Newsletter #18 - Jan/Feb. 2023 |
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Help protect pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with friends and family! |
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Above: This pair of overwintering common redpolls are snacking on seeds from dried flower stalks left standing by a thoughtful gardener. Joys of a native plant garden extend throughout the winter. Photo: Judith Pelley |
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Message from the President Dear BB Members and Supporters, Though I deeply feel that each day of life on our spinning orb holds cause for celebration, I love the promise and excitement of a brand-new year. In particular, 2023 is a very special milestone for us: in May we will be 4 years old, and heading into our FIFTH circle around the sun! Just like all active and energetic kids, it's time for BB to focus on growth and improvement, both from within and without. More and better plants and gardens! more and better workshops and programs! We hope you will join us in these worthy endeavors. There are multiple opportunities right now for volunteers of all ages and abilities to get involved hands-on. Let's do more good. Let's get involved. Let's tell our friends and neighbours, and let's make it happen. 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 habitat for our threatened native bees, butterflies and other wildlife species: Become a member Apply for a boulevard garden |
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Looking to start a habitat garden? We can help! Apply for a 2023 boulevard garden |
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Now accepting applications from Mississauga members for this year's gardens. So much better than grass – beautiful, easy-care, conserves water, supports endangered bees and butterflies! - what’s not to love? Get up to 50 FREE plants. Species are native to the Credit River Watershed and approved by the City of Mississauga. Left: BB Garden Steward Tiffany Angel Chan's thriving first-year native habitat garden. | | |
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To all BB garden stewards and volunteersGet connected! You're invited to be part of our private Facebook group where Blooming Boulevards' garden stewards, 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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Happenings this monthWe've been busy! |
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Who said that the winter months are slow for gardeners? That's sure not true for us! Instead, we happily fill these January and February days with planning, organizing, connecting, exploring, learning, and then – best of all – sit cozily with cups of steaming tea dreaming of the plant-filled gardens soon to come. Recent Kudos and Recognition |
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We are delighted to be honoured nation-wide with a Certificate of Recognition by the Society for Organic Urban Land Care (SOUL). Check out our profile on SOUL's 2022 list of nation-wide Greener Greenspace Recognition Recipients here>> |
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BB profiled by Bee City Canada! We are delighted to be nationally profiled by Bee City Canada. Check it out on Bee City Canada's Instagram here>> |
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Our seeds need TLC Tender Loving Care for native plant seeds freshly harvested in fall means careful drying, cleaning, and cool, protected storage. Then, to prepare seeds for germination, most of our winter-adapted native species require exposure to an extended period of cold or cold-moist conditions.
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Seed party! A rotation of BB volunteers spent hours over a four-day period laughing and chatting while cold-moist stratifying many thousands of seeds. Left: Beware Mary Ellen, Mighty Spritzer Wielder! |
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Lulu supervises the A-Z organization and counting of seed ziplock bags for the inventory list. A careful record of seed species and quantities is needed so we can plan how to divide seeds up amongst our propagators. Left: Little Lulu on the job, working in her official capacity. |
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Packaging party! Sometimes not all our seeds are needed for stratification. We save the extras in small packages and either donate or sell them during outreach events. Left: Gillian, Saundra, and Linda, our seed packaging team, is in full swing! |
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Birthday Party Loot Bags That Bloom! By Gillian Chassels I love native plants. I spend a lot of time reading about them, tending to them in my garden, or talking about them to friends and neighbours. |
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When I was planning my son’s 6th birthday party last year, I knew I wanted to find a way to include my favourite topic at the birthday party. If children are the earth stewards of tomorrow, why not get them started with developing their gardening skills early! I decided to eschew the usual party loot bag items ... read more HERE>> Left: Native seed loot bags made for Gillian's son's birthday party. |
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Mark your calendarComing Events |
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Upcoming BB Webinars Interesting, informative, and relevant - We conduct our workshops as FREE online presentations with a question period afterward. Helpful information sheets are downloadable. Low Maintenance Native Boulevard Gardens Sat. Feb. 18 @ 10:00 a.m Learn how to replace your high-maintenance turf with a drought-proof, salt resistant, no-mow boulevard garden! All you need to know about plant selection, design, installation and care will be covered in this inspiring workshop. FREE! Design Your Own Native Pollinator Garden Sat. Mar. 11 @ 10:00 a.m Learn all the best ways to provide food and shelter for native pollinators, while delighting your family and neighbours with textures, shapes and colours. You will learn to assess site conditi0ns and create a beautiful garden design that meets pollinator, plant and your own needs. The challenges of tough sites such as boulevards and balconies will be addressed and design templates will be available for download. FREE! |
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Grow your plants from seed - Look for us at Seedy Saturday Mississauga! Saturday March 4, 2023 Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga 84 South Service Road, Mississauga, ON L5G 2R9 (QEW and Highway 10) |
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Get ready for spring at this fun event. This is a great chance to connect with your fellow gardeners and learn more about our native plant seeds. We will have a wide variety of fresh native seeds for sale, including hard-to-find species. * Most seeds are sourced locally and are native to the Credit River Watershed. Ask us questions and get garden and propagating advice! Join us and help our pollinators! Apply for a native habitat boulevard garden! Learn about our volunteer opportunities!
