Gardening expert Ed Lawrence supports the Grandmothers

Kate Turner | May 11, 2016

On May 8, the Grandmothers By the Lake held a fundraiser event with well-known gardening expert, Ed Lawrence, at Trinity United Church in Verona. Lawrence’s popular radio broadcast can be heard every Monday at 12:30 on CBC Radio One.

The Grandmothers By the Lake are a group of 23 grandmothers with Adele Colby at the helm. They are all from South and Central Frontenac and work tirelessly for the Stephen Lewis Foundation's Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, to raise awareness and funds for the grandmothers of Africa, who are struggling to raise the many children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. Some of the grandmothers care for 2 to 20 children with no resources or support.

Grandmothers to Grandmothers was born following an International Women's Conference in 2006. The Stephen Lewis Foundation brought 100 African women to meet 100 Canadian women looking to help with the AIDS pandemic. The women got together for four days to discuss what could be done and decided on raising funds for African grandmothers to help their grandchildren.

There are now 8,000 chapters of Grandmothers across Canada, who have raised approximately $25 million for the campaign. All money raised goes directly to women in Africa.

At Ed Lawrence’s presentation on Saturday, there was an opportunity for all the guests to write out their gardening questions before the talk began.

If you have ever listened to the show, you know it is a half hour of callers looking for help, and the afternoon in Verona was just like that, but live!

One by one, the questions were called out and Lawrence thoughtfully and sometimes with the dry, gentle humour you might expect, answered them all, which took over two hours. Throughout the afternoon, pens were flying as guests frantically took notes.

There was a common theme for many of Lawrence’s answers. We, as gardeners, need to get more accustomed to what we should be growing, as opposed to what we think we may want to grow. With climate change a harsh reality, the need for gardeners to plant native and drought-tolerant plants is more important than ever.

Lawrence answered many questions about unwanted moss, violets or clover and how to get rid of them, but always followed with “Or you can say 'if it is green, then leave it'”. These plants are native; you do not need to cut the lawn as much if you have them and they are generally drought-tolerant. Many audience members were happy to hear this approach being taught to other gardeners.

When questioned about using a chemical spray on Wild Parsnip, Lawrence was quick to discuss how upset this made him. He talked about how Lanark County will be using a herbicide this summer to try to control this weed by spraying in ditches and along the abandoned railways. “Herbicides do not know how to stop killing,” Lawrence said. “They can kill trees in close proximity by wind. They do not break down once in the waterways and can cause dermal toxicity if handled. Using herbicides is a vicious cycle that we should be avoiding.”

Another question, which Lawrence was quick to use as a teaching tool, was about getting rid of Dutchman's Breeches, a native, spring-flowering plant. He explained to the guests that without this plant, as well as violets and trilliums, we cannot sustain our bees, which are our main pollinators.

The afternoon was also full of laughter at some of Lawrence’s advice, such as putting dirty kitty litter in unwanted mole holes, and his repeated advice on pruning: always cut directly after a node and the blade closest to what you want to keep, and please, always stop at 25%.

He also emphasized buying plants from local plant sales because the plants are usually varieties that do well in your area and are generally cheaper.

Ed Lawrence's kindness shone through all afternoon. He began and ended the day talking and taking pictures with guests and signing his book. This was the second event he has done with the Grandmothers By the Lake, and he generously donated his time and his honorarium to the foundation.

Adele Colby saw the positive effects of the foundation’s work over the years when she visited Africa for a second time in 2015. The changes for women there were clear. They are no longer frightened and are fighting for their rights; for health care and pensions. Some women even expressed their interest in running for office, which was a drastic change from Colby’s previous visit in 2010.

The Grandmothers by the Lake will be holding their 8th Annual Plant & Bake Sale on Saturday, June 4 from 10am – 1pm at St. Paul's United Church in Harrowsmith. Proceeds to the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. For more information or to donate, please call Adele Colby at 613-375-8845.

To hear Ed Lawrence answer all your gardening questions, listen to CBC 1 at 12:30pm on Mondays.

There was a silent auction with items donated by Lee Valley & Chapters in Kingston, Canadian Tire Perth & Cataraqui, Memory Lane Flowers & Gifts in Sydenham, Silverbrook Garden Centre in Sydenham, Hillside Garden Centre in Perth and Food Less Travelled in Verona.