Newsletter #22 - Sept/Oct 2023 |
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Help protect pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with friends and family! |
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Above: Celebrating stiff goldenrod, a top keystone host plant that supports 42 bee species and 104 moth and butterfly species whose caterpillars are important protein sources for many birds, especially for their young. Planting keystone species helps build complex food webs by forming the essential foundation —native plants and insects — that provide food for other organisms, directly and indirectly. |
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Message from the President Dear BB Members and Supporters, Hello fall and the delight of walking through golden woodlands! For me, though, the best wonders of this season are tiny powerhouses: seeds. Gathering and planting seeds is an act of affirmation, resiliency, and hope. Hold a native plant seed that took 250 million years to get here in your hand and think "This is a gift to the future". When we collect seeds at Blooming Boulevards, we are all about hope. Did you know that residential gardens rich in flowering plants have been found to underpin the urban nectar supply? The more pollinators, the greater diversity of flora and fauna – as anyone with bee and butterfly-covered goldenrods and asters blooming in their garden right now can attest! This fall we have many opportunities for you to help and learn as a volunteer. It's easy to get involved! We'll teach you how to collect seeds, grow plants, plant gardens and make a whole new crop of pollinator-sustaining blooms for 2024. Looking forward to the fall harvest and all the goodness it will bring. 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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Bigger & better - our new Spruce Park garden project takes off!We have an especially fun and interesting BB project planned for mid to late September! |
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A little background We made the original garden in 2019. We’ve maintained the garden over the past 4 years. Now we plan to expand the Spruce Park garden, and we were awarded a #TDParkPeople grant to fund expenses. |
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A great volunteer opportunity! For all Mississauga residents who might like getting involved - making this garden bigger will be a short and sweet “plants and people” hands-on project at Spruce Park. Families welcome - all ages and abilities can participate! Location: 280 Angeline Street in east Mineola Sign up to help on one or more of these project dates! Saturday Sept. 16, 9 am - 2 pm - assemble raised beds + tent display Saturday September 23 - fill beds with soil + tent display Saturday September 30 - install plants + tent display
Want to help enlarge the garden? Learn more about the project & volunteer here>> |
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We've been busyAfter our boulevard gardens have been installed, we are able to help Mississauga schools, churches, organizations, and businesses create habitat gardens on their properties for the public to enjoy. Here are our two largest projects this summer, where BB provided on-site consultations, planting designs, and plants. |
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Peace garden at Eden United Church, 3051 Battleford Road. This flourishing large garden, just planted in June, will be dedicated with worship and a blessing, cake and refreshments on Sunday Sept. 24 at 10 am. |
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Five garden beds at 350 Rathburn Road condo In mid-July, a variety of garden beds were planted with over 1,000 locally sourced native plants to enhance landscaping on the spacious grounds of the two condominium towers. |
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We've also been busy with meetings, information-gathering, and connecting with stakeholders about our community greenhouse project plans. Recently BB's Jeanne and Douglas met with Mark Verbinnen at Verbinnen's Greenhouse and Nursery in Dundas, Ontario, which wholesales native plants. Mark took us on a 3-hour tour of their greenhouse operations and very kindly answered all our questions. Thank you, Mark and Verbinnen's! |
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Visit to Verbinnen's Greenhouse and Nursery BB Strategic Advisor Douglas Markoff and Mark Verbinnen discuss greenhouse design and operations. The business was founded by Mark's grandfather and it has slowly transformed into an all-native plant producer. The visit was a delight, and so informative! |
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Mark your calendarSat. Sept. 23, 10 a.m. - Presentation: Growing Native Plants from Seed Our final 2023 Zoom webinar - Jeanne McRight, presenter |
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Advantages and disadvantages of different seed-starting mixes and how to make your own potting mix. Tips on setting up indoor grow lights Detailed information on outdoor sowing Germination and seedling care Handouts available for download
Register here>> |
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Coming this fall - our 5th Annual General Meeting Discover what we've accomplished this year and hear about our exciting plans for 2024! Members will receive an emailed invitation with the agenda by the end of September - look for it in your inbox! Date: TBA Location: Zoom Members can vote to approve the 2022 Minutes, Financial Report, our new updated By-Law, and elect new Board members.
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BB Garden BuzzNative garden to-do list: Sept./Oct. To-do or not to-do, that is the question... Please use this information to make decisions that work best for you, your garden, and wildlife! Leave the leaves and save the stems to protect overwintering insects and nourish the soil. Most pollinators and other invertebrates spend the winter very near their spring and summer foraging sites in the landscape, just hidden from view, often amongst the fallen leaves. More info here>> Divide and share. Divide rapid spreaders such as smooth aster, mountain mint, grey headed coneflower, wild bergamot, heath aster, pearly everlasting, and others. Share divisions with neighbours or replant elsewhere in your garden. Collect seeds as they ripen, clean and store them – or sow where you want more plants. Leave seedheads for the birds this winter though. Join our seed collector team for hands-on training. Expand your garden - add more plants! The soil is still warm enough that roots can get a head start for the following spring. Trim plants if they overhang sidewalks or street. Water new plants. Protect plants against hungry nibblers. Long-lasting, non-toxic spray repellents (such as Plantskydd) can be effective, as well as wire cages around tasty favorites. Keep up with your weeding. Weeds rob your plants of light, water and nutrients. Learn all about the pollinators in your garden: visit Saundra Hewitt's Plants & Pollinators, then read Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm. Become a citizen scientist. Visit Canada's Citizen science portal to find a listing of interesting current projects. Get the iNaturalist app for your smartphone to help identify and report sightings of wild fauna and flora.
