Newsletter #13 - March/April 2022 |
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Help us protect more pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with your friends and family! |
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Above: Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum).Recognized by its brown-mottled leaves, this is one of our most common early woodland wildflowers, and it is found in sizable colonies. A spring ephemeral, it blooms, produces fruit, and dies back before the canopy trees leaf out. The name "Trout Lily" refers to the similarity between the leaf markings and those of the brown or brook trout.The flowers attract long-tongued insects, especially bees. Other insect visitors include blowflies and butterflies, such as sulphurs and whites. Photo @2021 Jeanne McRight |
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Message from the President Dear BB Members and Supporters, Happy almost-spring! As every gardener knows, this pre-spring period pushes our anticipation levels to "high", and when faced with a handful of garden catalogues, efforts at restraint are futile. Here at BB's HQ, things are no different: as usual, we get carried away and grow thousands of native seedlings, happily dreaming of the day when the tiny sprouts will be blooming in gardens throughout the city. We are celebrating this Year of the Garden by expanding our activities - growing more native plants, planting more gardens, conducting more webinars and presentations, training more volunteers, developing more partnerships, and forging new connections within and beyond our Mississauga community. It’s interesting, exciting, and so very rewarding when we all get busy making gardens happen. Our new native plant gardens become pollen and nectar-rich steppingstones connecting larger green spaces - and we see the results when our gardens come alive with the amazing variety of pollinators native to our region. So celebrate with us - join in the fun and let us help you turn the Year of the Garden into the "Year of YOUR Garden"! 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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CALL for boulevard garden applications now OPEN! |
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Above: BB Garden Steward Jitendra Chaudhari's native plant garden in its second year. Photo: ©2021 Jitendra Chaudhari. |
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Are you a Mississauga resident and a BB member? If so, you are eligible to apply for a boulevard garden to be planted this spring! We will assess your site, and after your application is accepted, we will provide you with up to 50 FREE native plants so you can create a low maintenance boulevard pollinator garden. So much better than grass, supports endangered bees and butterflies - what’s not to love? Help us meet our goal of 100 gardens this year - learn more/ apply now! |
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Tiny seeds can be challenging. Catherine explains her special technique that avoids over-sowing. |
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Mohan shows us how to moisten soilless mix and fill a germination tray properly. |
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Seed Starters!A how-to primer on sowing your native seeds indoorsText and photos by Jeanne McRight Early March is when we sow our native plant seeds for indoor and outdoor propagation - thousands of them! It takes teamwork to get this many seeds started in germination trays and containers. Are you busy growing your own plants from seed? In that case, you'll want to check out these helpful YouTube videos our member volunteer/Mississauga Master Gardener experts Mohan Iyer, Catherine Fleming and I made for you... Read more>> |
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BB Garden BuzzNative garden to-do list: March/April - Do 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? Find recommended native species here>>
- Take a course or attend a presentation! Register for a free BB webinar, or attend Jeanne's free presentations at the Riverwood Conservancy. Other great programs are offered by groups across the province and by organizations such as NANPS,
- Order native trees, shrubs and seeds! Looking for sources in Ontario? The Credit Valley Conservation Authority maintains a list of Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Suppliers. Act soon though, supplier tend to sell out quickly.
- Sow your native plant seeds indoors in trays under grow lights. They will be ready for your garden in mid-May. You can also sow seeds outside directly on bare soil, in containers or trays, or in translucent jugs.
- Leave your stems and leaves to decay in place. If you must, clip dry stems and place them in your garden so overwintering bees can emerge. Leaves are shelters for butterfly and moth larvae, so they should remain intact and on the ground.
- Get the iNaturalist app for your smartphone to help identify plants and wildlife, and report sightings of wild fauna and flora. Watch for early bumblebees and overwintering butterflies as they emerge from their long winter's sleep.
