gardening. Paying attention to the basics is the best way to have healthy, well-grown plants. This presentation is about the basics, essential to gardening success whether you are a novice gardener or an experienced one. The basics include among others the following topics: soil and soil conditions, watering, soil amendments and fertilization, pests and diseases, and plant selection and planting. McCC |
24 | Preparing for the season | PPT | 45 mins | How to get ready for the season from seeds to seedling to maintenance and then onto harvest. coj |
25 | All from a Little Seed | 14 | 20- 40 | This presentation is all about SEX -- plant sex, that is, and how home gardeners can save money, have fun and breed new varieties by starting their own seeds. LR |
26 | Composting | PPT | 45 mins | This out of the composter presentation demystifies the world of composting, the dos & don'ts, the green & the brown; we’ll go in the field to meet experts, and learn how to use this “gardener’s gold” and why you’ll never look back once you’ve tried it. mo |
27 | Seed Saving & Storage | 15 | 45-60 | Learn the basics of saving seeds, plant genetics, collection techniques, storage and viability. Breed your own varieties, adapted specifically to growing conditions in your garden! LR |
28 | Preserving the Harvest | 31 | 60 | This talk & demonstration describes ways to preserve the harvest and covers: drying, cooking, canning, vinegars and curing. Lr |
29 | Fall, final garden fling! | 60 | What to plant, store, move or divide, the importance of top-dressing, garden clean up while leaving some seed heads for overwintering birds and winter interest. mn | |
30 | High Performance Low Maintenance Plants | PPT 35 slides | 45 | This talk explains what makes a plant high performance, what low maintenance means, and recommends plants that meet these criteria. It provides an overall approach as well as a “top tip” for how to assess an existing garden and redesign it to get the most performance with the least amount of maintenance. SLA |
31 | Pruning workshops and demonstration | hands on demo | 45 | Join one of our most experienced Master Gardeners for a hands-on demonstration of pruning techniques. These sessions are offered in person only. BL |
32 | Seed Saving- Preparing for the future | PPT | 45 | Saving your own seed makes your garden more sustainable and self-sufficient and saves you money. Learn how to save heirloom varieties, not available commercially, using veggies you harvested. Keep seed from special ornamentals, native plants, medicinal plants or perennials you actually hybridized yourself. Connect with your local seed libraries and the vibrant community behind this return to grassroots effort. MO |
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34 | GARDEN DESIGN & AESTHETICS | |||
35 | Wildscaping: A “New” Trend in Garden Design”. | PPT | 45 mins | Using more native plants in your garden doesn’t mean it has to look “wild” or messy. Learn how to design a beautiful landscape where function and a healthy ecology also provide a “wow” factor. SLA |
36 | Lessons from My Big Fat Garden Reno | 40 | 60-75 | Over a ten-year period, a small suburban garden was transformed into a tranquil refuge for people and wildlife. This talk is a very personal take on comprehensive garden make-overs. LR |
37 | Getting Started Taking Stock | 11 | 20-30 | An abbreviated version of "My Big Fat Garden Reno” - less personal, & intended to inform home-owners of the many details they need to check before embarking on a garden renovation. LR |
38 | Why we love annuals - how to use them in the garden | PPT | 45 mins | From small and sweet to big and bold, annuals with their wide variety of shapes and colours can add personality and character to any garden. Many of them play the useful role of attracting pollinators while others offer a unique twist to your dinner plate, not to mention their role in making stunning containers and baskets. The presentation will help you feel confident in adding and caring for a wide range of annuals in your garden. LC & DiC |
39 | Big Bold and Beautiful Plants for Your Garden | 60 mins | Bold, eye-catching plants have a place in every garden. They create a focal point, fill large spaces, quickly block a view and can replace shrubs. mn | |
40 | Paint with Blooms | PPT | 60 mins | Colour is often the first thing we notice in a garden. And most of us who have perennials want to see colour from spring to fall. Is your garden living up to your colour expectations? Nancy will present reliable perennials throughout the seasons and provide tips on utilizing colour with plant combinations and design considerations to present those colours more successfully. mn |
41 | Notes on a Japanese Garden | PPT | 45 mins | In a Japanese-themed garden, a small space holds big ideas about designing with plants, stone, water and ma, the all-important space in between. Part garden travelogue, part gardening experiment, this lecture aims to inspire. sb |
