Newsletter #16 - Sept/Oct 2022 |
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Help protect pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with friends and family! |
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Above: Pure gold! Gorgeous Stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) produces pollen- and nectar-rich radiant yellow flat-topped flowers in the late summer and into the early fall. Too tall? Keep it shorter with a Chelsea chop in June! And don't worry about allergies – ragweed is the real culprit. Photo © 2022 Jeanne McRight. |
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Message from the President Dear BB Members and Supporters, September is a golden month, with golden light on golden leaves, and meadows filled with goldenrod. We can delight in the blooms of fall wildflowers pollinated by hundreds of wild bee species, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps and other insects. Their seeds grace our world with plants, the basis of life. If you're a gardener, don't hang up your trowel just yet. Late summer and early fall is a great time to plant. Plant a tree, a shrub, or fill in spaces with more perennial natives. It's also time to gather seeds and dream ahead to 2023. BB is embarking on an exciting project for 2022-2023. Thanks to our grant awarded by the Trillium Foundation's Resilient Communities Fund, we have hired Agritecture, an outstanding team of consultants who, together with Mississauga consultants Hoffmann Hayes, are doing a Mississauga-wide feasibility study for us. The project: establishing a cooperative Community Greenhouse facility for use by community groups to grow plants that will benefit the city's ecological well-being. We will be reaching out to potential stakeholders this fall, so be on the lookout for news and our consultants' survey! Thank you, members, volunteers and supporters, for your amazing work in helping us build native habitat corridors that foster the wellbeing of pollinators, plants and people throughout our city. Pure gold, for sure. Cheers, Jeanne |
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Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good. - Jochen Zeitz Do more good — join our efforts to provide food and nesting sites for our threatened bees, butterflies and other pollinators: |
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Look how our gardens grew... A lovely short video with a sampling of this summer's photos from our garden stewards. Enjoy! Photos provided by the BB garden stewards. |
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Our Project Partnerships Ecosource Pollinator Garden Improvements |
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In July, BB provided hundreds of native plants to Ecosource, who we are helping to create/expand native pollinator gardens at their city-wide community garden sites. Pollinators help increase vegetable and fruit yields! Left:Volunteers planted BB seedlings next to Ecosource's community vegetable garden at the Small Arms Building site, Lakeshore & Dixie. Photos by Monika Bianco. |
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Canadian Healthy Communities Initiative |
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Above: Blooming Boulevard's Wayne Cardinalli and Jeanne McRight with ACER's Alice Casselman and Sadia Butt, Ward One Councillor Stephen Dasko and Canada Summer Jobs interns got together for a picnic in Lakeshore Promenade Park to celebrate a busy summer planting trees and native plants. We provided over 1,000 native plant seedlings to accompany tree plantings in parks throughout the city, supporting key goals of Mississauga’s Climate Action Plan and the city’s Living Green Master Plan. We hope this project's success will serve as a model for future initiatives. |
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Saying hello at the Lakeview Farmers Market! BB Directors Angela, Archna and Murray (not shown) enjoyed meeting market-goers and offering seeds for sale on Sept. 11 at our BB Booth. |
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Upcoming EventsMark your calendar! |
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We Are Resilient opening event Fri. Sept. 16 - 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Community Common Park, 355 Princess Royal Dr, Mississauga, ON L5B 4M8 Community Common Park location map>> The City of Mississauga's Environment Section and Museums of Mississauga have joined together to curate an exhibition exploring climate change and climate action in our City. See compelling photographs and stories created by Mississauga residents, perspectives from international scientific leaders and learn how you can take climate action today! Meet local environmental organizations and exhibitors. Buy sustainable products from local vendors and enjoy delicious food. Interactive drumming performance by Rhythm Works.
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Webinar: Growing Native Plants From SeedSept. 24, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. |
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Ramp up your expertise! Get the plants you want and save $$ - grow your own. Learn how to prepare seeds for sowing, the pros and cons of seed-starting mixes and how to make your own potting mix. Tips on indoor and outdoor propagation setups, seed germination and seedling care will be given. Handouts provided to download.
