Kingsville’s first Annual Seedy Saturday event

by Max de Liberato

Horticulturalists from the local community of Kingsville visited the Unico Centre this past Saturday to enjoy and fully indulge in a seed exchange.

This was the first time the horticultural society of Kingsville hosted a Seedy Saturday event.

There were, however, a number of activities for enthusiasts of all ages, from presentations to vendors. For the younger gardeners, they were able to learn how to properly transplant a plant and enjoy constructing crafts. The first 50 people through the doors of the Unico Centre were given a spring plant.

“We take our environmental stewardship responsibilities very seriously.” said Heather Crewe, President of the Horticultural Society.

The event faced some difficulty due to the recent news over COVID-19, vendors and presenters had to opt-out of the event and due to public concerns the overall numbers of the event were likely affected, Crewe noted.

One of the presentations at the event focused on the Carolinian trees of Lakeside Park. A tree in the park, the Cucumber Magnolia, is an endangered species and is protected by the federal government.

According to Larry Cornelis, before giving his presentation on tree identification, there are 70 species of trees in the Essex-Kent area, 25 of these species are distinctly Carolinian, these numbers reflect good biodiversity in the area. Cornelis said the British Isles only have eight different tree species, while regions in Spain only have 24.

“Everybody in the room has a relationship with trees.” Cornelis said.

“There are a lot of very avid gardeners in the community, as you can see as you drive around in the summer there are a lot of beautiful yards and gardens, what we’ve tried to do in structuring this event is to have something for everyone to do in the family.” said Crewe. “I know as a parent myself, you’re always looking for things to do with the kids that are inexpensive, interesting, something for them, something for the parents.”

Crewe hopes that the event continues through the years.