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Above: Karen James beneath one of the magnificent white pines shading her garden, which backs on to a ravine. Photo ©2022 Will James. |
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Meet a Member Karen James' garden –"It's my happy place" by Heather Raithby Doyle Spring is in the air and Karen James can’t wait. Her naturalized garden backs onto a Mississauga ravine with two large white pines shading the space. In spring the backyard transforms into a carpet of native flowers. “The bloodroot comes first with its beautiful white flowers, followed by trout lilies and mayapples,” says Karen. The trout lilies, a spring ephemeral with yellow blooms, take seven years to flower. If she is playing favourites, trout lily is the one. After that, Canada wild ginger takes over “with its lovely big leaf”. Karen often uses wild ginger as a replacement for hostas, even in her more structured gardens. Read more>> |
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Below left: Bloodroot carpeting Karen's woodland garden is an early spring bloomer. Below right: Sunny areas of the garden in mid-summer. Native, pollinator-friendly non-natives and vegetables grow in rich profusion, forming a community of plants that support wildlife biodiversity. Photos ©2021 Karen James. |
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Up close and personal: Insect and wildflower photography Mourning cloaks, harbingers of spring Text and photos by Peeter Poldre |
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The mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) is an under-recognized harbinger of spring! This butterfly can live up to 12 months and it hibernates over the winter in southern Ontario. This butterfly can become active even before the snow melts.... Read more >> |
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Here comes the queenby Wayne Cardinalli Now that spring is imminent get ready to hear the unmistakable buzz of a queen bumblebee. You’re right if you think she looks like she has something important to do! In spring, hungry queen bumblebees emerge from their underground hiding-spots to fatten up and search for a nest site. If you see a big bumblebee early in the spring, it is a queen. They'll need a variety of early spring blooming flowers that provide both pollen and nectar. Early flowering trees and shrubs such as pussy willow and early native woodland flowers such as toad lily and Dutchman's breeches are especially good choices...Read more>> |
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Need help identifing your bumblebees? Try Seek! |
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Seek by iNaturalist is an easy-to-use app that will help you identify the native insects and plants in your garden, local parks and conservation areas.Find out more. |
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Turn a barren shady patch into a woodland wonder By Pamela Sleightholm If you find gardening for shade challenging, know that with the right plants pollinators can love the shady spots of our garden as much as the sunny spots! And lucky for us, the native plants that thrive in shade offer gorgeous rich colours, interesting textures and early spring blooms.If we look at the natural environment for inspiration, we can mimic the layers of a forest to create a pollinator friendly habitat that looks stunning, can improve the environment and save you money on summer heating!...Read more>> |
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Above: Woodland layers - curving path bordered by low native sedges under flowering shrubs, with understory redbud trees shaded by tall white pines. Photo ©2012 Jeanne McRight, 500 px |
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Leaf mold, a gardener’s black goldby Jeanne McRight Perfect for woodland gardens! Although relatively low in nutrients, when incorporated into the soil, this organic amendment physically alters the soil so that it becomes spongier, holding both moisture and air—an ideal environment for plant roots. When applied to the soil surface as mulch,...Read more>> |
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Why Native Plants? Ornamental grasses go nativeBy Diana Westland, Mississauga Master Gardener Let's explore some native grasses that can be used as substitutes to the non-native ornamental grasses being sold. These native grasses also have visual appeal, are drought tolerant, and most importantly, can be used to augment habitat for our native insects and wildlife..Read more>> |
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Below: Native little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) in its brilliant fall glory. Photo: Janet Davis. |
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Why Native Plants? Lawns — biological desertsby Mohan Iyer, Mississauga Master Gardener |
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A friend of mine has spent over $15,000 in the last 4 years on his front yard and backyard. His reason? “To grow lawn” or more specifically turf (grass and the surface layer of earth held together by its roots). I was aghast! Read more>> |
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Below: Native Pennsylvania sedge lawn, one of many drought-tolerant, no-mow turfgrass alternatives. Photo: Embassy Landscaping |