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Attention Members: our 2022 AGM is Oct. 27! When: Thursday, October 27 from 7 pm to 8 pm Where: online Zoom meeting Blooming Boulevards' 4th Annual General Meeting will showcase a slide show of members' wonderful gardens, our busy volunteers and this eventful year's many activities. Meet and greet our current Board of Directors and cast your vote for 2023! Current BB members will receive an emailed invitation to the AGM with a Zoom registration link. Is your membership up-to-date? |
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Garden BuzzNative garden to-do list: September/October This is a perfect time to expand your garden and reduce the size of your lawn. Prepare the site for planting this fall and/or next spring. Smothering the grass during the fall will help eliminate the work of manually removing the turf. Info here>> Collect seed when it matures, dry and save it to sow either outdoors when the weather gets cold in November or to stratify during the winter months and to sow in the spring. Weed! It's not too late to tackle weeds now. Pull out new weed seedlings and clip off larger weeds at their base below the soil line. This avoids disturbing the soil and reduces the resurfacing of dormant weed seeds. Top-dress with compost - decayed organic material (rotted manure, mushroom compost, leaf mould, composted plant debris)) improves soil texture and makes beneficial soil organisms happy! Our native meadow and woodland species appreciate annual additions of 3 - 5 cm (1 - 2 inches) of compost. Protect plants against hungry nibblers - Rabbits love tender young plants. Long-lasting, non-toxic spray repellents (like Bobbex or PlantSkydd) can be effective, as well as wire cages (higher than the snow line) around young trees and or shrubs that may be eaten during winter months.. Read - These handy references will deepen your understanding of plants and how they grow. Widely available in online book stores or ask at your local library for these gems: Watch for bumble bees and become a citizen scientist. Record sightings here >> Get the iNaturalist app for your smartphone to help identify and report sightings of wild fauna and flora.
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Don't have a native plant garden yet? So, what are you waiting for...? Apply for a 2023 boulevard garden! |
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We are now accepting applications from our members for next spring's 2023 gardens. So much better than grass – beautiful, easy-care, conserves water, supports endangered bees and butterflies! - what’s not to love? Left: Valerie's new BB garden. It doesn't take long to grow a garden beloved by pollinators - and people! |
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Member benefits!Attention all BB garden stewards and volunteersYou're invited to be part of our private Facebook group! This is a group just for you! Now all Blooming Boulevards' garden stewards, BB volunteers and member native plant growers can connect with each other. Group experts are available to answer your questions. Share photos, observations, tips and questions and learn together in this private members-only group! Find out more/join here>> |
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Meet a member Rob Chiasson Story by Heather Raithby Doyle |
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In 2019, when visiting Toronto’s Centre Island, Rob Chiasson noticed the gardens fluttering with monarchs and, once home, began googling “pollinator plants”. Along the way he discovered Blooming Boulevards and signed up in the fall of 2020 to be a garden steward. Below: City permit signing! Rob's grassy boulevard in April 2021, during BB's preliminary site visit. |
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Rob took up gardening as a hobby in the midst of the pandemic. It gave him an excuse to be outside, and a project for his Mississauga Valley home. Little did he know his hobby would increase in size, along with his gardens... Read more >> Below: Rob Chiasson and his pollinator-pleasing garden in 2022. Photos: Rob Chiasson. |
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Biodiversity BuzzBeautiful blues: an ultra-rare butterfly and its not-so-common look-alikeby Rob Chiasson |
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Touring the garden with camera in hand late afternoon August 24th, hoping to snap a couple of shots of bees or butterflies, I noticed a beautiful small blue butterfly fluttering about in the garden. It came to rest on a lanceleaf coreopsis and stood there unbothered by my camera lens which was moving progressively closer and closer. I was hoping to catch the blue upper side of the wings, not realizing at first...Read more>> |
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Wow, so exciting! The blue butterfly in Rob's garden - was it the rare/extirpated Karner Blue, or the still uncommon, new-to-Ontario European Common Blue? |
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Habitat for overwintering insects By Pamela Sleightholm |
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Every autumn we’re encouraged to “leave the leaves” or to leave the garden a little messy for overwintering insects, including pollinators. A few insect species migrate over the winter and return when the weather warms again, most notable is the super-migration of monarch butterflies from here to Mexico. |
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Others produce glycerol in their bodies that prevents them from freezing. And some will look for warm nooks in your house to get through the cold. But other species will overwinter in your garden, and our fall yard clean up can have an impact on the species that are able to thrive over the cold period.... Read more>> |
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Fragrance in the Garden – Why it might be time to give your plants a sniff By Heather Raithby Doyle |
