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Written by: Mary Anne Young
Summer is upon us in most of Canada (notwithstanding the snowfalls in my area of Ontario over the first week of May, and the recent hailstorm in Calgary) and many people's minds have turned to gardening. As such we're going to start peppering our blog entries with gardening and landscape design tips. One of CanPlant's staff received a question recently about boulevard gardens:
"Hey wondering if you might have recommendations on what to plant in a Boulevard. We had a crazy weed to take over that area, so it has now been dug out, and new soil is going in there. So, we are starting from fresh soil. As you know it would need to be very sun/heat tolerant, and obviously has dogs stepping on it and sometimes kids, as people walk by. One landscape friend suggested creeping thyme with lavender (for height and interest). Any other ideas?"
Boulevard gardens may seem easy at first – it is an open strip of land, free for the planting! However, in practice they can be a bit tricky due to difficult growing conditions and municipal restrictions.
First of all, it may seem obvious but I'm going to answer the question “what is a boulevard”? Technically the word boulevard refers to a wide, tree-lined street. But in the context of this article the boulevard is the no-man's-land between the curb and the sidewalk on many urban and suburban streets. This area is within what is known as the road right-of-way, which is usually municipally owned land on either side of the road that is used for utilities (aboveground or underground). Boulevards are heavy-use areas which may be used for everything from piling snow, foot traffic, car drop-off areas, and dogs' rest stops.
Vegetation in boulevards usually consists of grass and generally one tree per property. There is a growing trend across Canada of residents planting boulevard gardens, thereby beautifying the street, providing additional nectar sources for pollinators, and contributing to heat island mitigation. Cities with growing boulevard garden traditions include Victoria, Vancouver, Kitchener, Toronto, and Halifax.
Boulevards tend to be difficult places to grow plants – the soil conditions are often poor, there is little shade, and there can be high salt levels from winter maintenance or pets. Therefore, plants should be chosen accordingly. The municipality may need at some point to dig up the bed, so woody plants like trees and shrubs should be avoided; this leaves hardy annual and perennial plants as the ideal boulevard species. You can also consider hard landscaping like rocks if they are small enough to be moved in the aforementioned occasional dig.
Here are some sample native plant palettes that will work in boulevards in different places across Canada. These are all full sun gardens, have yellow or blue/purple colour palettes, and have maximum bloom later in the season:
Calgary
Toronto
Vancouver
Before planting, you should have a utility locate completed to make sure you won't be digging into underground utilities (this is a free service in many areas) and call or check your municipality's website to see if there are any boulevard planting restrictions or free resources.
Have questions about using native plants in your gardening or landscape design project that you'd like to see highlighted in a future blog post? Send us a note using the form on the Contact Us page. We love hearing from our users.
Links
New Westminster• ASK PAT: Bees and Boulevards https://patrickjohnstone.ca/2019/07/ask-pat-bees-and-boulevards.html
Kitchener• Recommendations for boulevard plantings in the City of Kitchener (PDF) https://www.lovemyhood.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/CSD_NDO_Toolkit_Plant-List.pdf
Halifax• Halifax council to discuss guidelines for boulevard gardens https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/boulevard-gardens-halifax-council-1.5327721
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Written by: Nicole White
Be on the lookout for native plant species at your supermarket garden centre: In Ontario, Loblaws has partnered with Carolinian Canada and the World Wildlife Foundation's In the Zone initiative to bring native plant stock into 35 stores across the province. This is exciting news, because it makes ecologically-sound gardening a little more accessible for our plant people in the Carolinian Zone!
In the Zone plants sighted at a local Zehrs garden centre. Photo courtesy of Sofia Becerra.
We love initiatives like this, which make it easier to get locally-grown, ethically-sourced plants into the hands of gardeners. By supporting pollinators and other wildlife, and existing as an alternative to potentially invasive ornamentals, these plants can make a real contribution to the health of urban areas.
If you live in Southern Ontario, head out to one of these participating stores and demonstrate that there's consumer demand for native plant stock in mainstream retail outlets by buying some plants. Or if you arrive and they're all sold out, this might be a great time to ask when they'll be getting more!
