Diversity is one of nature’s greatest strengths. Every organism, from the smallest insect to the largest tree, plays a unique role in the overall health of a garden. Nature is purposeful, deeply connected, and rewards us with incredible beauty when we provide our plants with the environment they need to thrive.
There are countless ways to think about diversity in the garden. From the types of plants we select, the wildlife that populates them, to the gardening practices that encourage a healthy microbiome in our soil, the topic of diversity is vast. As gardeners, we spend a great deal of time planning our spaces to make them uniquely our own. However, when people think about diversity, their focus often shifts to visual diversity. While aesthetics are absolutely important, as our spaces are, after all, a reflection of our personality and preferences, the visual piece is just one part of a much larger puzzle. Let’s look beyond the visual appeal for a moment and explore a handful of other ways diversity truly matters.
Why Diversity Matters:
A diverse garden supports a healthy soil microbiome. Diversity helps manage harmful pathogens, it improves nutrient cycling and feeds the beneficial organisms in the soil.
Diversity also improves the soil structure. A variety of plant root systems can help create channels within the soil that improve the flow of water and oxygen while providing different habitats and food sources for soil organisms.
Diversity in the garden also supports native pollinators, such as bees, butterflies and even beetles, wasps and hummingbirds along with all sorts of other beneficial wildlife. A variety of plants provides these vital creatures, with a continuous supply of nutrients and areas for shelter.
How Do We Work Towards Diversity:
Incorporate native plants into your garden, as these provide food and shelter for local wildlife while also supporting pollinators and wildlife. Its important to become familiar with the native plants in your specific area as these plants thrive in local growing conditions along with local ecosystem.
Choose a variety of plants with different shapes, sizes and bloom times to provide broader options of food sources and shelter for pollinators and wildlife throughout each growing season.
Avoid harmful chemicals, as much as possible as they can alter the health of the soil and negatively impact the beneficial bugs in the garden.
Leave spent foliage in the fall as dead stalks, mounds of leaves or dead flower heads can provide food and shelter to wildlife and pollinators during the colder months.
Nature provides us with what we need to not only survive but to also thrive. In a natural environment, there is a continuous exchange amongst producers (organisms that create their own food), consumers (all living things that rely on producers for food) and the decomposers (organisms that turn waste back into essential nutrients that feed producers).
As gardeners, we act as environmental stewards; whether consciously or unconsciously, through the basic act of gardening. For me, it doesn’t matter if your garden consists of a handful of houseplants , containers on a balcony, an assortment of perennials or natives or expansive fields as part of the larger farming community. Simply by gardening, we have an opportunity to contribute to the health and diversity of our planet.
In March 2020, as the COVID shutdown closed garden centres and much of everyday life, my husband and I began the first phase of making my mother’s garden easier to maintain. Her Hamilton home had long been hidden from the street by a dense Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) hedge and a tall wooden driveway gate.
The hedge was much hated by my brothers and I when we still lived there because we had to help trim it every 3 weeks during the growing season. And now my 80-year-old Mom was still climbing a ladder to trim it, worrying us all!
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA: The Chinese Elm hedge and the wooden driveway gate (left) had been hiding an ornate Victorian wrought-iron fence for at least 60 years.
When she suggested restoring the antique Victorian fence buried within the hedge, I eagerly agreed. It was the perfect opportunity to remove both the hedge and the front lawn, creating a lower-maintenance landscape.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA: Chinese Elm can be identified by its small, simple, alternate leaves that are elliptical to ovate, dark green, glossy, and finely serrated. Leaves are 1–2.5 inches long, with an asymmetrical base and a lateral vein ending in a tooth.
To prevent the vigorous Chinese Elm from resprouting, we dug several inches below each stump and made a second cut beneath the soil surface. We replaced the hedge and lawn with conifers for year-round structure, flowering shrubs for seasonal colour, and natural cedar mulch over landscape fabric to reduce watering and weeding.
Photos: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA: Chinese elm stems were first cut above soil level (left), then soil was dug out around each stump (right) so that root stocks could be cut again several inches below the soil surface to prevent resprouting. The restored Victorian fence and newly smithed matching driveway gate had already been installed before work began.
Photos: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA: Preparation of holes (left) and freshly planted columnar white cedars, Dwarf Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), European Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria),Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) and Goldmound Spirea (Spirea japonica) (right). Landscape cloth covered by natural cedar mulch was used to minimize both watering in early years of establishment and weeding.