42 | Gardening for Continuous Joy | How to have interest in your garden all year round using perennials and garden structures. coj | ||
43 | Colour through the Seasons | PPT 90 | 50 min | This presentation will focus on those perennials that will introduce colour into your gardens throughout the year. Beginning with spring through summer, fall and winter. We will identify those perennials which are hardy to the Ottawa area and you can count on to be robust and colourful whether your garden is located in full sun, full shade or somewhere in between. We will look at bulbs, grasses, vines, evergreen and herbaceous perennials be they native or cultivated that you should be able to acquire from plant Nurseries and garden centres in the Ottawa area, although those willing to look afar may be able to purchase similar but unique varieties in other centres DrC & SR |
44 | High Performance, Low Maintenance Plants | |||
45 | Gardening on the Vertical | PPT 18 | 20 | This short talk is all about the vertical dimension in the garden and how to take advantage of this area to both solve problems and add artistic interest. SLA |
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47 | ECOLOGICAL GARDENING | |||
48 | To Everything, There is a Season: Phenology 101 | 43 | 60-75 | Have you ever wondered why all the blooms in your garden peak just before or just after that special occasion? The answer may be found in the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events. LR |
49 | Plant Guilds: Taking Companion Planting to the Next Level | 36 | 45-60 | Modifying conventional gardening strategies to create a self-sustaining eco-system that will become more productive and result in less work over time. LR |
50 | Phenology for You and Me | PwrPt | 50-60 | No, it's not the study of the bumps on your head. Phenology explores the timing of cyclical events in nature. The turning of the year, seasons, cycles of the moon and daily circadian rhythms all have an impact on life on earth. The earliest hominins were expert phenologists. They had to be to catch game from migrating herds and know when to look for the tender sprouts of edible plants. Scientists today are increasingly turning to phenology to understand how climate change is affecting the natural world. As gardeners, an understanding of phenology can help us plan for continuous blooms, use natural pest control effectively, and contribute to climate research as citizen scientists. This talk introduces the subject of phenology, discusses its history, the current state of the science, and how gardeners can benefit from this information. LR |
51 | Gardening with Wildlife | 41 | 60 – 75 | There is both joy and challenge in gardening for wildlife. Gardening for wildlife requires different approaches and strategies -- even a different mind-set! -- from regular gardening. This talk addresses the characteristics of plants and garden design that will help you create a wildlife-friendly garden, strategies for including food, shelter, and water, and practices that will encourage birds and beneficial insects to make their home in your garden. Resources specific to the Ottawa area are discussed. We conclude with a brief overview of the process for certifying your garden as wildlife habitat, or as a monarch way-station, and encourage the audience to consider joining the growing army of Citizen Scientists who are helping us better understand how people are changing the natural world. Lr |
52 | Climate Change & Your Garden | PwrPt | 60 | Climate change is the defining challenge of our times. This talk provides a brief explanation of what climate change is and an update on the current situation, including how climate change is already impacting our weather, water, plants, food and wildlife. For each of these topics, I suggest the positive measures that gardeners can take to begin climate-proofing their gardens. The talk ends with suggested resources and a list for further reading. LR |
53 | Hey! You! Over here!! Attracting and supporting pollinators | 45-60 minutes | How to set up your environment to encourage pollinators and what to do to keep them around. coj | |
54 | A Garden for the Birds | 56 | 60 | Wild bird species across North America are in decline. This talk discusses how to support wild birds in the garden, including how to keep them safe and how to create a natural habitat to provide shelter, water, food and places to rear their young. This talk provides some lovely photos of wild birds and lots of useful information about them. LJ |
55 | Going Grassless: Honey I Shrunk the Lawn | 55 | 60 | This talk provides a brief history of turf grass, then shares a personal story on how and why this gardener went grassless to attract more pollinators to the garden. LJ |
56 | Gardening for the Bees | 54 | 60 | Bee species, especially native bees, are in decline across North America. Gardeners can help by growing pollinator-friendly gardens. lj |