CanPlant isn't affiliated with any of the businesses involved -- we just think that small steps like this could represent a positive shift in how Canadians relate to plants.
Here's an interactive map you can explore to find a participating store, and check out the nurseries that are supplying them.
If you'd like to share what's going on in your own zone to help people engage with ecologically-friendly gardening practices, please Contact Us and let us know!
Further Reading:
• Where to Find Native Plants - In The Zone
• Loblaws In The Zone Species List
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Written by: Nicole White
Q: How did you become interested in gardening and using native plants?
A: I'm a lifelong gardener. I started getting into native plants when I was working with an organic gardening company who tried to get their customers to garden with purpose as opposed to just having something that looked nice.
I really love native plants. They're very beautiful and a lot of them have species of wildlife and insects that depend on them. These are called specialists – for example: some bees will only eat the nectar of specific flowers, and monarch butterflies only use milkweed as host plants for their caterpillars. Ants, beetles, and flies can also be pollinators!
Q: What's growing in your garden and what benefits does it provide?
A: I have some Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger) growing here. See how the flowers lay flat on the ground: this is so ants and other insects can walk right in! It's also a spreading groundcover that's really good in deep shade, so it's a great alternative to hostas, or to invasives like Periwinkle and Goutweed.
Wild Ginger will take dry shade very well, but it does prefer moisture. It's drought tolerant to a degree, and it fills up a place slowly and steadily without being too aggressive.
I just planted some Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed) today. These are slow to establish, but once they flower, they're beautiful bright orange. They also smell good!
Another plant in my garden that smells great is Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells), which is one of my favourite spring flowers.
I have some Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) growing on my walkway. It's seemed to have popped up randomly around this Hosta and is jumping up everywhere!
I've also planted some Anthoxanthum nitens (Sweetgrass), which I remember my grandma braiding when I was little. I'm told with the right amount of moisture and sun this plant can get a little aggressive, but I don't think that will happen where I've planted it.
Q: What else have you done to create habitat in your backyard?
I'm trying to make sure there are nesting sites for pollinators in my garden. I have areas that I try to keep muddy because most of our native bees are ground-nesting, and some of them like to nest in mud. Mulch is good because you can conserve water and keep down weeds, but if you leave some areas bare close to foraging sites, it provides habitat for the bees and other insects.
Usually toward the back of my garden I'll allow weeds to grow a little bit and leave it undisturbed within reason.
A friendly backyard visitor!
What are the challenges and rewards of growing native plants?
You can't really grow natives in a heated greenhouse like you would geraniums or tomatoes. Some plants need to be seeded in the fall, some need a cold stratification period, and in some cases, using fertilizer can damage them.
One reason some people don't get into natives is that they don't want to rip out their entire garden and replace it with all native species. That's not really affordable for a lot of people and natives aren't always as easy to find or as showy. People want their garden to look pretty and be low-maintenance – which native plants can be – but, it means more work at the beginning: my Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry) is two years old, and it's still very small. One reason people love gardening is because of the joy it brings, so I think it's fine to mix in your favourites along with natives.
Tell me about Polli-Patches!
A: Polli-Patches is a pilot project I'm coordinating in Guelph with Yorklands Green Hub. It's aiming to get people involved in native plant gardening with an emphasis on pollinators and wildlife support.
We give participants five to seven pollinator plants, including a shrub. We also give people information and recommend resources like Bumblebee Watch and iNaturalist. Then they can start observing the pollinators that are coming around.
The challenge we give them is to figure out where they can fill in the gaps in their garden next year, how they can expand their garden, and how they can add things to their garden to benefit wildlife or even themselves. For example, some people are getting Saskatoon Berry shrubs. Those are great!
I think this is where CanPlant is helpful – I want people to understand where they can fill in those gaps – so, for example, if they have nothing blooming in August, they can research and explore species blooming in August that support pollinators and are native to their region.
Thanks to the generous donation of Pollination Guelph, we got a grant to do this community project. We're completely maxed out on participants right now. We'd love to do more! Next year we're hoping to get more funding and expand the project.