Results and an Unexpected Reward
The transformation eliminated the constant hedge trimming and lawn mowing. After the first year of regular watering, maintenance was limited to my annual pruning of the Potentilla and Spirea, coppicing the Smoke Bush, and topping up the cedar mulch each spring.
The biggest surprise, however, was how opening the garden to the street transformed my mother’s experience. The restored Victorian fence and new driveway gate allowed passersby to admire the perennial gardens inside, which I had also helped refresh in 2020. People regularly stopped to compliment her, and some even said they had changed their walking route so they could enjoy it every day. Those conversations and kind words brought my mother tremendous joy. Gardens are meant to be shared, and for nearly 50 years the solid wooden gate and Chinese Elm hedge had hidden this one from view.
Photos: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA: View into the garden from the new driveway gate.
In 2022, she opened her garden for the now-discontinued Hamilton Spectator Open Garden Week, and it was featured in the Hamilton Spectator by organizer and columnist Rob Howard.
One of the many people who admired the garden while walking his dog later nominated my mother for a City of Hamilton Trillium Award, which recognizes excellence in residential landscaping and community beautification. In 2024, she was delighted to receive a White Trillium Award, that recognizes the top-scoring gardens in each city ward, and was honoured with the award again in 2025.
Gardening has been a lifelong passion for my mother. Transforming the front garden into a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape not only eliminated the demanding chore of biweekly hedge and lawn care, but also created a space that brings joy to both the gardener and everyone who passes by.
The Oxford Dictionary defines “wildflower” as “a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.” It has nothing to do with the species’ native range, its benefits for pollinators, or its impacts on ecosystems. A “wildflower” could be native, non-native or at worst invasive.
Last year at this time, I wrote a blog post about roadside wildflowers. Most of these flowers (like chicory [Cichorium intybus] on the left or Oxeye Daisy [Leucanthemum vulgare]) are non-native opportunists from Europe or Asia that colonize quickly on disturbed sites or ditches and wetlands and outcompete native species, but lots of people assume they are native because they’re everywhere along roadsides (I did for years!).
The bottom line? Wildflower does not equal native.
So, if you want to buy a wildflower mix to create a long-term habitat for native pollinators, beneficial insects, and bees in your gardens, the mixes found at big box stores and large nurseries are probably not the mixes you want.
Why the Label can Mislead
A lot of retail “wildflower” mixes are designed for fast colour. They focus on non-native annual flowers, which bloom quickly and beautifully in the first season but fail to support local pollinators (and isn’t that the point?), or can even become invasive.
While mixes don’t need to be exclusively comprised of species native to Ontario to provide good habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects (although that’s the best case scenario), they shouldn’t be invasive and should be perennials so that your garden continues to look good year after year.
Why is this Important?
Pollinators need more than flowers that simply look pretty. They need plants that fit local conditions and provide food, shelter, and nesting support over time – that are beneficial to the local ecosystem.
What’s the biggest red flag? Seed mixes that only provide the common names of species instead of the scientific (Latin) names. While common names can be easier to remember and pronounce, they also vary by region, and one plant can have several different common names. This can cause confusion about what the actual species is.
A Case in Point
Last year at the PMG A Day for Gardeners a lady approached me with a large bag of pollinator seed mix as I was working on the advice table. She wanted to know if it was good. There were no Latin names (first red flag) so I asked her to leave it with me to investigate.
After checking as best I could we determined that almost 80 percent of the seeds were not native and were annuals. She planned on returning the bag to the store.
The Problem with Mixed Seed Packets
Big companies that sell across Canada create one seed mix to sell across the entire country but what might be native in Alberta probably won’t be in Ontario
Seeds have different germination requirements so you may find some seeds don’t germinate at all
Different seeds may not grow well together
Some seeds may not like your site conditions and others may become dominant
The worst problem is if they contain non-native, invasive seeds.
Let’s look at an example. McKenzie Wildflowers Pollinator Mix.
Only five flowers native to Ontario (*) and all less than 5% of the mix except for the Purple Coneflower, which is 12.67% and Lanceleaf coreopsis, which is 6.33%
The first three flowers, which comprise over 42% of the mix, are all non-native
Your seeds are only 14% of the mix – the rest is vermiculite (filler)
Here’s a full breakdown.
