2026 Presenters

“New Fruit and Landscape Plants For Your Yard” Wilbert Ronald September 15, 2026

Wilbert Ronald who is a co-owner of Jeffries Nurseries near Portage La Prairie. First and foremost he and his staff specialize in the development of trees, shrubs and roses. He started at the Morden Research Centre in the 60’s when he was a student at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Manitoba. He never stopped learning and experimenting. He started Jeffries Nurseries in 1982. We appreciated the slideshow of photos of their operations because it is not open to the public. They sell directly to landscapers and retailers. He brought in apple samples from the variety of trees that they have developed and grown on site. They specialize in growing trees that will fit on a smaller property. They have 22 large greenhouses and grow 30,000 trees outside in pots. His family is heavily involved in the business and he co-wrote a book “Trees For Northern Landscapes” with his son Philip. We really appreciated the information he provided. Check out their website

Graham Hnatiuk provided a very interesting presentation on his family’s organic farm in East St. Paul. He is a 4th generation farmer and starts planting extremely early in April. He brought samples of his amazing lettuce crop. He is an ecologist who is always testing and changing his practice and writes or speaks about it on his weekly blog Complimentary Blueberry Juice – Illuminating agriculture with an ecological light. On his blog there is an “e book” about no-till farming in clay in Manitoba. https://complimentaryblueberryjuice.com/books/ There is a YouTube channel: Hnatiuk Gardens – YouTube  and a farm website: Hnatiuk Market Gardens  Check out the links.

Melissa Scouten is a Horticultural Therapy Practitioner and she works as an Education Coordinator at the Assiniboine Park Conservatory. She also delivers a Living Well Program at The Leaf. Melissa helps people with dementia and their caregivers by giving them experiences of connecting with soil and plants. Melissa explained that everyone can benefit from taking the time to enjoy your garden rather than seeing it as just a task to finish. It is more than just the visual of looking at the trees and flowers. Take a close look at leaf patterns to help slow you down and appreciate nature. Watch over time: The resilience of a perennial plant after winter. The changes over the growing season. What does your garden sound like? Take time to listen for nature: bird songs, water and wind. The smell of nature? Soil in the spring or when it is damp after a rain. The scent from flowers. By taking the time to pay attention to these things, it can help to calm your personal self. Being in the sun (not too much in the heat of the day) provides Serotonin which is very beneficial to our brains and well being. Take 10 minutes to sit and just appreciate your personal connection with the nature around you.

We held our meeting at Schriemers Garden Centre. A special thanks to Matt Schriemer for allowing us to gather after hours and have a back stage look at the operation. Many members did some early shopping especially Lisianthus which can be hard to find later on in the season. The presentation regarding annuals by France Barrett allowed us to see her recommendations for 2026. She gave suggestions on what to plant in a front container visible from the street compared to a container in the yard where people can see them up close. She gave recommendations on economy plants and more exotic plants for containers. France is a member of our club and you can find her working hard at Schriemers. We also had a presentation from Rachel who showed us her choices on Perennials for 2026. Great information. Many of our members were taking photos and making notes for future shopping

Igor Kaftan made a return visit and gave a thoroughly enjoyable presentation on some of his favourite annuals. Each time he put up a new photo of a plant, he would often comment “A garden isn’t a garden without this one”. He has many favorites. It was very enjoyable and he spent time answering our questions. For more information, click on the link Igor’s Annuals.

Mick Manfield gave an entertaining talk about Square Gardening. It is a technique of using 1 foot by 1 foot squares within a raised box marked off with wood squares or using string to mark off the squares. The purpose is to get the best production out of your vegetable/fruit gardens. For more information click on the link to Square Gardening. In addition, Mick provided information on what companion plants should be planted with your vegetables and fruits. For more information click on the link to Companion Gardening.

“Decoding Light – How PAR meters and Grow Lights Help Plants Thrive” Jeff Hrymak January 13, 2026

Jeff Hrymak is the owner of Niverville Tropicals. He started his hobby/business approx. 4 years ago and has a personal collection of approx. 200 tropical plants. Along with his wife Stephanie they have transformed 2 rooms in their house, one for growing tropicals and the other is a comfortable space to display and enjoy sitting on a couch surrounded by exotic tropical plants. Jeff realized that tropical plants growing and thriving inside their home has helped his mental health especially through our long winters. If you walk into The Leaf at Assiniboine Park and sit in the tropical section, you get an idea of what the benefit of having a few tropical plants. Jeff gave a presentation on lights and the use of PAR meters. He explained that different plants require different light requirements depending on where they grow in their natural habitat. A plant that grows under the canopy of large trees needs less light that a plant grown in the open. You can have a tropical plant in a dark corner if you have the right light. You need to determine how much light your tropical plant needs and a par meter placed almost touching the leaves will indicate how much light is being given to your plant. Jeff indicated that you can’t judge a light by the brightness, you need to look at what type of light the source is giving off and whether it meets the needs of your plant. Jeff indicates that your plants need 12 hours of the right amount of light to thrive. For more information, click on his presentation. You can follow Jeff and Niverville Tropicals on his Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/niverville_tropicals?igsh=YmpmaGJ2MjZ2ZnV2&utm_source=qr

2025 Presenters

Making Bird Houses – Sheryl Wood October 10, 2025

Sharyn Wood is a member of EKGC and she showcased her beautiful birdhouses that she has made over the years to decorate her garden. In addition, she has demonstrated clever tips and tricks for building your own birdhouses to suit specific birds and garden decor, ranging from simple wren houses to colourful bird condos.