I'd love to do what B.C. did and make a pollinator pathway – so, throughout the whole city there could be little gardens and resting places for pollinators. The biggest issue pollinators face is habitat loss. They need water and someplace to rest. You can put a bowl in your yard and fill it with marbles, rocks, or even a floating leaf so they can drink water and get through the city.
I never thought I'd like native plants – I always liked very showy ornamentals – but native plants are just something else! They're very beautiful and I just love watching the variety of visitors. |
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By: Summer Graham
The topic of shifting native plant ranges touches on many of the themes that have been (or will be) covered on the CanPlant blog page. What classifies a plant as “native”? How is the climate changing, and what does this change mean for ecology? What is the connection between native wildlife and native plant species? Each of these topics can be difficult to dissect on their own. Mix them together, and the picture becomes even more blurred.
Let’s start with what we know. As the climate changes and global temperature warms, it might be expected that species will move “up” (north and/or to higher elevations) to remain in environments that suit their traits. A study in California found just that, but they also found some more concerning evidence. While both plants and animals were found to be shifting their ranges, wildlife was doing so at a much faster rate (Wolf et al. 2016).
Over the past century, only 12% of native plant species are moving ranges upwards at a significant rate (Wolf et al. 2016). Even more alarming, a greater proportion of non-native and invasive species (27%) were on the move, causing concern that as native species move upwards, they will find would-be suitable habitats already colonized by non-native species (Wolf et al. 2016). This combination of factors means that the faster moving wildlife will find themselves in potentially unsuitable, non-native habitat, and this breakdown of ecological relationships could have unknown consequences for species survival.
Current (1971–2000) versus projected (2071–2100) climate suitability zone of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). Image courtesy of Natural Resources Canada.
The results of a warming climate may not be consistent across the globe, however. Bezeng et al. (2017) found that in parts of South Africa, climate change may actually result in a reduction of area suitable for current invasive species that are present on the landscape. However, there were some species that showed potential to expand ranges due to changes, and there is also the opportunity for new invaders to appear when shifts occur (Bezeng et al. 2017).
So, where do we go from here? If we accept that species (especially native ones) might not be able to move and adapt fast enough to survive the current shift in appropriate habitat, what (if anything) can we do?
Assisted migration is the human-assisted movement of species (plants or animals) to more suitable habitats, and it is a widely debated topic in terms of risk, viability, resources, and ethics. In Canada, many provinces and territories already have seed transfer guidelines for planting of seed from certain regions to ensure genetics are suitable for an area (NRC 2016). B.C. and Alberta are two examples of jurisdictions that have modified these guidelines by extending seed transfer zones 200 metres higher in elevation, effectively taking a small step towards assisted migration (NRC 2016).
Assisted migration can be done on multiple scales, each with their own level of risk. The lowest risk option is assisted population migration, where species are only moved within their historic or known range. Then there is assisted range expansion, where species are established just outside their established range, but to areas that would feasibly be expanded to through natural dispersal methods such as wind, water, or dispersal by animals. The highest risk is associated with assisted long-distance migration, where species are moved to areas far outside a “natural” dispersal area.
Regardless of the scale on which it is implemented, assisted migration should be backed by research on species genetics, viability in an introduced area, natural dispersal, and the risk posed by introducing or moving certain species. Although this process may be slow, it is likely still faster than allowing species to move at a natural pace, and we may reduce the risk of important native species being left behind.
Additional Reading:Climate Central. “Climate Change is Leaving Native Plants Behind.”
National Geographic. “Half of All Species are on the Move – And We’re Feeling It.”
Yale Environment 360. “As World Warms, How Do We Decide When a Plant is Native? “ |
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Written by: Summer Graham
Spring has sprung, and it is once again time to turn our thoughts to flowers, gardens, and warmer days. Spring may not arrive locally just yet depending on where you are in Canada, but it is likely a highly anticipated event for most “plant people”, with keen eyes watching for the first flowers to bloom.
These early-blooming species are often called “heralds of spring”, with their appearance on the landscape often accepted as a sure sign that warmer temperatures are just around the corner. In Nunavut, it is the territorial flower of Purple Mountain Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia; Inuit name: 'aupaluktunnguat.’) that often blooms first.