Better Ways to Choose
The best seed mixes are transparent. They tell you exactly which species are included, how much of each is in the packet, and whether the plants are native to your region. Regional native mixes can be useful, especially when they include a balance of annuals and perennials and are clearly suited to your regional climate.
If you’re serious about supporting biodiversity, the most important thing you can do is choose seeds that are native to your specific region.
One key thing to remember with native plant seeds is that most need winter stratification (a cool, wet natural dormancy period over winter) to germinate well. That means that direct garden sowing should take place in the late fall after the first frost (mid-September to November, depending on your region), not in the spring. If seeds can’t be stratified, many will not germinate until the following spring and germination rates may be slightly lower.
A Simple Rule for Gardeners
If your goal is to truly help pollinators, choose local native plants first and sow your seeds in the fall for best germination. Avoid mystery mixes (especially those with only common names), check the label closely, and be cautious of bags that promise an instant meadow without giving details. Colourful flowers are nice, but real pollinator support comes from the right plants in the right place, and that doesn’t happen overnight.
Choose the Right Seeds – Go Native, Not Just “Wild”
I love some of the old fashioned perennials that have been around for a very long time. One of them is the peony, and as you drive around you can often see abandoned farms surrounded by flowering peonies, often in the burgundy shade. Some peonies can bloom for 100 years if planted in the right place.
There are over 30 species of peonies and 3 different types:
Herbaceous – the one that we are most familiar with and native to eastern Asia.
Tree peonies – they resemble a shrub and have woody stems.
Itoh peonies – are an intersectional peony and native to Japan. It was bred by crossing an herbaceous peony with a woody tree peony and has characteristics of both peony types.
Herbaceous peonies are cold hardy and require a cold season to bloom. The rhizomes do not like to be buried too deep, ½ inch to 2 inch only. Plant the eyes ( next year’s buds) no more than 2 inches below the soil surface. If you mulch them , ensure that the mulch is set back from the rhizomes to ensure that they are not buried too deeply. The stems die back in winter and emerge in the spring. They do not like to be moved so think carefully about the right site. They like full sun and require good drainage.
Herbaceous peonies — will do better if they are staked or supported with peony rings early in the season. This keeps their gorgeous blooms upright and also provides better air circulation.
Peonies resist most pests and don’t worry if you see ants on the buds. Peonies secrete sweet nectar on the buds and that attracts ants. In fact ants will help protect the buds from other flower eating insects. This is called “mutualism”.
Tree peonies – require a large hole 2 feet deep and 1 foot wide as they will grow into a 4 to 6 foot shrub . Amend the soil with organic matter and position the graft 4 to 6 inches below ground level. They have permanent, woody stems and don’t die back in the winter. I wrap mine with burlap to protect the buds.
Itoh peonies – thy have the best characteristic of both the other peonies. Plant them just below the soil surface. They bloom on old wood so don’t cut them back. Itoh’s are shorter than the other 2 and don’t need staking. They can have a second bloom cycle later in the season.
If you do plan to divide your peonies the best time is late summer or early fall. Make sure that there are 3 to 5 eyes on each divided section. Make sure that you plant the new section at the same level as it was planted previously
Peonies come in many shapes and forms, single, double, some with amazing centres and many, many colours. These include white, cream, many shades of pink, burgundy, purple, red, coral and yellow. Most peonies are very fragrant.
We are extremely fortunate to have Joe and Hazel Cook of Blossom Hill Nursery in our area. They have hybridized and grown many, many prize winning peonies. Check online for their opening hours.
My peonies are just coming into bloom and make wonderful cut flowers. If there any ants on the buds just swish them through water and shake gently to remove the ants.
Generally speaking, peonies are low maintenance and drought resistant. Once established they will give you many years of amazing blooms and gorgeous fragrance.
This May, gardeners will once again flock to community plant sales in search of bargain perennials and unusual finds. These sales support worthwhile causes and help plants find new homes—but they can also unintentionally introduce invasive species into your garden. Before planting that exciting new addition, consider one simple precaution: root washing.
Why Root Wash New Plants?