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There’s no doubt our gardens can be a visual feast. But many native and other plants are aromatic as well, charming our sense of smell. Some experts say smell is our strongest sense, and one that goes straight to the part of the brain associated with emotions and memories (Walsh, 2020). While our sense of smell might decline with age, the good news is we can train our brains by daily workouts. So what better place to sniff than in our native plant gardens?... Read more>> |
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If you are ever in doubt about whether a plant is, say, anise hyssop or the unrelated but similar looking hyssop, try plucking a leaf off and rolling it between your fingers. Anise hyssop will reward you with a delightful black licorice scent. |
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Plant ID apps may be good but they are no match for an experienced gardener….yetBy Heather Raithby Doyle |
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Walking along a trail, or in our neighbourhood we may see a plant and wonder: “What is that?” Since many of us carry our phones with us, it’s easy to snap a photo and find out using one of the many plant identification apps. Especially for those of us who are newer to gardening, plant apps are an amazing tool, tapping into a world of knowledge, and, ahem, making us seem more expert than we are. It is like having a botanist in our back pocket, so to speak. To top it off...Read more>> Have your say: |
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Spotlight on keystone native plant species: the goldenrodStory and photos by Diana Westland, Mississauga Master Gardener |
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Goldenrods are part of the 30 top keystone host plants for Lepidoptera (caterpillars), supporting 104 species that will eventually become moths and butterflies. The caterpillars are also important protein sources for many birds, especially for their young. Goldenrods are also within the top 30 host plants for pollen specialist bees, supporting 42 bee species...Read more>> |
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"But it's not invasive in my garden!"by Pamela Sleightholm |
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Invasive plants can come from the horticultural trade. Take a trip to a conventional nursery and you’re bound to found dozens of plants that are considered invasive species in Ontario. In the horticulture trade, some of these plants are considered desirable because of their pest resistance, colours, bloom period and flower shape. Unfortunately, these same characteristics can be detrimental to native insect and plant species. |
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When we think of invasive plants, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, dog-strangling vine and goutweed come to mind. Would you be surprised if we added garden favourites like lily of the valley, forsythia, Japanese barberry, periwinkle and English ivy to the list?...Read more>> |
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Year of the Garden Call for Volunteers |
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Help us collect wildflower seeds this fall! We will use these seeds to propagate plants for our 2023 pollinator gardens. Left: Sheila collecting native New England aster seeds foe BB gardens. | | |
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Join our volunteer plant propagation team! Learn how to grow native plants in this rewarding program for volunteers. The seedlings produced will help create our new 2023 pollinator gardens. All experience levels welcome to apply! We will teach you - it's interesting and fun! The training is FREE, plus you may keep 10% of the plants you grow! All materials and equipment will be provided on loan during the propagation period.
Left: 2022 BB plant propagation volunteer Alison Linsley-Melo with the native plants she grew from seed. | | |
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Year-round volunteer opportunities! |
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Do you have experience with PR initiatives? Please get in touch - we need help getting the word out as we increase focus on developing and extending our programs this year. We are looking for people with leadership and communication skills and enough free time to help with our outreach activities. It's an exciting time to get involved in our growing organization! |
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Join our Board of Directors! We want to add members to our Board of Directors and encourage expressions of interest from our membership. If you would like to join our lively, active and interesting board, please contact Jeanne at info@bloomingboulevards.org for more information. |
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“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
― Dalai Lama XIV |
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Thank you! - Blooming Boulevards is thrilled to have the support of the City of Mississauga, the Riverwood Conservancy, the Mississauga Master Gardeners and the Cloverleaf Garden Club.
A huge thanks to all our members, volunteers, supporters and donors who continue to help us provide habitat to pollinators and protect the wild plants and animals that share our urban neighbourhoods. We can't do this without you!
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Our 2021 - 2022 Board of Directors Jeanne McRight, Founding President Sheila Cressman, Secretary Mary Jean Kucerak, Treasurer Wayne Cardinalli Archna Gupta Angela Jordan Jacqueline McKernan Murray Moore Pamela Sleightholm Communications Jeanne McRight Pamela Sleightholm Heather Raithby Doyle Photography (unless otherwise noted) Jeanne McRight |
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Blooming Boulevards is an incorporated Ontario not-for-profit organization and a thankful recipient of funding from the City of Mississauga and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. |
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