By Tanner Nickalls
Perhaps you have ventured downtown recently and noticed the colourful flowers and assorted plants that dot the beds alongside Main Street, livening up the busy summer corridor of pedestrian traffic? If not, here’s what you are missing. The beds which house the plants are clean and orderly, the soil itself is imbued with nutrients and the plants themselves have been selected with obvious care and foresight.
Behind all of it is the Huntsville Horticultural Society, who for over 90 years has been part of (almost) everything involving greenery in Huntsville. Currently 72 members strong, the society has the numbers to back its endeavors and they certainly have gotten quite a bit of work done!
“Last year we spent approximately 850 hours on all of our society events and activities,” said Debora Marshall, President of the Huntsville Horticultural Society. And they don’t only plant the Main Street flower beds—they also maintain the flower beds at the Huntsville Public Library, Veteran’s Memorial Garden and Algonquin Grace Hospice gardens.
The Society selects all of their plants from a local garden centre, chosen annually by the Town of Huntsville (the Town seeks a quote and then decides what garden centre the society will have at their disposal). Debora explained that “the main colours are picked by the town each year for their flowers and we match them for the beds that we plant.”
The Town and the Society also meet to decide things such as colours that complement each other, and plants that will last throughout the season yet also do well in raised beds. And while the Society does the initial planting, the Town’s Parks Department waters, fertilizes, and maintains the plants throughout the season.
Members also grow all of the plants featured in their plant sale to help fund the Society.
When asked what keeps them all coming back year after year, Debora said that “it’s the love of gardening and the commitment to helping to beautify our community.”
As for some future endeavors, the Society will be running a summer flower shop at the Huntsville Place Mall on July 21, and they are also planning a garden tour in the coming year.
To keep up to date with all that the Huntsville Horticultural Society has going on, check out their website.
Huntsville Horticultural Society volunteers Bryan MacKenzie (left) and Karen Fell fill a planter on West Street N with beautiful blooms (Photo: Dawn Huddlestone)
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MANY thanks for all your hard work! A labour of love, for sure!!
It’s people like you who add to the beauty of our town. Thank you!!!
Congratulations to the Huntsville Horticultural Society who have been keeping Huntsville beautiful for as long as I can remember. Congratulations also to Tanner Nickalls for a well written article. I have known Tanner’s family for 4 generations, great grandparents Sid & Irene Davis, who would be so proud of you Tanner. Nice to see you taking an interest in your community, keeping up the family tradition.
Thank you to the GREEN THUMBS! The town of Huntsville is beautiful because of all your dedicated hard work.