Cobourg Garden Club Flower Show — Saturday, 12 August 2023 — 1.30–3.30 pm — Cobourg Library
This annual Flower Show is the second held since COVID 19 disrupted activities in 2020 and 2021. Last August the Club returned to hosting the community, with a wide assortment of exhibits in many categories, with classes for annuals, perennials, fruits and vegetables, houseplants, design, preserves and photography. Among the floral classes are separate sections for dahlias, roses, hydrangea, containers and collections, plus shrubs, garden foliage, herbs, and ornamental grasses.
The Design section of the 2023 Show has the theme, “Celebrating the Coronation of King Charles III”. Club members will no doubt be creative in illustrating the design classes which include Jewels in the Crown; A Parade of Flowers; Fireworks, and A Street Party. The Coronation theme continues with two photography classes, Red, White and Blue, and Regal Visitors.
This year’s uneven Spring weather with unexpectedly warm temperatures in April, and record-breaking days in May could be a challenge for the summer gardens. Club members are generally very well able to adapt. They garden in different zones, ranging from the lakeside to the surrounding Northumberland hills, each with its challenges, but also opportunities to grow different plants, specific to their garden’s micro-climate.
Cobourg Garden Club was founded in February 1859, by a group of men, originally called the Cobourg Horticultural Society. It has been in operation since, continuing to hold monthly meetings with speakers, even pivoting to Zoom meetings for some time during the pandemic.
The Society’s early activities and events were regularly recorded in the local newspapers, with the annual flower show and exhibition a highlight of the summer. Five hundred people attended the first Flower Show in July 1859, a huge number given the population of Cobourg at that time. There were three categories – Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables, the many classes providing an opportunity for new residents to learn which varieties would produce the best yield.
The Cobourg Garden Club holds flower shows in May, August and December. Other activities include a popular annual plant sale on the Victoria Day long weekend each May, speakers at monthly meetings, and garden tours, sometimes in association with neighbouring societies. The club has for many years presented an annual scholarship to a Cobourg high school graduate pursuing post secondary education in horticulture or related studies.
Among the community projects undertaken by the club over the years are the Edwin Haynes Memorial Rose Garden in Victoria Park, the Golden Plough, the Northumberland Hills Hospital, and the Millennium Garden at the Five Corners. Club members continue to maintain the Five Corners Garden for the enjoyment of the citizens of Cobourg and visitors. They have recently installed a “little free Library” there.
For more information about the Flower Show and Tea please call the Flower Show convenor, Sarah Holland, 905-349-3710, or visit: www.cobourggardenclub.org
