Newsletter #25 - March/April 2024 |
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Help protect pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with friends and family! |
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Above: Looking for a small tree? Plant this pollinator magnet! Adorned with furry silver buds and pollen- and nectar-rich catkins, our native Pussy Willows (Salix discolor) are among the first plants to bloom in early spring. The buds’ fur coats trap heat to warm them above cool air temperatures, speeding up development and allowing the buds to bloom before other trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. An important keystone species, willows offer vital food for hungry queen bumblebees, butterflies, moths, and other insects just emerging from their winter sleep. Photo: Silk666, Wikimedia Commons. |
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Dear BB Members and Supporters, Spring is here and we are thrilled to share with you the exciting work we're doing! From growing native seedlings to creating habitats for wildlife, our goal is to support our community and make a positive impact on our environment. But we can't do it alone. That's where you come in! Whether you have a small balcony, a yard or a field, every effort to support native plants and insects makes a difference in the health of our ecosystem. By becoming a member or renewing your membership today, you'll be joining a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to promoting beauty and biodiversity. Let's make this spring one to remember - together! Cheers, Jeanne |
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We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it. - Barack Obama Take action. 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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Mississauga's boulevards: Beauty and biodiversity! |
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Above: A Blooming Boulevard native habitat garden in its second year. Photo: Jitendra Chaudhari |
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Now accepting applications from Mississauga residents for new boulevard habitat gardens. Why mow? Replace your high-maintenance boulevard grass with wildflowers and join our citywide pollinator habitat network! Beautiful, easy care, drought- and salt-tolerant, conserves water, supports endangered bees and butterflies! - what’s not to love? Garden stewards get up to 50 easy-care perennial plants native to the Credit River Watershed – a $350 value – for FREE. Help us meet our goal of 50 gardens = one for each of Mississauga's 50 years! Don't miss out – Application deadline: Wednesday, May 1! |
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Growing native plant seedlings Whee-hoo! This year we plan to produce almost 9,000 native plant seedlings. All are grown from seeds sourced locally and most are species native to our Credit River Watershed. All are lovingly nurtured from March til mid-May by our wonderful volunteers, who have made room in their homes for the shelves and indoor lighting equipment funded by our Mississauga Community Grant. |
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Is this work? It feels like play! Our 26 adventuresome volunteer plant propagators have each set out to grow 144 plants (at least) to contribute to our garden program this year. They have a choice of one or both in person, hands-on training workshop sessions, offered this year for free. First session: Tray and soil prep, seed sowing, and watering. The second session to be held on Mar. 30 will cover transplanting, thinning, and seedling care.
Go for it, team, you're doing great! |
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A fun and interesting way to learn, and a great chance to connect. Left: Sowing tiny seeds can be a challenge! It helps to practice and learn some tips. |
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Garden steward site visits going strong! Launching our boulevard gardens program this spring are site visits to enable us to match plants to the site's growing conditions. We also answer questions and help with the city permit application. |
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It's great to meet our new steward applicants and dream about the gorgeous garden to come! Flowers are installed by stewards in May and will start blooming this summer. So exciting! Left: BB's Murray Moore assisting homeowner in filling out City permit application. Photo: Mary Ellen Moore |
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Mark your calendar Exciting in-person workshops Design Your Own Native Pollinator Garden Location: Chappell House at The Riverwood Conservancy, 4300 Riverwood Park Lane, Mississauga REGISTER HERE>> Design Your Own Native Pollinator Garden HANDS-ON, limited to 25 participants Location: Art Gallery of Mississauga, 300 City Centre Dr, Mississauga REGISTER HERE>> |
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Upcoming educational webinars |
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April Zoom presentationsInteresting, informative, and relevant - We conduct our workshops as FREE online presentations for individual registrants, with a question period afterward. Helpful information sheets are downloadable. ***Presentations for groups can be arranged for a fee. Contact us for more information. Wildflower All-Stars for Sun and Shade 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. Native Plants for Tough Sites 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 conditions 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. ...with more webinars coming in May: Native Trees and Shrubs for Small Spaces Create a Woodland Garden With Native Plants |
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Community outreach Launch into spring at this fun event. This is a great chance to connect with your fellow gardeners and learn more about our native plant seeds. Bring your kids! |
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Earth Day is April 20!! Location: Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Mississauga Program: |
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Biodiversity BuzzYou Can Grow That Here?by Douglas Markoff One plant that always attracts the passerby eye followed by a pointing finger is the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia cespitosa (formerly O. humifusa). An endangered native perennial of Ontario, this Opuntia stands out since it is, after all, a cactus, and a cactus that grows contently in Ontario, at least up to zone 4 (I have been unsuccessful in introducing plants in Ottawa). |
