The Citizen, 2016-05-05, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2016.
Plants with dye applications featured at garden
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
For its second year, the Garden at
Blyth, an effort by community
members at the Blyth Arts and
Cultural Initiative 14/19 Inc., is
going beyond the realm of edible
produce.
Master gardener Rhea Hamilton -
Seeger of Auburn has been brought
in on a project for design
professional Jennifer Triemstra-
Johnston that will see the garden
planted with various coloured
flowers to produce dyes. The dyes
will be used by Triemstra-Johnston
in her design classes at at the
Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity
where the garden is located.
Triemstra-Johnston, who will be
in her second year of running the
fashion design program, is a
renowned designer, having worked
for the Blyth Festival on
several occasions over the past 10
years.
She has worked on plays such as
Barndance Live!, Billy Bishop
Goes to War and Kitchen Radio
locally.
Hamilton -Seeger said there would
be several different kinds of plants
used for the creation of fabric dye,
Honeybees integral to gardens
however one of the most interesting
is woad.
Woad produces a vibrant blue hue
when treated properly and many
people are likely very familiar with
some of its uses, though they may
not realize it.
One of the plant's original uses
was by Celtic warriors who used it
as face -paint, giving the bright blue
colours that are often seen in period
films like Braveheart.
"Working with woad is a primitive
practice, but it's definitely an
exciting plant to work with,"
Hamilton -Seeger said. "The seeds
themselves are blue -coloured which
The buzz about bees
Honeybees, like the fuzzy one shown above, are a friend to
both plants and gardeners. Without the buzzing insects and
their fellow pollinators, plants wouldn't be able to grow and
prosper. (MS photo)
MS — Honeybees flitting from
flower to flower is one of the first
signs that warm weather has arrived.
Honeybees are a welcome presence
in the garden, pollinating plants and
contributing to local honey supplies.
Despite their importance in the
ecosystem, honeybees are in grave
danger. In 2014, U.S. President
Barack Obama created a task force
comprised of various agencies to
address the growing issue of rapidly
diminishing honeybees and other
pollinating insects. This initiative
was a response to reports from
American beekeepers indicating
hive deaths have been on the rise,
gravely affecting the honeybee
population.
Honeybees pollinate many fruit
trees, nut plants and vegetables,
playing a crucial role for many
nations' food industries.
In addition to government
involvement and honeybee
conservation methods designed by
environmental agencies, there are
many things that regular citizens and
homeowners can do to protect
honeybees this summer. The
Environmental Protection Agency
and the Pesticide Action Network
offer these tips:
• Use caution when applying any
pesticides to home gardens. Be
especially cautious when applying
pesticides when bees are likely to be
flying. If you must apply pesticides,
do so only after dusk.
• Stagger your planting throughout
the growing season. Rather than
planting everything at once, stagger
planting for flowers and other plants
that have blooms. This gives bees
plenty of pollen sources throughout
early summer and into fall.
• Provide clean sources of water.
A small garden feature or a rain-
water collection is enough to
provide bees with a drink when
needed.
• Honeybees and other bees
require some sort of shelter. Dead
trees and plants provide adequate
shelter, so don't be so tempted to
pull out all of the undergrowth in the
name of aesthetics.
• Plant a garden that will attract
bees.
• If you come across a hive, leave
it alone. It's best not to disturb a hive
and honeybee colony. If bees are
located where they can become a
nuisance, contact a local bee expert
to see if the hive can be moved.
• Think about becoming a
beekeeper yourself. There are many
different resources available to help
you get started.
Bees are being threatened at an
alarming rate. Educating yourself
about what to do to protect
honeybees can help to restore the
valuable honeybee population.
Healthy soil
is essential
to a thriving
garden.
The soil
must have
the right
pH, correct
texture and composition,
and be full of nutrients.
KRAEMER
CONCRETE LTD.
Jim Kraemer
Two Locations to Serve You!
5595 Road 130, RR 1
Brunner NOK 1C0
519-595-2343
Fax: 519-595-4903
220 Industrial Park Dr.,
Brussels NOG 1H0
519-887-8763
Fax: 519-887-8764
"bo It In Concrete"
is very interesting."
At one point, woad was a huge
resource on the islands of Europe,
however the introduction of indigo
from India ruined the market and
villages starved.
Hamilton -Seeger said the history
of the plant is interesting.
While the plant is bi-annual, she
said the first year provides the
strongest dyes, so she is very excited
to see what is produced this year.
Other plants that will be
Continued on page 16
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