The Wheatley Horticultural Society kicked off its year last night with its annual meeting. President Sophie Jefferson provided a review of the previous year, Treasurer Kim Robinson reviewed the 2024 Financials, District 11 OHA Director Sandra Rammelaere led elections for 2025 and significant contributors to the Society were recognized through rewards. Keep reading for full details!
President’s Message 2025
2024 was a year of next steps and celebrations for the Wheatley Horticultural Society. At the Arboretum and Learning Trail, an additional set of outdoor fitness equipment was installed, thanks to the 2023 Ward One Councilors’ Grant. An additional piece of equipment was also donated by the family of Trump Robinson, as well as a bench from the Wheatley Swans. The paths were regraded, and some landscaping was completed to make up for some of the adverse conditions other work was done in. All of this was in place for a Grand Opening Celebration in April, funded in part by a CK Together Grant. Around 200 community members came together to celebrate this space for learning and growth, including our MP Dave Epp, MPP Trevor Jones and CK Councilor Melissa Harrigan. Native plant enthusiast Rick Gray and the Lower Thames Conservation Authority were on hand to advise on which of the native plants and trees provided by the Horticultural Society would be best for attendees gardens. Younger attendees enjoyed the activities provided by the CK Play Rangers and a bird feeder making craft put together by the Horticultural Society. Since the Grand Opening, volunteers have worked to make the trees easier to maintain the grass around and installed information signs on many of the trees. Phase 2 of the trail has been installed by Chatham-Kent, and plans have been made to expand the pollinator garden in 2025.
Several Society Members recommitted to the maintenance of our projects this year and came out diligently for “Maintenance Mondays”. Beginning in April and continuing into September, these efforts made a difference in keeping our gardens tidy and maintenance manageable. New volunteers joined us in this pursuit and throughout the summer close to 80 volunteer hours were logged on Monday evenings, picking up garbage, weeding and pruning. These evenings were social and rewarding. We invite everyone to join us when they can in 2025.
June was a busy month of fundraising. We kicked it off with our 2nd Garden Tour. The weather was amazing and we had about 110 people through the gardens. Visitors joined us from Watford, London, Chatham, Harrow, Windsor, Belle River, Kingsville, Essex, Leamington, Tilbury and more. In speaking with a few business owners, they noticed increased traffic, which was one of the secondary goals of the tour. A special thank you goes out to the Garden Hosts, the Wheatley Swans for their volunteer assistance and the Ladies Auxiliary for helping to provide refreshments – truly a team effort. The following weekend, we held our annual plant sale on Father’s Day weekend and raised approximately $1100 while giving away milkweed and other native plants. This fundraiser wouldn’t be possible without donations from members and our local nurseries, DeGoey’s and Moody’s.
Throughout the summer, the community enjoyed the efforts of the Society, and the orange SunPatiens used in the planters, hanging baskets and fish tubs performed quite well. We will be using similar varieties in 2025 since it was such a great fit. We also hope to expand the number of hanging baskets and planters in 2025 as resources allow.
As the SunPatiens were replaced by mums in the fall, our volunteers put together a great fundraising golf tournament. Around 72 golfers came out for a great afternoon and close to $5700 was raised through the tournament and a raffle for mum planters donated by DeGoey’s. The weather started out poorly, but the sun came out early in the afternoon.
In November, members provided greens for the cenotaph, post office and 4 corners to get ready for the Wheatley Winter Sale. As part of the sale, the Society provided an opportunity for attendees to decorate their own wreath and around 30 people joined in the fun. The Society also launched their website at the end of the year as another spot to keep up with the community. In addition to information on the Society, there is also a blog for information on gardening and local food, and community news.
In addition to our own events, the Horticultural Society supported a couple of community events put on by the Fish Fest Committee. At Fish Fest itself, we hosted nature crafts in the gazebo at Two Creeks. For the Santa Claus Parade, we had the honour of having Santa and Mrs. Claus on our float. Our members enjoy helping with these events and appreciate the work involved in organizing them.
In 2025, we look forward to our first ever garden symposium, Living Landscapes. Our committee has been hard at work to provide an exceptional educational experience to area gardeners. We also hope to host another event to celebrate the Arboretum and Learning Trail, continue to build our website, enhance the areas we work on for beautification and more. None of this would be possible without the support of our members, the community, and Chatham-Kent. We are thankful for the role we’re able to play in Wheatley.
2024 Financials
Kim Robinson presented the 2024 Financials. These documents were reviewed by 2 Society members not on the board, Cathy Bell and Kathy Gradwell. Officially, we had a deficit of about $8000 for the year, by funding related to a grant has since arrived to cover that gap. Below is a breakdown of the revenue sources and expenses of the Society for 2024. The Chatham-Kent grants we received in 2024 were our regular Beautification funding, plus CK Together Grants to support signage and equipment at the Arboretum and Learning Trail and the Grand Opening event we held there. Administrative costs were slightly higher due to planning work for our Living Landscapes event in February and will likely remain at a similar level with the costs we undertake to support our website and fundraising.
Elections
2025 Wheatley Horticultural Society Members.
Our officers and directors for 2025:
Officers
- President – Sophie Jefferson
- Vice-President- Mary Jonsson
- Past-President-Donna Matier
- Secretary-Barb Carson
- Treasurer-Kim Robinson
- Membership Coordinator- Janet Loop
Directors
- Julie Mills
- Deb Mineau
- Gary Moody
- Marilynn Miller
Thank you for your support throughout 2024 and your commitment for 2025! We wouldn’t be able to make such and impact in our community without you.
2024 Horticultural Society Award Winners
Kathy Gradwell, Marilyn Miller and Kim Robinson receive their awards.
Strong Seedling – Marilyn Miller
The Strong Seedling award is given to a newer volunteer with the Horticultural Society that is playing a key part in the work of the Society. Marilyn Miller brings a love of gardening and community service to the Wheatley Horticultural Society and over the past couple of years has applied that to help with events, contribute to maintenance efforts and provide horticultural knowledge, particularly on native plants and pollinators. She also played a key role in getting our constitution updated to align with ONCA legislation and is now leading the charge on developing a set of policies and procedures for the Society to use as operating guidance in the future.
Echinacea Award – Kathy Gradwell
Our Society Flower, the Echinacea, is a steady presence in many local gardens, and continues to bloom through difficult conditions. Our Echinacea Award is given to a member who continues to contribute even when conditions change. Kathy Gradwell has been an involved member since the early days of the Society, often helping with maintenance projects. Her easy smile and fun rubber boots make her a pleasure to work with. Kathy is also a key member of our Fish Tote Fundraising Commitee, and we wouldn’t be able to continue to expand our beautification projects without her efforts.
Award of Merit – Kim Robinson
The Award of Merit at the Wheatley Horticultural Society is given to a member whose dedication and activities are essential to the success of the Society. The winner is also nominated for the provincial award, which is awarded at the OHA Convention in July. Our treasurer, Kim Robinson, provides steady leadership to the board. Her consistency and attention to detail ensures we have timely financial reports and are able to make wise investments in the community. She is easy to work with since she considers the perspectives of others while communicating her own. Kim is involved in almost everything the Society does, from helping to organize the golf tournament to coming out to more Maintenance Mondays than anyone else. She is a passionate supporter of our projects and life-long supporter of Wheatley.