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Opuntias thrive in a baking hot south or west exposure, soaking up the sun all day or all afternoon. Water your plants generously during their active growth period from May through September, and especially during the heat of summer. It is essential to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. All above-ground parts of Opuntias are edible...Read more about this fascinating plant>> |
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Beloved by bees Opuntia flower anthers are thigmotropic: when disturbed by insects seeking out the pollen, they curl in on themselves to pollinate the stigma. Photo: Gail Krantzberg. |
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Biodiversity BuzzTop Reasons to Add Native Plants Around Your Veggie Patch and Fruit Treesby Pamela Sleightholm For the backyard fruit and veggie grower, including native plants in your spring plantings can provide big advantages to your crops! 1. Supporting Biodiversity Native plants play a crucial role in supporting wildlife, including birds, bees, butterflies and beneficial insects. They attract insects and provide the food and shelter they need. By integrating these plants in your vegetable garden or near fruit trees, you create a welcoming environment for these beautiful creatures, who as a bonus, will help pollinate some of your plants! Photo: Katy Ciola Evans |
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2. Pest Control Some native flowering plants attract beneficial predatory insects, like ladybugs, lacewings and hoverflies, who like to chow down on aphids and other garden pests. Native plants can be part of your natural defense system, reducing pest infestations. Photo: Pamela Sleightholm |
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3. Enhancing Soil Health Native plants are adapted to our local soil and climate conditions, which allow them to thrive with very little intervention. As they grow, their deep roots reach below the surface, improving soil structure and promoting nutrient absorption. 4. Weed Suppression Using native plants strategically in your garden can act as natural weed suppressors. Choosing species that grow densely or shade the soil can lessen the chances that weeds will pop up in the first place. By incorporating native plants into your vegetable gardens or around your fruit trees, you'll enjoy benefits beyond aesthetics. These hardy species support the local ecosystem, nurture soil, combat weeds, and help manage pests. So embrace the advantages of native plants to enhance your garden's productivity and ecological balance. Find out more>> |
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Biodiversity BuzzWasps: key players in the ecosystem Have you thanked a wasp today? Story and photos by Heather Raithby Doyle Native plants attract all kinds of fascinating insects and that includes wasps. Stare at a patch of Virginia mountain mint, and you may spot a large reddish brown wasp with an impossibly narrow waist called the elegant grass-carrying wasp (Isodonta elegans) visiting for nectar. If the wasp is female, she may be fueling up before hunting tree crickets for her nest. Stinging, then wrapping her long legs around a cricket to transport, she will eventually pack between three and eleven crickets into each egg cell before heading out again. Grass blades will close off the nest once she is finished. Wasps are nature’s pest control, making them extremely important from a biological point of view...Continue reading...>>> Below: Grass-carrying Wasps (Isodontia spp.) on Virginia mountain mint. |
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Did you know? Bees and wasps can recognize human faces! |
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Garden Buzz Native gardener to-do list: April/May |
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WAIT to cut down dead stems! Brrr...Most bees are still sleeping. A general guideline is that it is relatively safe to remove the stems sheltering overwintering insects when apple trees begin to blossom. In Ontario that's mid-April to mid-May, depending on weather and orchard location. Graphic: Wayne Cardinalli | | |
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Do some garden planning. Where can you tuck in a few more native plants? Is this the year you create a boulevard garden? Plant a tree. First choice should be a native keystone species (oak, maple, willow, birch, sumac, cherry), and make sure you give it a good start by planting properly. Order native plants and/or seeds! Plan to attend our 5th Annual Native Plant Sale on June 1 & 2. We sell native plant seeds collected from our gardens. Most species we grow are indigenous to the GTA. Order them on our social media pages or shop in person at our outreach booths. Check out this handy LIST OF NATIVE SPRING-BLOOMING PLANTS and info in The Spring Blooms are Coming Take a course or attend a presentation! Register for a free BB online workshop, or attend our in-person presentations at the Riverwood Conservancy and elsewhere in Mississauga. Read a book on native plant gardening, biodiversity conservation, or pollinating insects. Recommended for spring: A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future and Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design, both by Benjamin Vogt. 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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Join our Board of Directors or become a project leader |
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We’re looking for leadership volunteers to join us in developing our exciting new projects and initiatives. We encourage applicants from across the City of Mississauga and from diverse backgrounds and living circumstances. Are you someone with enthusiasm and a willingness to collaborate with others? Particularly, if you have skills or experience in fundraising, project management or horticulture, or if you’re someone who likes to turn ideas into action, we’d be happy to hear from you. Interested? Contact us at info@bloomingboulevards.org |
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Thank you! Blooming Boulevards is deeply thankful to have the support of the City of Mississauga 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 2023 - 2024 Board of Directors Jeanne McRight, Founding President Sheila Cressman, Secretary Mary Jean Kucerak, Treasurer Wayne Cardinalli Aranya Iyer Murray Moore Pamela Sleightholm Communications Jeanne McRight Pamela Sleightholm Heather Raithby Doyle Saundra Hewitt Photography (unless otherwise noted) Jeanne McRight Strategic Advisor Douglas Markoff Financial Advisor Mary Furlin |
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Blooming Boulevards is an incorporated Ontario not-for-profit organization and a deeply grateful recipient of Community Grant funding support from the City of Mississauga. |
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