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Meet a member: Patty Duquette Creating a Garden of Eden in Mississauga by Heather Raithby Doyle |
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A new native plant garden at a busy intersection in Mississauga is attracting pollinators and people, and a whole lot of positivity. The Peace Garden and Peace Pole at Eden United Church of Canada now brighten the formerly weedy corner of Winston Churchill and Battleford Road. Despite it’s lush appearance, the garden was only planted three months ago. A new bench welcomes people to relax and enjoy the view. |
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Amazingly, in June, as volunteers nestled 300 tiny seedlings from Blooming Boulevards into their new home a brightly coloured Canadian tiger swallowtail appeared and rested in the garden. “I was almost in tears. There’s a butterfly right here and we’re not even finished the garden yet,” says Patty Duquette. Photo: Patty Duquette |
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Biodiversity Buzz Joe Pye weed – a July-September pollinator magnet by Pamela Sleightholm |
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Above: Live action drama! Click to watch this video of monarch butterfly successfully defend its spot on a Joe Pye against an aggressive clearwing hummingbird moth. Video: Jeanne McRight After planting three Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) seedlings in my front garden last year, this was the summer I got to reap the rewards of this stunning plant. Without fail, the Joe Pye weed is the centre of the action on a visit to my garden – native bees, butterflies, hover flies, and beetles are always buzzing around its towering pale pink blooms.
The draw is its combination of height, colour, flower shape, scent and extended bloom times. Each of these characteristics evolved alongside native insects, making them a perfect fit for local pollinators...Read more>> |
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Garden Watch Container Gardening as a Journey Story and photos by Barbara Booth-Moore |
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Above: Barb's new deck and raised bed container garden thriving with native plants such as anise hyssop, dotted mint, and black-eyed Susan. Through the years my interest in container gardening has evolved for sure. I have always loved the look of plants in large pots or wooden raised beds. Container gardening shows us that gardening is more than large suburban lots and manicured gardens. Gardening can be as simple as a pot. My first attempt at container gardening was with the old tried and true cedar half barrels. I think anyone who has a garden had one of these at some point. Starting those first few years with annuals and realizing after a few years they were hard to keep healthy through our heat and dry spells here in Mississauga, I moved on to mixing in some perennials (non-native). I will say I had some success since most survived the winter, but still, the heat of the summer was tough. Moving forward, along came 2020 and I signed up for Blooming Boulevards. In the middle of everything being shut down, in went my boulevard garden. So began my journey with “natives”. Coincidentally, this past spring as I was planning my deck replacement, Blooming Boulevards had a seminar on Container Gardening with Natives. With that, I decided to have a container box built right into my deck. No more cedar barrels for me! Read the rest of Barb's story here>> |
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Upcoming volunteer opportunities |
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Exciting times! Many opportunities are opening up, interest is high, and we want to do more. We need people to help with administration, communications, and program activities – there's something for everyone. Interested? Let us know! It's an exciting time to get involved in our growing organization! |
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Smart handling numbers? Clever with Quickbooks?We are looking for a new treasurerWe need someone with accounting experience and skills to fill this key executive position on our board of directors. Please contact Jeanne at info@bloomingboulevards.org for a job description and application information, or leave your contact info here>> |
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Seed collector volunteers neededThis is a fun learning activity open to all BB members and their families. Children are welcome with adult supervision. This fall will be our fourth season training small groups of volunteers by going on native plant seed collection field trips to permitted sites. Seeds will be used to grow plants for our 2024 gardens! Seed collector volunteers apply here>>
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Join us - become a member! Looking for a way to get involved in your community and help improve the environment? Look no further than Blooming Boulevards, a not-for-profit organization that engages volunteers in planting and maintaining native plants to create habitat for pollinators and other local wildlife. Join us in making a positive impact on the planet while beautifying our city! | | |
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Member gardeners and volunteers can join 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. Share photos, observations, tips and questions and learn together in this lively private members-only group! Join the Blooming Boulevards Garden Stewards Facebook Group here>> |
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Members may apply now for a 2024 garden! Preliminary site visit assessment. Assistance with city permit process. Advice on how to get your new garden site ready for planting. Up to 50 free native plants matched to your garden site. Plant info, online garden workshops and presentations. Aftercare advice
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Support our projects Your donations are helping us create a pollinator habitat network across Mississauga. | | |
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Thank you! Blooming Boulevards is thrilled to have the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, 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 2022 - 2023 Board of Directors Jeanne McRight, Founding President Jacqueline McKernan, Secretary MJ Kucerak, Acting Treasurer Wayne Cardinalli Sheila Cressman Murray Moore Pamela Sleightholm Strategic Advisor Douglas Markoff Communications Jeanne McRight, newsletter Pamela Sleightholm, social media Heather Raithby Doyle, feature writer Photography Jeanne McRight (unless otherwise noted) |
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Blooming Boulevards is a registered Mississauga community organization and an Ontario not-for-profit corporation. We are a thankful recipient of funding from the City of Mississauga and TD Parks People, as well as our deeply appreciated private donors. |
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