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Look for Blooming Boulevards' booth at Mississauga’s Invasive Species Festival Saturday, May 13th, 9:30am to 12:30pm. Tecumseh Park, 1115 Tecumseh Park Drive in Mississauga Participants of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to participate. Participating organizations and community groups will present on projects, invasive plant alternatives, invasive control, and options for invasive species management for homeowners on their own property. Many fun activities planned! Details TBA closer to the date.
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We need your help Year-round volunteer opportunities Something for everyone! Here are some of the interesting chances to get involved with a team of like-minded, dedicated people who will welcome you. Training and mentoring is offered as part of our volunteer programs. |
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Join our Board of Directors! We want to add Mississauga-area members to our Board of Directors and encourage expressions of interest. 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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We also need Helpers needed who would like to work with plants directly and/or help with our spring plant distribution and plant sale. Volunteer here>> Do you have experience with PR initiatives and/or writing for publications? Please get in touch - we need help getting the word out as we increase focus on developing and extending our programs in the upcoming year.Volunteer here>> 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! Volunteer here>> |
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Garden BuzzCapturing the Pageant of NatureStory and photos by Judith Pelley |
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Editor's note: Judith Pelley is an outstanding nature photographer and a Blooming Boulevards plant propagator and Garden Steward. This year, she is generously contributing her photographs of native plants and birds for our newsletter and future publications. I know we will all enjoy her exquisite work. Thank you, Judith! |
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Evening primrose and green sweat bee |
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I converted my garden to a native plant garden at the start of the pandemic, a perfect project for lockdown. Unknown to me I already had two native plants in the garden: the evening primrose was present when I bought the home, the pearly everlasting just showed up one day. Besides the beautiful yellow flowers, the evening primrose also provides another visual treat, the visit of a sweat bee. It is thanks to this little bee that I slowed down and actually stopped to see who was visiting the garden. Right: Chickadee and staghorn sumac. |
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I have always loved to photograph nature. What a joy it is to have that magic now in my own backyard. Take a look at our inspiring gallery of Judith's native bird and winter garden photographs here>> Right: Common redpoll and wild bergamot in winter. |
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Meet a Member: Marion and Gene WilburnNative plant roots are deep for this Mineola couple By Heather Raithby Doyle Blooming Boulevards usually profiles members who have been involved with the organization for at least a few months. The Wilburns are brand new members but we are doing a feature because they have a great back story as native plant pioneers. In 2005 Marion and Gene Wilburn were featured in The Mississauga News for transforming their front yard into a garden featuring native plants. The house is in Mineola, a heavily treed neighborhood close to Mississauga’s vibrant Port Credit downtown. They replaced the staid 1950s foundation plantings and lawn with native plants such as coneflower, Joe Pye weed, dogwood, beardstongue, oat grass, obedient plant, black eyed Susan, and more. A new driveway and attractive paving-stone pathway running up the middle of the lawn brought street appeal and access to the new gardens on either side. |
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Above: The Wilburn's native plant garden in 2005. Photo by Gene Wilburn. “It’s been fun, educational, and very enriching,” said Marion at the time in the Mississauga News article by John Stewart. The couple had agreed to do a native plant demonstration garden for EcoWatch Mississauga, and horticulturalist Gabriele Davies donated her time to design and help plant the garden. Gene recalls that time: “Some people would just stop by and chat, and when the article got published in the paper, people would drive by, and slow down and look at [the garden]. It was an oddity then." Even today some may find a lack of lawn unusual. But here at Blooming Boulevards we say “Welcome to the Club” as our members happily add native plants to their front yards and balconies, and enjoy the beauty, satisfaction and importance of bringing nature back to the city. |