57 | Biodiversity at The Crossroads | 55 | 60 | Nature is under many threats these days: climate change, habitat loss and the threat of invasive species. Despite these challenges, this is a hopeful talk about how this gardener transformed her own property by getting rid of invasive plants and adding more native plant species. lj |
58 | Gardening with Native Plants | PPT | 100 60 min | This talk will answer the questions: What are native plants? Why garden with native plants? What native plants are right for my garden? Where can I get native plants? Dc & df |
59 | Water Wise Gardening | PPT | 45-60 mins | As climate change brings hotter weather and more extreme precipitation events, including both droughts and floods, how can we gardeners adapt? This presentation addresses strategies for water-wise gardening including: preventing run-off; harvesting water; watering wisely; conserving soil moisture; xeriscaping and plant selection. |
60 | How to Live With what Lives in Your Garden | PPT | 45-60 mins | We follow many paths through our gardens and one of the major lessons we learn is that it is easier to work with nature than against her. Judith will explore how to use plants and creatures to benefit and protect our garden. She will also heighten your understanding about the things that make gardening life difficult and how to live with them. CJ |
61 | In Search of the Holy Grail of Garden Design | PPT | 50-60 mins | Garden design is a journey of self discovery. Once you know who you are as a gardener, then garden design becomes much easier. This talk explores a personal journey of self-discovery through travel and reading with many wise teachers along the way. It provides several examples of landscape designs created by this experienced gardener and speaker.JL |
62 | What's this in my Garden, Friend or Foe? | PPT | 60 mins | Most gardeners think of their gardens as " a happy place" and are hoping it will be immune from pests. This presenter enjoys checking out the many garden "bugs" who visit and asks herself first if these visitors are welcome guests which the majority are or unwelcome pests? She has come to realize enticing and keeping beneficial bugs may mean having a few of those pests for them to prey. In her garden, she incorporates plants which will attract, feed and provide a habitat for beneficial bugs creating an insectary garden to help with those unwelcome guests. In other words, choice of plants can help build a more resilient garden. mn |
63 | GARDENING & YOUR HEALTH | |||
64 | New Plants, Old Lives: Finding Joy Digging in the Dirt | 28 | 45 | This garden talk is designed for seniors interested in container gardening. It discusses how gardening brings joy and then describes a mother-daughter project in a local retirement home. Finally, it describes different kinds of container gardening, including helpful tips for seniors. lj |
65 | Tips and Tricks to Increase Your Gardening Pleasure | 60 | No matter what your age & gardening experience there are tips you can utilize to decrease the time & work of a garden. mn | |
66 | Digging in the Dirt is Good for your Health (and ways to stay healthy in the garden) | 60 | Provides information on ways to prevent injury & disease when ‘mucking about’ and increase the joy of gardening! mn | |
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68 | SPECIAL INTEREST GARDENING | |||
69 | Purple Carrots, Honey Bees and Magic | Gardening with children and keeping fun in your garden. coj | ||
70 | Scented Gardens | Making scents of your garden throughout the season. coj | ||
71 | Into the Night Garden | 60 | Exploring our gardens at night. coj | |
72 | Kitchen Gardens | 60 | From the monasteries, Victorian, War Time to Now coj | |
73 | Promising You a Rose Garden | 45 mins | A talk on growing hardy roses along with tips and ideas. Learn about roses that are hardy in our climate, as well as the more tender varieties, such as David Austins and tea roses. This presentation also covers pests and diseases, propagation and winter protection. coj | |
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75 | EN FRANÇAIS | |||
76 | Jardinage Biologique 101 | PPT | 50 mins | Cette présentation est une introduction au jardinage biologique, avec une emphase sur la production maraîchère. Les sujets comprennent une revue du vocabulaire sur le jardinage biologique; les pour et les contre de cette approche; les techniques; une compréhension de votre propre jardin; des analyses simples de votre sol; des idées de gestion des mauvaises herbes, des insectes nuisibles et des maladies; la rotation des récoltes et le co-jardinage de plantes compagnes. La présentation offrira également une liste de ressources pour la région d'Ottawa. mo |