“overwintering Tender Perennials” Igor Kaftan Sept 9, 2025

Igor Kaftan is a delightful presenter. He is a master gardener who has a tremendous amount of knowledge. His personal garden is full of tender perennials and he shared photos and tips on his successes and a few plants that didn’t work out. The information he provided was very straight forward and understandable. His presentation was full of great information. Link to slide show from lecture

Prairie Petals Cut Flower Farm Tour August 27, 2025 – Presenter: Shandal Gorrie

This was a special event where members signed up and went to the Prairie Petals Farm in Lac Du Bonnet. Shandal Gorrie is the owner of Prairie Petals and she provided a wonderful tour of the garden beds which were in full bloom. Members were able to meet some of the special residents at the farm including fancy chickens, Guinea fowl, a peacock and three special cats. Shandal provided a fun evening of learning and members had the opportunity to pick and create their own bouquets of flowers.

“Gardening – Your Health And Safety” Renata Cook, Val Cousineau and Allan McPhaden June 10, 2025

Renata Cook is a retired nurse and she provided tips on being safe while gardening which are listed above. Val Cousineau is a retired physiotherapist and she demonstrated various stretching exercises which basically means before you go out for a full day in the garden, you need to get your body ready by stretching and bending a few weeks ahead of time. This will help avoid any injury. Val is a member so you can ask her at a meeting or talk to Renata. Allan McPhaden works at Lee Valley and he showed us various tools which was very informative. Dave C. recommends the Ergonomic Shovel with the circle for a handle. Says it’s the best shovel he’s ever had.

“Organic Fertilizers” – Sheldon Gesell May 8, 2025

Sheldon Gesell is the owner of Dirt n’ Grow in Stonewall and has developed a line of fertilizers for every need. I didn’t know much about fertilizers beyond the 3 numbers: Nitrogen (1st number listed) which is good for green growth. Phosphorus (2nd number listed) which helps in root development and Potassium (3rd number listed) which helps for flowering and fruit. I used to think the bigger number. the better. Sheldon was able to explain how organic fertilizers work and what goes into them. One of things that Sheldon uses in his formula is freshwater seaweed from the St. Lawrence Seaway. He said there are natural steroids in the seaweed which increases plant metabolism 100 times faster and creates thicker cell wall structure. This also avoids the issue of salt when other companies use ocean seaweed or kelp. Sheldon has a science degree and is a like a brew master when it comes to making organic fertilizers. His tree and shrub fertilizer contains 60% composted shrimp from Nova Scotia. There are trace minerals which can rectify nutrient deficiency symptoms. The fertilizer comes in concentrated liquid form which you can add a small amount to your watering can or a granular slow release that you can put in the soil. Rage Plus may be what you are looking for. There are also products to repairs your lawn from dog urine by adjusting the ph level in the soil. Sheldon sells his products through select garden centres and he recommends you go there. If you can’t find it, you can order it on line and it will be mailed to you. There is no in person shopping. Go to our sponsor page for Dirt n’ Grow for more information. Some of our sponsors who carry these products: Prairie Originals, Schriemers Market Centre, Jensen’s Nursery & Garden Centre, Ron Paul Garden Centre, Sage Garden Greenhouses, Shelmerdine Garden Centre, 

“Garden Disease Mediation In A changing World” Andy Tekanz April 8, 2025

Andy Tekanz is a retired plant scientist / pathologist. He shared his expert knowledge regarding garden diseases and what to do. He explained that plant diseases are primarily a bacteria disease, a virus disease or a fungus. A virus does not reproduce on its own. It is spread by insects who feed on an infected plant and then feed on a new plant which spreads the virus disease. A virus could also be spread by an open wound such as cutting an infected plant and then not cleaning the blade of your clippers and then using the same clippers to cut a good plant. The virus could enter the healthy plant from the blade of your clippers. A bacterial disease or fungi can reproduce on its own and can be spread by wind, rain, soil and insects or birds. A bacteria disease can also be passed by clippers if you don’t clean your blades. If you are cutting diseased leaves & plants, Andy Tekanz recommends using isopropyl alcohol, (70% concentration e.g. rubbing alcohol) on the blades. Link to notes taken during talk

“Vertical Gardening” Mick Manfield March 11, 2025

Mick Manfield is a Master Gardener who gave an entertaining presentation on vertical gardening. His presentation showed the various types of vertical supports that you can use in a garden, which gains you more space to grow your vegetables, and he explained how you can grow heavy fruit such as watermelon on a vertical structure. Mick’s planting mix formula is 1/3 Course Vermiculite, 1/3 Peat Moss and 1/3 Compost. Click on this link to view Mick’s Slideshow: Vertical Gardening Presentation

“Plant Picks for 2025” Colleen Zacharias February 11, 2025

Colleen Zacharias gave a presentation on her plant picks for 2025.  She is a Master Gardener and simply a treat to listen to. She is a celebrated garden columnist in the Saturday Free Press and is the only year round garden journalist in Canada.  She has been writing a weekly column on gardening since 2010.  She writes a free monthly newsletter called Winnipeg Gardener.   We were very fortunate to have her attend our meeting where she discussed some of her recommendations for 2025.  An interesting fact is that for her personal garden, she focuses on selecting plants that do their best in September/October. There is no particular order to her recommendations and they are from my frantic notes during the presentation  (I missed a few). Click here to view Colleen’s 2025 Picks slideshow