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Funnily enough it was this very same article from 17 years ago that led to the Wilburns joining Blooming Boulevards. Murray Moore, board member of Blooming Boulevards, boldly knocked on the Wilburn’s door a few weeks ago to ask if they were the people featured in the story. The Wilburns, who have lived in the house for 38 years, said “Yes”. Murray handed over the old newspaper article, which he had found in his files. “I was happy to get the article and remember those times,” says Gene. Murray also mentioned the work Blooming Boulevards was doing. The Wilburns joined the next day. Their native plant garden has dwindled over the years.The dogwoods are still there, along with wild columbine, sea oats, a treasured Jack in the pulpit in the spring, and hearty wood anemones. The woodland sunflowers still delight with their late summer blooms and visiting pollinators. “For many years it was lovely, plants growing all over the place, they took well,” said Marion. But over the years a few plants spread aggressively, while others disappeared... Find out what happened to the Wilburns' garden HERE>> |
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Garden BuzzNative gardener to-do list: January/FebruaryDo some garden planning. Where can you tuck in a few more native plants? What about making a woodland garden in a shady spot under trees? Is this the year you tackle your boulevard? What about helping a friend design a native plant garden? Get started by taking our Design Your Own Pollinator Garden workshop Order native plants and/or seeds! Looking for seed or plant sources in Ontario? See our list of recommended native seed sources and order them online or shop in person. Take a course or attend a presentation! Register for a free BB online workshop, or attend Jeanne's free presentations at the Riverwood Conservancy and elsewhere in Mississauga. Other great programs are offered by groups across the province and by organizations such as NANPS, Stratify your native plant seeds in the refrigerator. This will prepare seeds for sowing indoors in early March, so they will be ready for your garden in mid-May. Winter-sow seeds outside directly on bare soil, in containers or trays, or in translucent jugs. Protect woody plants against hungry nibblers during the winter months. Wire cages around tasty favorites will discourage rabbits, and bark wraps discourage mice. Deer require more elaborate structures. Get the iNaturalist app for your smartphone to help identify plants and wildlife, and report sightings of wild fauna and flora.
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Invasive species Guerrilla no more: Ex-plant puller tells allBy Murray Moore |
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I used to be a guerrilla invasive plant puller. For five or six springs, I removed from a nearby woods Alliaria petiolata, better known as garlic mustard. This European herb is spreading into the woods, threatening the woods’ healthy population of trillium, bloodroot, blue cohosh, mayapple, trout lily, and more native plants. Garlic mustard is bad, not because it is non-native, but because it replaces other plants. It threatens the biodiversity of many native ecosystems. Read more>> Left: Murray Moore is a now an ex-guerrilla garlic mustard fighter. Instead, he is pleased to be a card-carrying Mississauga Garlic Mustard Task Force Volunteer. Photo: Mary Ellen Moore. |
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Mark your calendars for the upcoming Invasive Species Awareness Week, taking place from Feb. 20-26, 2023! You can get involved by liking and sharing/retweeting posts created by participating organizations, or creating your own posts, using the hashtag #InvSpWk during ISAW. The site's not active yet, but during ISAW, applications for 2023's Garlic Mustard Task Force will be available here>>
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Thank you! Blooming Boulevards is deeply thankful to have the support of the City of Mississauga, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and our community partners the Riverwood Conservancy, the Mississauga Master Gardeners, the Cloverleaf Garden Club, ACER, and Ecosource. 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 Archna Gupta, Treasurer Wayne Cardinalli Sheila Cressman MJ Kucerak Murray Moore Pamela Sleightholm Communications Jeanne McRight Pamela Sleightholm Heather Raithby Doyle Photography (unless otherwise noted) Jeanne McRight Strategic Advisor Douglas Markoff |
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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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