Happy new year!

The new HNES Native Plant Garden team wishes everybody a happy New Year. Here’s hoping that 2012 will bring good weather, so we can enjoy the garden during the growing season!

The last months of 2011 were spent weeding and seed harvesting. We want to thank all our volunteers for helping out last fall, especially nursing students from NURS 1511. We did great!

On October 17, 2011, the HNES Native Plant Garden held a plant sale to raise funds. Seeds, seedlings, and plants were bought by members of the York University community. Thank you all for your support! The next fund raising event will take place in February.

Hope to see you there!

 

Summery Daze

So yesterday, despite the muggy heat, I was delighted to see both Nik, who’ll be around for the rest of the summer, and Justin there, ready to pull weeds. We cleaned up the border, so now some flowers that were hiding before are getting some sun! We then finished the afternoon with some cleanup under the trees, trying to stay in the shade, and were joined by Natasha and Leesa. Thanks, everyone, for your hard work. The next volunteer day is tomorrow, again from noon to 2:00 p.m. Hope to see some of you out for it!

Today, too, Maloca garden is having a volunteer afternoon from 12:00-4:00. Come on out and get your hands in the dirt!

Raincheques and Groundhogs

Given the rain, thunder, and lightning, I’m proposing a literal raincheque on gardening today.

In other news, Jonathan has been doing some research — it would seem that Jordan the groundhog is female! And when Jonathan and I were weeding the other day, a tiny robin fledgling joined us on the path. Professor Wekerle and I saw the little bird, older and more steady on its wings, just yesterday. They have a nest in one of the woodland sections! Any suggestions for a name for this soon-to-be red, red robin?

The cardinal flower planted last year seems to be defying the odds and thriving, much to the delight of everyone who’s been privy to its brilliant colour. The mayapples, too, often quite finicky, are tall and numerous. If you gently lift the leaves of what look like a miniature forest canopy, you’ll find their white flowers. The Christmas ferns are unfurling, too, with their spectacular leaves, and the sea oats have proffered volunteers all over the garden. Both sea oats and cup plants are abundant, and so they are for sale. If you are interested in purchasing one or two of these plants for your own garden, contact us!

Research Date and Working in the Garden!

Research Updates April 2011-1

Check out the link above! Thanks to FES, SARC, and the EMC for your contributions to the garden! The dogwoods Dean Rahder and Paul Elliot trimmed are now sprouting elsewhere in the garden; the plants that were planted are now taking root (even those thoroughly enjoyed by Jordan the Groundhog) and the garden is in bloom!

Volunteer Days in Early June!

Hi all! The official volunteer dates in the HNES garden for the next two weeks will be as follows:

* Friday June 3rd from 12:00-2:30,

* Saturday June 4th from 12:00-4:00,

* Wednesday June 8th from 12:00-2:30, and

* Friday June 10th from 12:00-2:30.

If anyone would like to be in the garden but cannot make these times, please let me know (nsmedbol@yorku.ca) and we can work out access to the tools! Hope the sunny weather is treating everyone well. Don’t forget to bring your gloves!

The First Flower of the Season!

…can you name it?

Maloca on WordPress

Oops, looks like the last one didn’t publish! This is just a brief note to drawn attention to Maloca’s blog, which contains all kinds of useful networking information about the community food garden on York University’s campus. And while on the subject of Maloca, I’d like to welcome Ellen Kaross as this summer’s IDS student. Ellen will be working in both gardens over the summer. Looking forward to digging with you, Ellen!

Just a brief head’s up, which will be followed with a more detailed post as details are ironed out: there will be a small volunteer day next week to do some preliminary cleanup work in the garden, followed by the official seasonal launch on April 26th at 12:30. So keep your calendars open, and check back in soon for more details!

Seeding Info

Hey everyone! Just a head’s up, Maloca Garden is doing a seeding workshop up at York today. Also, it’s not too late to get on board with an IDS this summer!
Maloca Garden Seeding & Sprouting Workshop: Tuesday, April 12th from 12:30pm – 2:00pm (HNES Lounge)

Come to our second seeding workshop to get the next round of seedlings ready for planting in the garden. This time we will be planting our cauliflower, broccoli, some more leeks, and cabbage (yum!). So come out to the HNES lounge tomorrow afternoon, where we will be able to provide you with lots of information about Maloca and give you some handy tips on basic organic gardening skills.