Some species bloom early to take advantage of the higher levels of sunlight available while trees are still budding and have not formed full canopies yet. These species are often quick to fade after blooming. Others coordinate their flowers to match up with the activity of key pollinators and play an important role in supporting these wildlife species as they become active after the long winter.
Here are 10 native plants from across Canada that bloom early in the season:
If you're able to get outside, see if you can spot any of these early bloomers appearing in natural areas near you! Or if quarantine is keeping you indoors, use the CanPlant Database or check out the links below to virtually explore spring plants.
Additional Resources:
• Ontario Wildflowers – Species Blooming in Spring
• Owlcation – Spring Wildflowers in Southwestern British Columbia
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Written by Carl-Adam Wegenschimmel
The theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day celebration is “Sustaining All Life on Earth,” which recognizes biodiversity as a key component in protecting natural life.
To this end, it is important to acknowledge all species, including those that are often ignored or seen as not having any economic value to humans. We need to take a holistic perspective and recognize the interconnectedness of all living things. Although many plants are valued by people, many other species remain ignored but nonetheless have intrinsic worth and act as key components of ecosystems.
Here in Canada, we are still discovering and learning about our own plant communities. During Ontario Botanists' Big Year 2019 on iNaturalist, Kevin Gevaert discovered a plant that is new to Canada: Slender Three-seeded Mercury (Acalypha gracilens) -- surprisingly within the urban boundary of Caththam-Kent.
This past fall, while I was out exploring a section of the Niagara Escarpment with fellow ecologists Tristan Knight and Jose Maloles, Tristan discovered a moss growing on the cliff face which he identified as Fan Moss (Forsstroemia trichomitria). This species was rediscovered in Quebec in 2011 after not being seen in North America since the late 1800s. Since then, it has only been observed once in Ontario and once in Quebec.
Photo by Carl-Adam Wegenschimmel
Tristan’s discovery marked the second modern record for Ontario and fourth extant record in North America.
Jennifer Doubt, a botanist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, is currently documenting Fan Moss distribution and abundance in Canada, to help understand its conservation status.
Another recent discovery in northeastern North America is the Tall Beech Fern (Phegopteris excelsior), seen for the first time in 2019. Although it hasn’t been documented in Ontario yet, I believe it is only a matter of time before some keen observer is able to separate it from the closely-related and better-known Broad Beech Fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera).
I am often amazed in the ability of healthy, mature forests and plant communities to support substantial fungi and lichen communities, with many species still completely under the radar. Here too, there are likely many discoveries yet to be made.
For example, while recently exploring a swamp in Hamilton, I found a species of Chaenothecopsis fungi growing on Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) which appears to be new to science based on previous collections in Ohio. Another new species of lichen was recently discovered in swamps near Toronto, a stubble lichen (Chaenotheca selvae), which seems to have an affinity for stumps of mature Maple trees.
Photo by Carl-Adam Wegenschimmel
I think that these discoveries underscore how much we have yet to learn, even in places that are generally well-surveyed and emphasize the need to continue to study our ecosystems.
Discoveries like these also highlight the need to protect natural areas, which maintain biodiversity at both the local and global level.
Many wildlife observations today come from citizen science initiatives, which gather the unique experience and knowledge of individuals into centralized databases. These include eBird, created by Cornell University and the Audobon Society, and iNaturalist, offered by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society.
These apps make it easy for anyone to contribute to our understanding of biodiversity. This can create newfound appreciation and positive momentum towards sustaining our natural world. One of our big dreams for CanPlant is to use this kind of technology and public participation to enhance our understanding of Canadian plants and landscapes.
Are you an intrepid botanizer who would like to participate in CanPlant's work? You can use our Submit a Photo form to contribute your plant photos, or Contact Us directly if you have a larger collection you'd like to share.
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Written by: Summer Graham
Every time you decide to plant something in your garden or yard, you have the opportunity to make an important choice.
You can either choose a native species, one that can support a greater abundance of native wildlife (particularly insect herbivores) (Burghardt et al. 2010), or you can plant a non-native species that is less likely to have this benefit, and can even potentially become invasive.
