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Regular meetings are held from 7:00 to approximately 9:30 pm, on the third Wednesday of each month, with the exception of July, August and December.
Membership dues are $20 per year.
If you’re not currently part of the group, please contact us, to confirm dates and times below, in the event that there are any changes: magnoliajoyofgardening@gmail.com.
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Did you know?
The Magnolia Joy of Gardening Club will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025.
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Meetings
Each meeting begins or ends with a short business meeting as well as one or more of the following:
- Guest speaker
- Info sharing between the members
- A garden related project
- An educational video
- Seed trials
- Area tracking of rainfall via member charts
- Growth tracking of plants via member charts
- A tour
We try to keep the “business” part to a minimum, and get on to the “fun stuff”! We always have a great coffee / lunch time together at some time during the evening!
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Activities
- Annual plant exchange in May
- Greenhouse tours in late May or early June
- Member garden tours in July and/or August
- Annual wiener roast at September meeting
- Garden related photo contest starts in October
- AGM – Election of new executive in November
- Photo contest winners are usually announced in November
- Year end party in December
- Fundraisers (when needed)
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SPRING – George Pegg Botanic Gardens
- The Magnolia Joy of Gardening Club members volunteer for a clean-up of the George Pegg Botanic Gardens usually in the spring of each year or when needed
- Date depends on when their opening event happens in the spring
Lorraine Taylor, the horticulturalist at Lac Ste. Anne County has a soft spot for these Botanical Gardens and never misses organizing this whenever she can.
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MAY MEETING – Annual Plant Exchange
- The Annual Plant Exchange is held at each May Meeting
- This is how many members add to their collections
- If you have plants to share, please bring them labeled with type, colour, soil type, height, etc
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LATE MAY OR EARLY JUNE – Greenhouse Tours
- Two or three greenhouses visited per tour
- These are in addition to the regular June meeting
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JULY and/or AUGUST – Member Garden Tours
- Usually we visit two to four of the members’ gardens each year
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OPTIONAL COUNTY TOURS
- Usually in various counties, such as Yellowhead and Lac Ste. Anne
- These usually include judged categories: “Acreage, Farm and Hamlet”
- “Winners and Runners Up” are announced
- There is a fee for these tours
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SEPTEMBER – Annual Wiener Roast
- Takes the place of the meeting in September
- Is like a “Fall Fair”
- Veggie contest is a highlight
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OCTOBER – Garden Related Photo Contest
- Photo submissions accepted in October
- Photos are judged and final decisions usually unveiled at the November meeting
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NOVEMBER – AGM
- Annual General Meeting is included in the November meeting
- Executive elections
- Usually the winners of the photo contest are announced in November
- Wrap-up of a number of various items for the year
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DECEMBER – Year End Party
- No meeting in December
- Check for date of the year end party
- Potluck for the members
- Usually do a Christmas oriented project
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Community Services
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- We have the use of the Magnolia Community Club Hall for our meetings in exchange for caring for planters at the hall (we plant, weed, water, and trim when needed).
- We volunteer at the George Pegg Botanic Gardens for one day each year (see details above).
- We volunteered to make the lunch for the March and May Jamborees when we were hosting them at the Magnolia Community Club Hall.
- We occasionally step in for another month when the hall need us somewhere else.
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