Many gardeners have unknowingly introduced invasive plants through seeds hidden in the soil of donated or purchased plants. An even greater concern today is the spread of invasive jumping worms that I wrote about in a previous blog. Their tiny (1 – 3 mm), soil-coloured cocoons—about the size of a sesame seed—can easily hitchhike in the soil around plant roots.
Since 2016, jumping worms have been confirmed at 63 locations across southern and eastern Ontario (EDDMaps 2026). Although the adult worms die during winter, their cocoons survive and hatch over the next one or more years (Dobson et al. 2022). Dr. Michael McTavish, who has confirmed many infestations in Ontario, notes that by the time gardeners notice the tell-tale “coffee ground” soil texture or spot an actual worm, the infestation has usually been present for years (McTavish, 2025 pers. comm.).
In gardens, jumping worms quickly consume organic matter in the upper soil layer resulting in soil drying, erosion, loss of nutrients, and ultimately decreased plant growth. Root washing greatly reduces the risk of introducing jumping worms, invasive seeds, and other unwanted organisms in your garden.
Root Washing at the Lakefield Horticultural Society Potting Day
The Lakefield Horticultural Society holds a Potting Day several weeks before its annual plant sale so divisions can become established before sale day. This year, we added root washing to the process.
Our revised assembly line included:
Plant division
Soil removal
Root washing
Potting into clean containers with sterile soil
Labelling
Moving plants outdoors onto tarmac
Fortunately, we worked in a cool, shaded area, since root washing is not recommended in strong sun or hot weather.
How to Root Wash Plants
Step 1: Remove Excess Soil
Gently tap plant roots against the inside of a garbage bin lined with a heavy-duty plastic bag to dislodge as much soil as possible.
Step 2: Rinse the Roots
Swish the roots in a pail of cold water, then transfer them to a second pail of clean water and repeat.
An old toothbrush proved surprisingly useful for gently removing stubborn soil particles from roots and iris rhizomes.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SARoot divisions in the red bin are gently tapped against the inside of a garbage bin to remove as much soil as possible. Then the division is successively swished in two pails of cold water, removing more soil particles.
Step 3: Final Rinse
Use a gentle spray of water over a sink with a drain catcher—or over another pail—to remove the remaining soil particles. The plant can then be potted in sterile soil or planted directly into the garden.
Hostas washed particularly well, while larger rhubarb divisions and some columbine cultivars struggled after treatment.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SAFinal rinsing of roots to remove remaining soil particles.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA A freshly root-washed hosta division ready for potting (that is sterile potting soil on the tarp and in the bin below the table).
What We Learned
A few practical lessons emerged from the day:
Root washing did not appreciably slow the potting process. Nine volunteers root washed more than 200 plants in 2.5 hours. It was not nearly as time consuming as we expected.
Root washing is easier for some plants than others.
Hostas tolerated the process very well; rhubarb and columbine cultivars did not.
Used toothbrushes are excellent tools for removing stubborn soil.
One volunteer root washed plants at home before arriving, leaving the soil behind in her own garden—an approach we may encourage in future years.
Safe Disposal of Soil and Wash Water
The removed soil was collected in heavy-duty plastic bags and disposed of through municipal waste collection. Surprisingly little soil accumulated after processing approximately 250 plants.
As rinse water became muddy, fresh pails replaced dirty ones. The used water was allowed to sit for several days so soil particles could settle to the bottom. Clear water was then poured into the municipal sewer system for treatment, while the remaining sediment could either be solarized (Master Gardeners of Ontario 2022) or disposed of through municipal waste collection.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA Pails with remaining sediment. We used about a dozen pails, switching ones with dirty water and others with clean water regularly.
Caution is advised when root washing in rural areas as I couldn’t find any information on whether jumping worm cocoons can survive in untreated waste systems.
Root Washing Benefits More Than Perennials
For trees and shrubs, root washing has benefits beyond decreasing the risk of invasive organisms. Removing potting soil encourages roots to grow outward into the surrounding native soil rather than remaining confined to the original potting mix. The result is better long-term establishment and survival (Chalker-Scott 2020).
Root washing also allows gardeners to identify and correct root problems such as girdling or spiralling, before planting. Woody roots can be pruned so they spread outward like spokes on a wheel, while fibrous roots can simply be straightened by hand (Hopton-Villalobos 2021).