This choice can have huge, bottom-up impacts on wildlife populations, especially now that Canadian landscapes are increasingly becoming more urbanized. Native nesting bird species often rely on insect populations to feed their young, so the amount of native or non-native vegetation on a landscape can directly impact the diversity and abundance of bird species in the area (Burghardt et al. 2009; Narango et al. 2010).
This is quantified by Douglas W. Tallamy, wildlife ecology professor at the University of Delaware:
"...But there are serious ecological consequences to such choices, and another exercise you can do at home makes them clear. This spring, if you live in North America, put up a chickadee nest box in your yard. If you are lucky, a pair of chickadees will move in and raise a family. While they are feeding their young, watch what the chickadees bring to the nest: mostly caterpillars. Both parents take turns feeding the chicks, enabling them to bring a caterpillar to the nest once every three minutes. And they do this from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. for each of the 16 to 18 days it takes the chicks to fledge. That’s a total of 350 to 570 caterpillars every day, depending on how many chicks they have. So, an incredible 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars are required to make one clutch of chickadees."
In addition to not supporting native wildlife, some non-native plants can actually seriously threaten certain species. For example, consider the relationship between the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and native Milkweed species.
The Monarch has evolved so closely with native Milkweed species that it now feeds exclusively on them, and so relies on Milkweed as a host plant to lay its eggs on. European Swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum, a.k.a. Dog-strangling Vine) is a non-native member of the milkweed family that is considered invasive due to its rapid spread and highly prolific nature.
Monarchs can mistakenly lay their eggs on Swallow-wort plants, believing them to be native milkweeds. The caterpillars that hatch on these plants will die, as they are unable to feed on the non-native species (NCC, 2019).
So, what can you do? First, choose native! Use available resources like the CanPlant Species Database to choose species listed as native to your region that will help to support local wildlife and contribute to the ecosystem.
Learn more about milkweeds and where they fit in your garden by checking out these recommended species:
Second, control and manage invasive, non-native species on your property that pose a threat to native biodiversity. Visit the Ontario Invasive Plant Council website to learn more about managing invasive plant species.
Additional Resources & Further Reading• Ontario Invasive Plant Council “Grow Me Instead” Guide • Opinion: In Your Garden, Choose Plants That Help the Environment Douglas W. Tallamy, The New York Times
References:Burghardt, K. T., Tallamy, D. W. and W.G. Shriver. 2009. Impact of Native Plants on Bird and Butterfly Biodiversity in Suburban Landscapes. Conservation Biology, 23: 219-224. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01076.x
Burghardt, K. T., D. W. Tallamy, C. Philips, and K. J. Shropshire. 2010. Non-native plants reduce abundance, richness, and host specialization in lepidopteran communities. Ecosphere 1(5):art11. doi:10.1890/ES10-00032.1
Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W. and P.P. Marra. 2010. Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird. Biological Conservation: 213, Part A, ISSN 0006-3207. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.06.029. Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC). 2019. “Dog-strangling Vine”. Available online at: http://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/invasive-species/dog-strangling_vine.html
Photo: Black-capped Chickadee. Photo by Mark Daly, courtesy of the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
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Written by: Nicole White
People used to view wetlands as a waste of space: they can't be built, they can't be easily traversed by boat, and they aren't profitable for most types of agriculture. So why are wetlands so important?
Now we're learning that wetlands are some of the most biologically productive sites on our planet. They hold water in times of flood or drought, purify the environment, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. I've heard them called 'Nature's Kidneys'. They sustain life by providing essential year-round or seasonal habitat for many species of fish, birds, and other animals. They are also home to plant communities found nowhere else, and have a breathtaking beauty all their own.
Events like World Wetlands Day (Sunday, February 2) work to shift these attitudes, and effect change.
As a small celebration of World Wetlands Day, I conducted an informal poll of my ecologist colleagues to find out what everyone's favourite wetland plant was. The results were fun and I hope our appreciation of these plants inspires you to learn more about them:
We hope you're inspired to learn more about the strange and wonderful plant life growing in our country's wetlands. Check out the links below, or visit the CanPlant Search Page to discover more species.
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CanPlant Blog 12 July 23, 2020 |
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