GARDENS CREATED BY THE CRAMAHE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The Ecology Garden
Rotary Centennial Park Drive, Colborne ON
As members of OHA, our motto is Keeping Ontario Beautiful.
Our Cramahe Ecology Garden challenges community to Keep Earth Beautiful.
What is an Ecology Garden? Ecology, as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary, is the branch of biology that deals with the relations between living organisms and their environment.
In 2008, the Cramahe Horticultural Society membership agreed to create an Ecology Garden. With support from the Township of Cramahe, the Rotary Club of Colborne, Community Care Colborne and District 4 of the Ontario Horticultural Association, it was agreed to create the Cramahe Ecology Garden in Rotary Centennial Park, Colborne. A request for funding from New Horizons for Seniors was approved and the funding arrived, special delivery, by MP Rick Norlock, in the spring of 2009. Then the real work began. Members contributed many hours of labour to prepare the garden for planting at our Dedication, May 25. Over the summer, members met to regularly maintain and improve the garden. Members involved children from the local Keeler Camp. The children toured the gardens and painted stones to edge the garden rooms and they painted birdhouses meant to encourage birds to nest. These children later brought their parents to visit the gardens.
The Cramahe Ecology Garden displays a variety of plants. It is not a native plant garden but there is an area where one can be developed in the future, once repairs have been made to the eroded edge of the creek. Garden “rooms” show plants among a variety of similar plants. There is a vegetable room where children will be invited to plant quick growing peas and sunflowers. Strawberry plants have been used to edge the vegetable room. There is a xeriscape garden room of sun loving, drought tolerant plants and a shade garden room for plants that like shade. As part of our purpose to educate the community, all of the plants will be labeled. A composting centre shows the community how to make soil.
We are happy to have added a year round destination to the Village of Colborne. Birds have settled into the birdhouses. As natural insect eaters, they and the snakes, toads and frogs are welcome residents. Welcome also are the earth worms as they are tilling and enriching the soil.
Stone benches are situated for quiet contemplation. Passersby can learn about plants and simply observe their beauty or they can be inspired to grow similar species in their personal gardens. Our raised beds are filled with vegetables during the growing season and we happily share the fruits of those labours with our community. We also collect and share seeds.
And we have even more in store for 2025!
The Castleton Garden
1780 Percy Street, Castleton ON
In early October of 2014 our group requested and received permission to establish a garden in the Village of Castleton, just a few minutes north of Colborne. That fall a few enthusiastic members of the club dug the semi-circle that exists today, on the south side of the Castleton Town Hall. Now, as a mature garden, the space is filled with gorgeous perennials. Members of the Cramahe Hort Society regularly maintain this garden and add and subtract as necessary. In 2024 a rather large tree that was situated in front of the garden was removed (by the Township) which has altered this garden from semi-shade to full sun. It’s not a bad problem to have. And be sure to check out the Bug Hotel in the garden. We can see that it’s well used!
