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14 - The Oakville Beaver, W ednesday January 18, 2006 Organic gardening lecture series seeks 25 participants Interested in gardening but don't want to use chemicals? Find out about this in A Garden of Possibilities lecture series presented by the Halton Peel Natural Gardens Network and Slow Food Halton Peel. The two organizations are looking for 25 avid gardeners in Halton and Peel to participate in a series of month ly lectures at the Oakville Central Library to teach gardeners how to grow plants and vegetables, and con trols weeds and bugs organically. "The two organizations are involved because of the link between organic gardening and organic food," said organizer Anise Docherty. "Remember grandmother's garden - how enjoyable it was to play among the flowers, smell the roses and eat fresh strawberries picked by your own hands," she said. "Or, how about natural gardens that thrive in all kinds of weather and con ditions.. .how many of us have a safe, healthy yard? How many of us enjoy fresh picked food from our own garden? "Reclaim your land and cre ate your own paradise - clean, safe and healthy, free of pesti cides, herbicides or other prod ucts harmful to you, your chil dren, pets and wildlife," advises Docherty. The series will begin Jan. 25 with a presentation titled Companion Planting and Aromatherapy in the Garden, March 29, with Theresia Andrews-Maas, Oakville gar dener, speaker and expert grow er of kitchen gardens using aro matherapy and companion planting in the garden. - Preparing for the Rites of Brantford. The series continues with Spring: Creating a Garden Plan, Garden Mapping, Soil Testing and Choosing Plants, April 12, featuring Gayle Jakaitis of Gayle's Greenhouse who has 27 years experience growing flowers, vegetables, herbs and shrubs Natural Halton Peel: A History o f Our Fields and Forests, Native, Pioneer and Modem Gardens, with Bill Mcllveen, a y o u are w elcom e to a tte n d th e Mentor College Primary Campus OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, January 21st 9:30 a.m. to noon Speak w ith staff, book an entrance assessment, tour the school, visit our specialty rooms a n d sw im m in g p o o l naturalist, environmentalist, plant pathologist, writer, speak er and gardener for the past 25 years with an intimate knowl edge of the fields and forests of Halton and Peel. It will continue throughout the year. Dig In: All Aspects o f Planting a Natural Garden, May 10 featuring horticulturalist and environmentalist, Bev Wagar, owner of My Green Garden in London, Ontario, dedicated to putting the tech niques of sustainable growing in your hands and keeping it uncomplicated. In June the group will also be taking a tour of Whole Circle Farm in Wellington County where farmer Johann Kleinsasser will be demonstrat ing diodynamic farming. In mid-summer participants will also be taking a tour of Sweet Grass Gardens in the Six Nations . Reserve near Plant Care Strategies: Watering, Weeding and Pest Control, June 14; In Full Bloom: Maintaining a Beautiful, Healthy Garden, July 12; Reaping the Harvest and Keeping the Bloom; Watering Techniques, Encouraging Growth and Reaping the Bounty, Aug. 16; More Harvest: Preserving our Edibles and Inedibles, Sept. 13; Bounty in the Fall Garden: Harvesting and Fall Maintenance, Oct. 11; Preparing the Garden for Winter: Final Harvest and Putting the Garden to Bed, Protection of Plants for the Winter,, Nov. 8, and ends with Celebrating a Year o f Gardening, Dec. 6. All sessions will run from 7 to 8:30 or 9 p.m., at the library however, some may be held at gardens. The 12-workshop series costs $240 or $20 each and includes expert speakers and coaching, soil testing, garden design, naturalization tech niques', care and maintenance. For information, call Anise Docherty at 905-849-8444 or em-mail her at slowfoodhaltonpeel@hotmail.com. Exploration: Returning Native Plants to Your Garden, Feb. 22, with Ken Parker, co founder of Sweet Grass Gardens, North America's first native owned and operated native plant nursery, dedicated to restoring, preserving and maintaining plant species indigenous to North America. Planning for Abundance: The Kitchen Garden, Primary Campus 56 Cayuga Avenue, Mississauga (enter off Queen Street in the Lakeshore/# 10 area) tel: (905) 271-7100 e-mail:56cayuga@mentorcollege.edu www. mentorcollege. edu SH O W B U R LIN G TO N · O AKVILLE Y o u r C o m p l e t e B r id a l P l a n n i n g & S h o p p in g C o n n e c tio n G r a n d P r iz e WIN A C O M P L E T E BRIDAL P A C K A G E VALUED OVER $5000 FABULO US D O O R P R IZ E S Jan u ary 2 1 st & 2 2 nd 2 0 0 6 Sa tu rd a y 11 - 6 p m & S u n d a y 11 - 5 pm f a s h i o n s h o w s t w i c e d a i l y - 2 & 4 p .m . S H O W A D M IS S IO N $ 1 0 F R E E P A R K IN G Burlington Convention Centre 1120 Burloak Drive @ QEW 2006 w w w .th e b r id a ls h o w .c a S p o n s o re d By C o -S p o n s o re d By £ a ae JEWELLERS LTD. TH E D IAM O N D SUPERSTORE BARRY'S Burlington t e i ROYAL UPAGE 1 0 2 .9 K -m * PATS PARTY RENTALS F o r m o r e in f o r m a t io n p le a s e c a ll