For both ecological and economic reasons we no longer print and mail a seasonal program listing our workshops and special events. The information is now distributed via this e-newsletter and is always available on our website. We do appreciate your past and future support of our workshops; the income supports other Arboretum educational endeavours such as brochures, signs, booklets, tours and our website.

If you know of people who may be interested in our workshops who do not receive this e-newsletter we would appreciate if you would pass this information on to them. To subscribe to the newsletter simply send an e-mail to [log in to unmask] with “subscribe to newsletter” in the subject line and include your e-mail address and first and last name in the text of the e-mail.

If you have a spot in your community or at your workplace where you can display our workshop posters, please send us an e-mail at [log in to unmask] and we will be happy to send them to you.

Below is a list of upcoming workshops at The Arboretum. Please forward this e-mail to your friends and colleagues! The more participants we have, the more programs we can offer.

We now offer an on-line registration process which allows you to register for our programs 24/7 as they say, not just during our regular business hours. A secure link is provided for this easy registration process. Click here for the link.

If you do not have internet access registration can still be made by phone or in person at 519-767-5000 . Please note that a decision is made on the registration deadline as to whether the workshop will run or not, based on the minimum number of required registrants. You may still register after the deadline as long as the workshop is running and there is space. Questions regarding workshop can be directed to Ranee Pararajasingham at [log in to unmask] or 519-824-4120 ext. 52358.

by Chris Earley

In celebration of our bluebird visit (see sightings below), this month's quiz is on birds that eat berries in the fall and winter here. Some of these are rare occurrences and others are common. Because The Arboretum has so many different fruiting trees, shrubs and vines, we often get some berry-eating birds here during migration and in the winter. Favourites of many of these birds seem to be crabapple, bittersweet, wild grape, highbush cranberry, cork tree and juniper. How many of these can you identify? The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.

by Shelley Hunt

Many of you will remember a time when large, stately elm trees were common in Ontario, their arching crowns forming leafy canopies over city streets. Elms were popular trees not only because of their beauty, but also because of their tolerance to the harsh conditions that trees experience in urban settings. Sadly, most of our elms were wiped out as Dutch elm disease swept across eastern North America a few decades ago. In 1998, The Arboretum embarked on a mission to survey the large ‘survivor’ elm trees that could still be found scattered across the landscape, mainly in rural Ontario. Are these mature trees actually tolerant to the disease? If so, could we propagate cuttings of these trees and bring them together at The Arboretum to help create a new generation of disease-tolerant elms? And thus our Elm Recovery Project was born, driven by the vision of our late horticulturist, Henry Kock, and carried on through the dedication of our current horticulturist, Sean Fox.
With the generous support of many donors over the years, the Arboretum’s Elm Recovery Project has been steadily (and slowly, as is the way with trees) moving forward, testing ‘survivor’ trees for DED tolerance and weeding out the susceptible trees until only the most promising trees remain. Recently, The Arboretum was a recipient of the Jack Kimmel Grant from the Canadian TREE Fund, a branch (pardon the pun) of the International Society of Arboriculture. Jack Kimmel was a prominent member of the Society, and was at one point the Director of Parks for the City of Toronto. We are honoured to have received a grant in his name. We will be using the grant, combined with donation funds, to embark on ‘Phase Two’ of our Elm Recovery Project, which will involve completing the seed orchard that will house the ‘cream of the crop’ of Dutch elm disease-tolerant elms. The ultimate goal is to have these promising trees produce genetically diverse crops of elm seeds that will contribute to the restoration of this species on the Ontario landscape. Genetic diversity is an important part of biodiversity in general, and will help to ensure that a new population of elms will have the ‘tools’ to deal with not only Dutch elm disease, but also with environmental changes and unforeseen challenges that may come its way in the future.



Arboretum Curator, Dr. Aron Fazekas,
and Polly Samland orchard.

by Ric Jordan

February is the shortest month and this year, except for the cold, has certainly seemed like it. We are over half way through and while it may be wishful thinking on my part do I denote a slight change in the quality of the sun, perhaps even a bit of warmth some days!
Even with the extremely cold days visitors have been frequent on the grounds and while it is impossible to clear all the paths we have kept a large loop open for the hearty walkers and joggers. It consists of the Promenade from campus and continues along the entry road to College Ave where you can cross and continue on the service road to meet College again at the RJ Hilton Centre. Crossing College once again you will rejoin the Promenade midway between the campus and the Arboretum Centre. A complete loop from East Ring Road would be approximately 4 kilometres. If one just did the loop starting at the Arboretum Centre it would be about 3 kilometres. If you have x-country skis or snowshoes the grounds offer a wonderful location to get some practice before heading out into the wilds.
Some of you may have noticed pictures taken in The Arboretum being placed on various social media sites recently. The grounds do offer a variety of settings for photos year round not only for landscape shots but those of wildlife. For a sampling of some of the photos check out our Flickr site via the link from our web page or go to Flickr and search for Guelph Arboretum. Birders have been frequent visitors and just today we received a report from a visitor of a Bald Eagle, our first, flying over the grounds.
While visiting the web page check out our upcoming workshops, they will help set the mood for the arrival of spring. Pruning, Gardening Fundamentals, Birding, and Wildflowers all represent a harbinger of the seasonal change we all look forward to after a traditional Guelph winter. Until next month stay warm, stay active but foremost and utmost stay green!

Slainte
Ric

Arboretum Promenade Path

Hope everyone is having a Happy Valentine's Day! If you or someone you know is lucky enough to be giving or receiving that special ring and proposal and beginning to plan for that exciting day please be sure to check The Arboretum out for the ceremony and reception. For further information please contact Barb Watson – Ash at 519-824-4120 ext. 54110 or [log in to unmask]. Further information on our unique reception facilities and outdoor ceremony sites can be found on our website.

  
West Lawn                                     Auditorium

On January 27 we had a wonderful visit by six Eastern Bluebirds (four males and two females) to the Arboretum Centre. They came to the feast on the berries of the bittersweet vines that hang on the wall beside the pond. It was a very cold and windy morning with snow squalls that often blocked our view. But then the wind would drop for a second and the brilliant sunshine made the bluebirds almost glow! At one point a male and female landed on the shoulders of our "The Child" statue and drank the water forming on his ear lobes. And then the flock left and hasn't been back. Most of the birds were banded, so it is possible that they are the individuals that hatched out here in The Arboretum last spring. But where ever they are from, it certainly was a nice visit!

     
Bluebird in bittersweet vine      Bluebirds drinking water dripping from
                                           "The Child"

                     
                      Bluebird on a bench

Be a part of the BetterPlanet Project by donating on-line:

Your donation can be directed to The Arboretum online through the secure University of Guelph donation page: http://uofg.convio.net/arboretum

If you prefer not to make an online donation, there are several other ways to provide your financial support. You can choose to donate by telephone, mail, fax, or in person:

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Attention Alumni Affairs 50 Stone Road East Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Tel: 1-888-266-3108 ext. 56934 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56934 Fax: 519-822-2670 Email: [log in to unmask]

If you would like information on bequests and planned giving to The Arboretum please contact:

Ross Butler
Director, Gift Planning
at (519) 824-4120 ext. 56196 or by e-mail at [log in to unmask]