Even nursery-grown perennials benefit. Potting mixes containing perlite and vermiculite drain quickly and are ideal for greenhouse production, but roots sometimes fail to expand into heavier garden soils after transplanting. By removing the potting mix and “mudding in” the roots directly into garden soil, plants often establish more successfully—and gardeners avoid introducing invasive pests at the same time (Wagar 2025).
A Small Step that Protects Your Garden
Root washing may add a little extra time to planting, but it is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect your garden and local ecosystems from invasive species. As there is currently no proven treatment for jumping worm infestations, prevention is the gardener’s best defence.
Photo: Silvia Strobl CC-BY NC SA Some of the potted plants two weeks after root washing. Clockwise from top left: Black-eyed Susan cultivar, Golden Tiarella Hosta, Armeria, and Columbine cultivar (these did not root wash well as can be seen in the pot on the left and several others not shown).
McTavish, M. Pers. Comm. 2025. Formerly Postdoctoral Fellow with the Daniels Faculty of Forestry, now Conservation Scientist with rare Charitable Research Reserve.
Hugulkultur is a German word meaning ‘hill culture’. It is a form of permaculture, a traditional way of building a raised bed using rotting logs and plant debris. Large logs form the base layer, subsequent layers of organic materials decompose over time creating a rich soil, perfect for many plants, especially vegetables.
There are many advantages to ‘hugelkultur’: it’s easy, affordable, low maintenance, it serves as a self-composting system, and conserves water when constructed in a location where it can capture surface runoff.
The concept is fairly simple. Placed on the lower elevation of a site with its length parallel to water flow, the hugel will catch and absorb moisture. An ‘S’ or serpentine shape positioned to capture runoff is a common shape, but a broken circle or several parallel squiggly strands are other ideas. Design choice is dependent on space available, water run-off, sun and light exposure, and easy access for the gardener. Most hugels are built slightly into the soil though deeper troughs, even completely raised hugels work as well. The width and length of the hugel are also dependent on space available and needs; 3’ wide x 6’ long x 3 – 5’ deep provides good area.
If the hugel is on turf, it’s worth the effort to scrape away the turf and rake some soil away before getting the biggest logs in place. Branches and leaves can be used to fill in the gaps, next comes kitchen and garden waste, manure, grass clippings and finally topsoil and some mulch (or the scraped away soil). Gaps can be filled in by stomping on the mound and moving things around a bit to allow leaves and small matter to slip through. Watering after the addition of each layer kickstarts the decomposition process and also helps things settle. Once things have settled, it’s ready for planting.
A border along the edges of the hugel creates more stability and reduces the risk of the shape collapsing and the top of the mound washing away. Different materials such as brick, wood, or stone can be used to create an edge.
Not all logs and branches are suitable: hardwoods are best; black walnut should be avoided (many plants are sensitive to it), willow as well (branches will sprout), and even cedar is not the best (slow to decompose).
The hugel will likely benefit from additional watering in its first stages; once decomposition starts, less water is required. Over time, as wood and other organic materials decompose, the hugel will sink and additional compost would be beneficial. There is some discussion about whether the decomposing wood takes up nitrogen to the extent plant growth is inhibited so adding compost or growing legumes are considered effective mitigation techniques.
As the snow melts and the first shoots of green push through the soil, spring invites us back into our gardens with optimism. It’s a season of planning and of imagining birds returning, pollinators buzzing, and life rebuilding after winter. But while we prepare our gardens for renewal, something far less hopeful is unfolding across Ontario: the quiet weakening of protections for the very wildlife we love.
At the center of this shift is Bill 5, a sweeping piece of legislation that is fundamentally changing how species at risk are protected in our province. Under Bill 5, the Endangered Species Act, once considered a global gold standard for conservation, is being removed. Bill 5 narrows the definition of “habitat,” focusing only on spaces where species physically are, rather than the full landscape the species needs to survive. It also removes certain prohibitions, such as protections against “harassing” species, making it easier for disturbance to occur.
For wildlife, especially birds, this matters enormously. Habitat loss is the primary driver of species decline. When protections weaken, landscapes become more fragmented, nesting sites disappear, and food webs begin to unravel. The spring chorus we look forward to each year depends on intact ecosystems, and those ecosystems are increasingly under pressure.
So where do gardeners fit into this? Right at the center of the solution.