77 | Les bases du jardinage | PPT | 45-60 mins | Le printemps s’en vient dans quelques semaines, et beaucoup de gens ont hâte d’acheter des nouvelles vivaces ou annuelles, ou de planter des plantes qu’ils ont fait pousser eux mêmes. Pour assurer le succès avec vos plantes et jardins, il est important de maîtriser les bases de jardinage. Faire attention aux bases est le meilleur moyen d’avoir des plantes qui poussent bien et restent en bonne santé. Les sujets de cette conférence – les bases de jardinage – sonts essentiels que vous soyez un jardinier novice ou avec beaucoup d’expertise. Parmi les thèmes discutés sont: le sol, les conditions du sol, l’eau et l’arrosage, les amendements de sol, l’engrais, les ravageurs et maladies des plantes, et la sélection et cultivation des plantes. McCC |
78 | D'une toute petite graine (Comment effectuer vos semis) | PPT | 50 mins | Cette présentation vous amènera à explorer la sexualité – celle des plantes évidemment. Elle vous enseignera à économiser, à vous amuser et pourquoi pas, à créer de nouvelles variétés de plantes par le biais de semis faits à la maison. La présentation couvrira les raisons qui poussent les gens à jardiner à partir de semis. Il y aura une revue du vocabulaire utilisé pour ce type de jardinage et de l'importance de bien documenter l'étape des semis. Nous allons couvrir ensemble les sources de semence et leur viabilité, l'équipement et les fournitures afin d'effectuer ces semis ainsi qu'un calendrier de semis favorable aux différentes récoltes (semis intérieurs et extérieurs). La présentation comprendra quelques idées pour prendre de l'avance sur la saison, poursuivra sur l'acclimatation des semis et se terminera par une foire aux questions qui propose des solutions aux problèmes de semis communs. mo |
79 | Après la récolte | PPT | 50 mins | Cette présentation offre plusieurs idées de conservation de nos récoltes. On proposera des méthodes pour la déshydratation des fines herbes ainsi que des fruits et légumes; les conserves (confitures, gelées et marinades); la préparation de vinaigres; la congélation et la préservation par la fumée. mo |
80 | Allonger la saison | PPT | 20 mins | Cette présentation se penche sur la culture des légumes de saison froide afin d’allonger la saison de culture dans l’est de l’Ontario. Pensez laitues croustillantes, radis, légumes asiatiques, betteraves, carottes et tant d’autres. Un festin pour les yeux et les papilles gustatives bien sûr. Vous verrez pourquoi les légumes de saison froide sont si résistants au froid, pourquoi les inclure dans votre palette de cultures et comment les cultiver. Voici une façon de mieux s’auto-suffire en légumes à bien peu de frais. mo |
81 | Le Compostage | PPT | 20 mins | Cette présentation vous amène à explorer le compostage, les bonnes pratiques, les ingrédients, quelques adeptes et pourquoi vous adopterez cette méthode de gestion des déchets végétaux pour régénérer vos sols; une contribution qui vaut son pesant d’or. mo |
82 | Le potager urbain – une expérience de saveurs et de beauté | PPT | 45 mins | Imaginez toutes les couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel dans votre saladier et davantage. Des laitues croustillantes, des pousses orientales, des tomates sucrées aux saveurs estivales, et des fleurs savoureuses. Dans cette présentation, Odette mettra la table avec sa méthode de création pour un espace de vie regorgeant de légumes, d’ornementales, de fines herbes et tout cela à l’aide de structures dans un environnement urbain restreint. Voyez comment faire pousser des fleurs, des légumes uniques et des pousses vertes qui éveilleront les saveurs de votre table et enchanteront vos invités. Cette présentation touchera au jardinage à la verticale, aux pratiques éprouvées, aux objects éclectiques et fera appel à votre créativité. Une manière excitante et sans limites de considérer votre jardin. Mo |
83 | Semences & préservation- Préparons l’avenir | PPT | 45 min | La préservation de semences est un geste vers l’avenir. Cette présentation vous permettra d’avancer dans l’auto-suffisance de votre jardin et, pourquoi pas, de vous sauver des sous. Apprenez à sauvegarder des semences de variétés patrimoniales, souvent impossibles à trouver sur le marché, à partir de vos propres récoltes. Conservez des semences d’ornementales spéciales, de plantes originaires d’ici, de plantes médicinales ou de vivaces que vous avez vous-même croisées. Découvrez vos bibliothèques de semences locales et connectez-vous avec la communauté vibrante qui entoure ces mouvements de retour aux sources près de chez vous. MO |
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86 | DEMONSTRATIONS & SLIDE SHOWS | |||
87 | Pruning, pest and disease identification, gardening on the cheap | Hands-on demos | Bl | |
88 | Topics: starting seeds, perennials, design, texture and scents, mixed borders, Beneficials, indoor gardening and plants, annuals, containers, drying & preserving flowers, starting a vegetable garden, culinary herbs. I could do other topics but I do not have slides for trees, flowering shrubs or evergreens | Slide shows | ||
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