BT Toronto Blogs

 It was great to be back today.  I feel like I’ve been off a month.  Every year on Christmas Day my daughter and I visit St. Aidan’s Church in the Beach to sing Christmas Carols.  The Church puts on a Turkey Lunch for Senior Link and the Homeless.  Thanks to Quigley’s for supplying the great meal.  The staff gets up early every Christmas morning to prepare for the Lunch.  It is always a special event.  St. Aidan’s is very active in helping the community. 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Yep another year has past!!  After all the stress of Christmas, the dinners, the presents and the credit card bills it’s time to pack the memories away and start planning for 2009!!

The first thing you should do is pack up the Christmas tree decorations and remove the fresh cut Xmas tree from your home!!  These can be extreme fire hazards and I strongly suggest removing them before you get to joyful on the eve of New Years!!

The boughs (stems) of your Christmas tree can be removed and placed on top of perennials recently uncovered by the melting snow we saw over this past weaken.  The boughs will help insulate and protect. 

I’ve also known some to take the entire tree and plop it into an outdoor snow-bank close to a birdfeeder.  The tree will give a place of shelter and protection for birds and thus help to bring my feather friends to your feeding station. 

Finally if you have no use for the tree check with your local municipality for tree pickup most allocate a few days in the first few weeks of the New Year for pickup where the trees will be mulched up and composted for future municipal uses. 

Oh Christmas tree it’s time to get rid of thee!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Well I finally got Dwight Drummond to do the Polar Bear Dip with me.  Click the Play Button to check it out.  You Rock Dwight!!!…more pictures and some behind the scenes footage tomorrow.

Have a great day
Jenn Valentyne

For more information on the World Vision Polar Bear Dip at Coronation Park in Oakville go to
WWW.polarbeardip.ca
Or call 1-800-COURAGE 1-800-268-7243

For more information on the Habitat for Humanity Polar Bear Dip at Sunnyside Beach go to
www.torontopolarbear.com

For more information on Shoppers Drug Mart Life Experiences (Limoscenes) go to
www.lifeexperiences.ca

For more information on It’s My Potty go to
www.itsmypotty.com
or call 416-527-4600

Arctic Spas
www.arcticspas.com

The holiday season is a time to give and here are some suggestions on how gardeners can give back to their community:

1. Get Involved.  There are countless ways you can get involved in benefiting your community through gardening.  From Communities in Bloom, Horticultural Societies, School Groups to community gardens gardeners can give the gift on their time and knowledge to benefit the look and care of their community.

1. Give your knowledge:  Friends, Family Neighbors’ are all in need of an experience gardeners knowledge and creativity.  Share your know how to help others and get them out gardening.

1. Give your harvest:  Plan on planting an extra row this garden season to give to others.  Plant a Row, Grow a Row is an organization that brings food to those in need straight from your garden.  www.growarow.org 

1. Donate your plants:  When dividing and thinning perennial gardens pot your extras up and donate them to community groups for plant sales or community gardens.  Create your own plant sale but getting a group of fellow gardeners together with their extras and promote the sale with all proceeds going to an organization of your choice. 

1. Just Garden:  By just gardening you are not only benefiting yourself but also a community.  A well kept garden promotes others to do the same thus creating a better looking community.  Gardens and gardening organically provides excellent habit for local wildlife like birds and butterflies. 

Happy Holidays!!!

Frankie

www.plantarow.org

The BT/Home Depot Christmas Tree Deal was a success.  All the money raised from the sale of the 1000 Trees, donated by Home Depot, went to the Daily Bread Food Bank.   Click the Play Button to hear Frankie’s tips when picking a tree and here is some advice from Frankie on how to make your tree last….

Today we went to Supreme Collision Centre in Bolton.  They outfitted me in coveralls and construction Boots and put me straight to work…Click the Play Button the check it out. Also, I’ve posted some pictures of the night that Beth Frankish and I went to see Burt Bacharach at Casino Rama.  I was so excited about meeting him.  I think you can tell.

 Have a Great Day
Jenn Valentyne
Jennifer@chumtv.com

This morning on BT a shared with you a letter sent to me from viewer Al Steeves:

“This cactus dates back to at least 1896. Yes the same one!!  Beginning in Mid-November and by Christmas is over-powering with flowers!!.  It was quietly kept on a pedestal in the south east corner of our living room in Jacquet River, N.B for 53 years. Today my friend Donald Black of Belledune, N.B. displays it with loving care in his living room.  Donald was 80 on November 20^th.  Many folks visit to admire the giant cactus.  Makes me happy.  Now 74, I’ve enjoyed this wonderful plant most of my life.  It was like Santa Claus on Christmas morning.  Still close to my heart.”

Al Steeves of Kingston Ontario

Wow, I’ve always said that Christmas cactus can outlive the average cat but it seems this one has outlived the cat, dog, car and quite possibly the original gardener who propagated it.  Al thanks for sharing this with us.

Christmas Cacti are wonderful plants and are also known as forest type cacti.  They are light sensitive meaning they flower during times when daylight is at a minimum.  This also means if you have a problem getting your Christmas cactus to bloom it can be a result of the plant being placed in a room where lights are left on during the evening period.  Christmas Cacti also enjoy being left alone.  Far too often people kill due to kindness meaning they overwater or over fertilize!!  Allow your Christmas Cacti to dry out before watering.  Christmas Cacti enjoy warm days and cool nights.  An ideal location is placing your Cacti in a cool room with a big window that you don’t use during the evening.  The window will warm the room and give light during the day and then at night your cacti will be left in darkness and enjoy cooler temps.  This difference in daytime and nighttime temps will help to initiate bud and then bloom.  When in bloom the cacti can be moved to a more focal spot in your home to be enjoyed.  Christmas Cacti are easily propagated through cuttings meaning after years of enjoying your plant you can share it with others by creating new ones!!

Al Steeves thanks for the email and I must say Donald Black of Belledune N.B. your Christmas cactus is not only impressive but could be one of Canada’s Oldest one!!

Keep Blooming for years to come!!!

Frankie

1896 is when this cacti founds its start!