Ontario Chapter

Contact: Barbara Furlong
26 Alcaine Ct.
Thornhill (Markham), Ontario
Canada L3T 2G7

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Between the Vines • Newsletter of The American Ivy Society, Inc. • Winter 2012 Vol. 24 No 3
Please contact AIS for content and image usage.
NOT FOR REPRINT IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

The Ontario Chapter is much like an ivy plant – our meetings are the vine that binds us! This symbolizes to me the direction of the Ontario Chapter, especially as the years are passing. Two spring meetings in April and May brought us together giving us inspiration, enjoyment and fellowship.

Annual Meeting and Luncheon - On Monday April 23rd, we met at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club for the Annual Meeting and Luncheon chaired by Barbara Furlong, President. This new venue and program “Inspiration Bloom – It’s all in the Container!” was informative and fun. It featured a floral design program using ivy and various blooms in unique containers that was presented by several of the chapter’s talented members - Lee Till, Saskia Kessler, Diana Kennedy and Barbara Furlong. Barbara introduced three new members Doreen Ross, Ellen Clark, Joyce Johnson and several guests.

Barbara talked about the juxtaposition of ivy, flowers that you love, a stylish container and a little creativity! Lee presented Tulips in Water – a unique design using tulips and ivy inverted in a vase of distilled water. Saskia arranged spectacular parrot tulips supported by a simple aluminum wire mechanic in a modern black vase. Diana created a tropical mass design using willow, bamboo and ginger and a tarnished silver bowl filled with horsetail grasses. She also showed us how to make a leaf branch manipulation like tatami wiring ( a type of weaving) that she used in her design. How fortunate we are to have such creative members! Using vintage containers is the new trend to create a look that will suit your lifestyle using the flowers and ivies that you love so much, a little imagination and, oh yes, that special container!

All were encouraged to attend two workshops in Barbara’s garden in June – making a terrarium and a small Hedera Helix Ivy ring topiary that hopefully members will enter at the Fall show. A variety of unique ivies was available for sale.

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s home - On May 28th many members drove to Leaskdale, Ontario to visit the home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the famous Anne of Green Gables series. Lucy wrote 11 of her 20 novels in this rural Ontario community where her experiences helped shape her writing. Her personal journals tell the story of her life when in 1911 she moved to Leaskdale and married the Presbyterian minister of this prosperous farming community. Maud lived at the Manse for 15 years from 1911 to 1926 and raised two sons, Chester and Stuart. This became an Ontario Historical Site in 1965 and a National Historic Site in 1997. The Manse is being lovingly restored to the way it was during this remarkable woman’s residency. Lucy loved flowers and the garden, so dear to her, gave her great joy and a sense of serenity. Interestingly one of our members spotted ivy shaped muffin tins in the kitchen where she loved to cook and entertain!

A delicious luncheon was served by the ladies of the church who led us on a tour of the Manse and Church. A gift shop filled with L.M.M. dolls and memorabilia was a hit. One of our members, Ruth Reble is a personal friend of L.M.M’s granddaughter.

At the end of the day, we understood how this landscape of rolling hills of rural Ontario, nurtured L. M. Montgomery’s literary talent and stoked her creativity as a gifted story-teller writing over 1,000 books that have brought pleasure to so many over the years.

Carol and Frank DiTomasso’s garden in Uxbridge, ON – We ended the day with a visit to a private garden of retirees who have transformed their garden into a magnificent perennial garden of 10 acres. Their passion for and devotion to gardening is visible in the interesting textures and various heights of colourful perennials in the front shady garden contrasted by the sunny one in the back.

A creek and spectacular pond attract all types of wildlife - blue herons, kingfishers, trout and turtles in addition to ivy enthusiasts such as us!

At the end of both days, we enjoyed friendship, comraderie and fun together.