All are invited to St. Pauls Spring Olympics and pot luck picnic
Nobleton Notes
By Angie Maccarone (905) 859-5174

Horticulture

"Strolling through the park watching winter turn to spring . . ."

While this transitional stage is here, its time to think about annual flowers that need to be sown early. Among them are poppies.

For colour all summer long, plant a patch of annual poppies (papaver) and dead head them two or three times a week. I've Learned from bitter experience that neither annual nor perennial poppies transplant well, so now I plant them where I want them to grow.

Annual poppy seed may be sown in the fall or scattered on the spring snow. This lets the seed settle into the soil as the snow melts. If I plant my seed in April or at the latest the first few days in May, I rake a place in my garden gently and sprinkle the seed covering it lightly.The sprouting seedlings can be left to grow as they would naturally or they may be thinned out.

There are some 80 species of poppies; annual, biennial and perennial; some native to Europe, some to Africa and others to Australia, western North America and Asia. Probably the most recognized variety is the wild red poppy (papaver rhoeas), found all over Europe from Britain to Hungary to Italy and made world famous by John McCrae in his first World War poem In Flanders Fields. In the late 1800s, at his home in the English village of Shirley in Kent, Rev. William Wilks, a horticulturalist, began to develop from this same wild poppy, then called the corn poppy because it grew all through the corn (grain) fields, a variety with several different colours - white, pink, rose, salmon and some bi-colours. We know these today as shirley poppies, and we now have semi doubles.

By the by, the taller, fully-double peony type poppy (papaver omniferum) that is a popular, easilygrown plant, is the notorious opium poppy which only a few years ago was illegal to grow. Today a few in the garden isn't a problem. However if you decide to plant acres of them, expect a visit from the RCMP.

California poppies (eschscholzia californica - named for 19th century German botanist Johann Eschscholz) may also be scattered on the melting snow where you want them to grow. They like a dryish soil. Although these low growers are annuals, they are prolific self seeders and will come back year after year.

The poppies already mentioned will self seed as well if they are happy with their location. The delicate and lovely Iceland poppies (papaver nudicaule) that come in shades of red, yellow, white and orange I find a challenge to grow, yet my one time neighbour on the King Road near Nobleton, Olive Nelson, grew them with no difficulty. They are best treated as annuals, though they are classed as biennials or short-lived perennials. I find them hard to grow from seed, so I buy the plants. These poppies were developed from a species, papaver croceum, found growing in central Asia.

There is a small wild Icelandic poppy (papaver radicatum) found in the Faeroes Islands of Norway and Sweden. I have in my Tecumseth Pines garden a small flowered pumpkin orange poppy I call papaver watsonia that came from a dear friend's garden in Pottageville. My friend gently curses it because it self seeds and comes up everywhere, but I think it's beautiful and it always looks happy to greet me on summer mornings. Like most poppies it it grows best in a sunny location.

Spring Olympics

and picnic at St. Paul's

Everyone is invited to join us at St. Paul's this Saturday (April 5) between 4 and 8 p.m. for our Spring Olympics and picnic event.

It is a pot luck, so bring your favourite dish and prepare for fun. No previous Olympic experience is necessary.

The Community Youth Group meets tonight (April 2) at 7 p.m. The Prayer Group meets at 7:30 p.m. The Thursday morning men's and ladies' studies continue at 9:30 a.m. The Saturday morning men's study will meet at 8:30 a.m.

Join us this Sunday at 9:45 as we welcome Rev. Clive Simpson to the pulpit. Nursery care (for children five years and younger) is provided during the service and Sunday school for all ages follows at 11 a.m.

For more information about any of our activities or events, please contact the church office at (905) 859- 0843 or visit our Web site at www.stpaulsnobleton.ca

Nobleton seniors' activities

The winners of the March 25 evening euchre were Marjorie Bell, Cathy Kiekebelt, Carol Sharer, John Burbridge, Murray Hilliard and Walter Bell. The most one hands were held by Walter Hill. The lucky draw winners were Paula Latanville, Lou Curtis and Audrey MacDonald.

The correct euchre and bid euchre dates for April are as follows: April 8 - evening euchre; April 15- afternoon euchre, evening bid euchre; April 22 - evening euchre; and April 29 - evening bid euchre. Afternoon euchre starts at 1:30 p.m. and evening bid and regular euchre starts 7:30 p.m.

St. Mary Catholic Church

Our major fund-raising church dance is fast approaching.

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend this worthwhile event.

The dance is scheduled for April 19 at Imperial Ballroom in Nobleton. Tickets can be obtained after 9:45 a.m. mass and also by calling Livio at (905) 859- 1313. A portion of the cost of the ticket is tax deductible which is $40. No tickets will be sold at door, only pre-sold tickets. Tickets are $90, with great dinner, silent auction and many more prizes.

Nobleton United Church

This Sunday at 11 a.m., please join us as we listen to the sermon Stranger or Christ? and read along in Psalm 116: 1-4, and 12-19.

April 7, at 7 p.m., we welcome Stacey Hollings as our guest and friend to our UCW meeting. Stacey will be doing a workshop on yoga. Everyone is welcome.

The annual Roast Beef Dinner is fast approaching and tickets are now on sale by calling Mary Anne at (905) 859-0709 or the church (905) 859-3976. This fund-raiser for the Nobleton United Church is being held at the Nobleton Community Hall April 12.