If you would like to purchase a plot this summer, please visit Natasha Hargovan in HNES 131 to pick up a membership form. The fees are $10 if you would like to be a part of the communal plot and harvest, and $20 if you would like your own plot and be part of the communal garden.

Best,
Maloca Community Garden
malocagarden.wordpress.com
maloca.yorku@gmail.com

 

Check out this blog post, posted by The Backyard Urban Farm Company, if you can’t make it!

Spring Comes Early When You Start Your Own Seedlings.

All you need is a pot, a seed and a growing medium like potting soil; light, water and the seed will do the rest.

NANPS Upcoming Events

Looks like some really great events hosted by the North American Native Plant Society in the next few months. Also, to put a bug in your ear (though hopefully the fuzzy, pollinating variety), we’re planning a waking-the-garden-up event for 12:30 on Tuesday, April 26th. Mark your calendars for an afternoon with the garden, the Environmental Music Collective, and (of course) some delicious food. It’ll be a great way to finish up exams and kick off the summer!

“None can have a healthy love for flowers unless he loves the wild ones.” - Forbes Watson

NANPS SPEAKERS’ SERIES

Toronto Botanical Garden (in Edwards Gardens)
777 Lawrence Ave. E. at Leslie St., Toronto. Click here for map.

Garden Hall

Tuesday April 5, 2011Doors open 7:00 p.m. Start time 7:30 p.mMembers: $10.00 / per talkNon-members: $12.00 / per talk

“Native Plants in our Day to Day Lives. Changing the Culture”by Martin Galloway

Native plants are gradually becoming accepted in Canadian gardens. Each year more Canadians are discovering the practical and aesthetic benefits of gardening with native plants. Despite this, there are still challenges that have to be managed.

Martin Galloway has a B.Sc., M.Sc. and B.Ed. He teaches Pathophysiology at Seneca and Natural Science part-time at York. He owns Chalk Lake Greenhouses (for 35 years +) specializing in perennials and native plants. Martin was a segment presenter/writer on the Canadian TV series Harrowsmith Country Life and also hosted The Secret World of Gardens.

You may recall, last time Martin & his High Diving Act made quite a splat prior to his Speakers’ Series talk on The Secret Life of Plants (December 9th, 2008). Yikes! He almost took the secret with him. A real trooper, Martin, still managed to make it for the talk despite the shoulder injury and blustery, wintry weather.
We’re hoping that this time, Martin will rein himself in, but not his humour, and stay off his high ladder long enough to talk about more down to earth pursuits like gardening. Besides, there is no way we are going to chip in to buy him a ladder brake fern (Pteris vittata), as it is a non-native species.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE GREAT SPEAKERS IN 2011/12

PLEASE VISIT www.nanps.org

NANPS Annual Spring Plant Sale – May 7th

Volunteers appreciated for the Friday set up on May 6th and for Saturday, especially for the clean up. Please contact volunteer@nanps.org.

Save the Plants, Save the World…by May 22nd

To save biodiversity, we have to save the habitat upon which the array of native plants and critters, including us, rely. Well, it’s not as if we can open up refugee camps for every species.

Closer to home, Ontario Nature has a Biodiversity Charter that they would like to present to the Premier of Ontario and the Ministers of Natural Resources, Environment and Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. The goal is 10,000 signatures for the Charter by May 22nd, the International Day for Biological Diversity. They are already a third of the way there. Sign up, be counted and spread the word.

Summer IDS Opportunity!

FES Students:

Are you here this summer? Are you interested in landscaping, food, native plants, ethnobotany, or spending time outdoors? Want to earn credit toward your degree by spending time in the sun planting, pulling weeds, and smelling fresh earth?

The HNES Native Plant Garden is just the place to do it!

If you’re interested in working on this garden over the summer and would like to turn your time outside into an Independent Directed Study, please send an email to Gerda Wekerle, gwekerle@yorku.ca. This is a great opportunity to get dirt under your fingernails and learn more about how different local plants grow together.