David Ahmad has been a Master Gardener since 1998 where he was an active member of the Toronto chapter of the Master Gardeners of Ontario obtaining his official certification through the University of Guelph. David was awarded his Master Gardener Emeritus status in 2007. While formally educated as a Mechanical Engineer at Ryerson University (TMU), David spent his entire career in Investments & Finance with the Royal Bank.

David is also a well-known Dance Music DJ with a career that spanned over 20 years & can be seen in the 2023 documentary “Drop The Needle” now in International release. David has a soft spot for roses & ponds, enjoys growing his own vegetables from seed & seedlings and revels in the textures, colours & shapes in gardens of all styles.

David will guide us through considerations & processes around the garden design/redesign process & will discuss general rules-of-thumb & how to apply them. The presentation will include a discussion of small ponds (David has a small pond in his garden) & shrubs for those who are starting to downsize. He will also discuss considerations around statuary & hardscaping.

WHERE: Omemee Legion

Join us for Fellowship, coffee/tea & snacks. Don’t forget to Lug-A-Mug & some cash as there are some draws. ‘Donations of Tips’ for coffee/tea are appreciated as it benefits the Omemee Swans who support the Community.

Monthly Mini-Competition:   Photo: ‘A Flower on a Shrub’

Flower Specimen:  One stem of Your Choice   

All Are Welcome!!

Talking points of ‘How To Plan A Successful Garden’ will include but will not be limited to the following:

The Design Process

General design rules-of-thumb, Site analysis: Considerations, Inventory: Plants & Equipment, Moving plants: Division & Swaps, New plants, Use of Containers, Raised planters, Statuary and hardscapes (Styles , Materials)

Maintenance Free:    Variable definitions, What definition suits your style/needs,   Automation/irrigation

Ponds:                 Site, Light, Predators, Pests, Fish or no fish,   Maintenance

Appropriate Shrubs and Considerations: Zone, Size,  Cultivation,  Maintenance

Other Considerations:   Budget, Time constraints, Winter preparations, Available assistance

Please make sure you come with lots of questions and a notebook!

Richard has 35 yrs. experience as a vegetation biologist. He’s worked for several government agencies, including Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Ministry of Natural Resources, & the University of Toronto. He’s taught plant taxonomy, ecology, & the history & effects of plants on human civilization at several colleges & universities. He’s co-authored 9 books including Weeds of North America, Plants of Southern Ontario, & the ROM field guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Weeds of North America was awarded “Book of the Year 2014” by the American Horticultural Society in Washington DC. He’s now involved in invasive plant & biocontrol management field studies in southern Ontario.

When: Monday, April 15^th.  6:30pm

Where: Omemee Legion

Join us for Fellowship, coffee/tea & snacks. Don’t forget to Lug-A-Mug & some cash as there are some draws. ‘Donations of Tips’ for coffee/tea are appreciated as it benefits the Omemee Swans who support the Community.

Monthly Competition:   Photo: ‘A Breath of Spring’

Flower Specimen: What is peeking out in the garden?  

All Welcome!

Dave Ellis will be giving a presentation at Omemee Legion on Saturday, December 9th. as part of Omemee Blooms Garden Club Christmas celebration. 

He and his wife have Wildlife Calendars for sale. They can be contacted at:

Through the Peterborough Examiner

Or through his Flickr website

Dave Ellis is a wildlife photographer from Omemee. 

Dave grew up in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. When he was younger, he travelled and lived in places all across Canada and eventually settled down in Toronto. There, he operated a small handcraft business right downtown on Yonge Street. That was an education!

He says the best move he and his wife Astrid ever made was when they moved to Omemee in 2001. With all of the lakes and rivers and nature areas here, it is a great place to be. They love it here and even more so since they took up wildlife photography as a hobby in 2016. The wildlife that is all around us here is quite phenomenal, and they really enjoy being out in nature most days photographing it.

In 2018, Dave Ellis started writing a wildlife column with photos in the local newspaper Kawartha Lakes This Week. His column also gets published in other newspapers owned by Metro Media. His photos are also regularly published on PTBO News Canada, an online news website for the Peterborough area.

Dave Ellis enjoys sharing his photographs and the stories that go with them at presentations all around the Kawarthas.

Join us Nov. 20th at the Omemee Legion as Anna Mizyn creates a beautiful winter evergreen container that some lucky person will take home.

Our scheduled speaker had to cancel due to some health issues. Anna has graciously stepped in at the last minute.

Anna is originally from Poland and came to Canada in 1989. In Poland she spent 2 yrs. at Horticultural College and worked at the local Farmers Co-op. In her spare time, she worked in local orchards along with growing and selling some of her own plants. 

She now owns and works at Anna’s Perennials, a small, independent nursery with 4 acres of gardens located 10 minutes from Omemee.  

Right now, for 2 weeks, Anna has been selling evergreen boughs and making Christmas containers to order. 

Please note the special date & time.

When: September 18th at 7:00 pm

Where: Omemee Legion

“The Land Between is synonymous with Cottage Country- but there is more to this landscape than one would guess! It is the last wilderness landscape in southern Ontario and a refuge for 59 Species at Risk. It is a meeting place for Raven and Crow, River Otter and Woodchuck, Jack Pine and White Oak…and for mosquito and black fly! It is a meeting place of hunter and vegan, of city and country, of Liberal and Conservative. The Land Between is also rich in cultural diversity and provides resilience to a changing climate and changing times. The Land Between is also the name of the charity that works to save this special place.”

Sarah Reed was raised on a small farm in rural Kawartha Lakes, & after years of working in environmental conservation & living across Canada, has returned to this precious part of the Land Between. Some of her current passions include rotational grazing, native plant landscaping, soil health & production. As well as working for the charity, Sarah is a gardener, shepherd & spinner. 

Included is a photo from the nesting season!

Some of the programs The Land Between charity is working on are Blue Lakes Health for the Future, Bird Buddies-Inspiring Caretakers, Rewilding Native Gardens, and Phrag Fighters-Managing Invasive Species.