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Native Plants and Squash: My Accidental Bumper Crop Story and photos by Rita Bloem, BB volunteer member and new garden steward Squash soup anyone? It all started in the fall of 2020, when I listened to a podcast while taking a pandemic lockdown inspired walk around the neighbourhood. Renowned Canadian gardener Mark Cullen was interviewing the now famous entomologist (bug specialist) Doug Tellamy regarding his new book Bringing Nature Home on Marks’ podcast “The Green File”. Mark was especially enthusiastic about the book, calling it ‘revolutionary’. What could possibly be revolutionary for a high-profile gardener with 50 years of experience?...Read more>> |
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Left: Yes, you can! Go right ahead and grow vegetables and native plants together in your garden! They are great companions: both nourish pollinators and beneficial insects control veggie pests. Photo ©2021 Rita Bloem. |
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Year of the Garden Call for Spring Volunteers |
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Pitch in and lend a hand. Activities for all ages and abilities are here! There are a variety of events and activities to choose from - it's fun! Do you have experience with fund raising initiatives? Please get in touch - we need help as we develop and extend our programs this year. We are looking for people with management skills to help with garden and outreach committee activities. It's an exciting time to get involved in our growing organization! Plus, if you're interested in serving on our Board of Directors, this is a great way to get to know us in stages. Volunteer here>> |
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Above: One of BB's three fall seed collecting teams learning the how's and why's! Photo ©2021 Jeanne McRight. |
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Education & Outreach News Upcoming FREE Zoom webinars in April: * Please note that our free webinars are not recorded, but you are welcome to share your own screen shots and a link to downloadable handouts is made available to all registrants at the end of the presentation. Design Your Own Pollinator Garden @ TRC
Learn all of the best ways to provide food and shelter for native pollinators, while delighting your family and neighbours with textures, shapes and colours. You’ll learn how to assess site conditions and create a beautiful garden design that meets pollinator, plant and your own needs. We’ll also address the challenges of tough sites like boulevards and balconies, and make design templates available to registered participants. * Jeanne's presentation will be hosted by the Riverwood Conservancy REGISTER AT RIVERWOOD HERE Birds and Blooms Learn how to be thoughtful in your backyard gardens about providing natural food, shelter, water and space to our native bird species. Birds provide humans with a tremendous amount of ecosystem services, but how can you repay the favour? * Guest Presentation by Stephanie Keeler from The Riverwood Conservancy. REGISTER HERE Wildflower All-Stars for Sun or Shade Beautiful native wildflowers will make your garden come alive! Go beyond black-eyed Susans - discover our local wildflowers and their amazing variety of shapes and colours. Indigenous to southwestern Ontario, these easy-to-grow beauties are beloved by pollinators. Learn which native plants will work best for you and your garden. * Presentation by Jeanne McRight from Blooming Boulevards. REGISTER HERE Native Plants for Tough Sites Frustrated by dry shade, slopes, windy balconies, infertile soil or other garden challenges? Struggle no more - there are beautiful native plants adapted to thrive in tough conditions. Get inspired by all the solutions that native plants can offer, and learn how to choose the best species for those problem spots in your garden... * Presentation by Jeanne McRight from Blooming Boulevards. REGISTER HERE |
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Attention BB garden stewardsYou're invited to join our garden steward 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 private members-only group! Join the Blooming Boulevards Garden Stewards Facebook Group here>> |
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| | Become a member Annual memberships are just $15. Members get early-bird privileges at our annual plant sale, opportunities to volunteer, plus may apply for a garden. Join us/renew today! | | |
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| | Donate We deeply appreciate your generous contributions and put them to good use - they go straight into expanding our garden and educations programs. Thank you! | | |
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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 Angela Jordan Murray Moore Tim Oliwiak Peeter Poldre Pamela Sleightholm Communications Jeanne McRight Pamela Sleightholm Heather Raithby Doyle Mohan Iyer, Mississauga Master Gardener Diana Westland, Mississauga Master Gardener Photography Peeter Poldre |
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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. |
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