If policy is stepping back provincially, stewardship must step forward. Your garden is no longer just a personal space, it is a piece of habitat in a much larger, increasingly fragmented system. And the choices you make this spring can directly support species that are losing ground elsewhere.
One of the most powerful actions is deceptively simple: leave some areas (especially the hard to get to ones!) wild. Resist the urge to clean everything up. Leaf litter, fallen branches, and standing stems provide critical overwintering habitat for insects. These insects are the foundation of the food web, feeding birds during breeding season when they need protein the most. Tidying too early can erase an entire generation of life before it has a chance to emerge.
Planting native species is another essential step. Native plants support significantly more insects than non-native ornamentals, which in turn support birds, amphibians, and other wildlife. Even a small patch of native plants can function as a high-value habitat.
Reducing harm is equally important. Avoid pesticides, which ripple through ecosystems. Make windows bird-safe to reduce collisions. Provide water sources and dense shrubs for shelter. These actions may seem small, but collectively they create real, measurable impact.
Bill 5 is a reminder that conservation cannot rely on legislation alone. As gardeners, we are not powerless observers. We are active participants in shaping the landscapes around us.
This spring, as you plan your garden, think about habitat. Think refuge. Think resilience.
Because in a time when protections are being pulled back, the spaces we cultivate may matter more than ever.
You just couldn’t resist the sign saying “Only $2” or you are confident that you can rescue that pathetic looking plant, after all you have a thriving garden so it shouldn’t be that difficult.
How many times have you bought a bargain plant and regretted it when it dies on you? Big box stores in particular often have a small section of rather sad looking plants looking for a home. End of season clearances are often a great place to pick up bargains.
However, these sad orphans may need a lot of tender loving care (TLC) to get them to flourish. These are some important things to think about before carting off your ‘bargain’ plant that you couldn’t resist.
Take time to inspect the plant and don’t be tempted if it has any of the following problems. Some of the problems may be easy to rectify but others may be too far gone.
Is it root bound? Ease the plant out of the pot – is it totally root bound? Are some of the roots brown and squishy?
Any sign of pests or disease? Check the leaves, stems and roots for pests.
Have you got the right spot in your garden for the plant? I have often been tempted only to get home and wonder where on earth I am going to put it. (more later on keeping the plant isolated)
Quarantine your bargain plants for a few weeks to see how they progress before planting in your garden. This way you can spot any further problems and not infect your other plants. This is a good idea before bringing in any new plants as it is all too easy to bring in goutweed or other invasives.
Does it need repotting? The plant may be too cramped and have used up all the nutrients in the soil. It is a good idea to wash the roots just to be sure that there are no other unwelcome passengers. Put it in a slightly larger pot, 1 or 2 sizes bigger and use fresh potting soil. Remove any dead roots and trim surplus.
Check the plant’s water requirements. Over watering can be just as bad as under watering,
Prune and trim back any dead or infected leaves and branches. Cut back into healthy, green wood and to a healthy outward facing bud. Do it immediately regardless of the correct time for pruning. It may look awful at first but it will encourage new growth.
Fertilizer – probably not a good idea for a sick or poorly treated plant Once it begins to recover, a light application would be helpful.
You can get some really good deals on ‘bargain’ plants if you check them carefully before handing over your money. Give them lots of TLC and they will reward you. We all love a bargain but it is worth inspecting the plants thoroughly before you decide to rescue them.
Starting seeds indoors by setting them in a bright window can get you started growing vegetables and flowers early. If you have windows that face south and get full sun all day, you will have better luck, however the winter months can often be dull and cloudy, making your young seedlings struggle and stretch for the light. If you are a serious indoor grower, you will want to invest in some type of light system.
Many gardeners still use shop light fixtures with warm white and cool white fluorescent 40 watt bulbs.This type of light system still works and may be a good first step. LED lights are very popular and available as light bulbs or strip lighting as well as tabletop lighting systems.
Fluorescent
LED
Less expensive to purchase Use more hydro May be phased out of production Need to be placed close to seedlings and raised as they grow to encourage more compact, bushier plants
Available in white (full spectrum) or red/blue combination which gives off a pinkish purple glow Don’t give off much heat Longer life Higher cost to purchase Less cost to operate Do not place really close to plants as bleaching may occur
Natural sunlight has all the colours of the spectrum, so having lighting with a full spectrum will be the best. Plants need light for photosynthesis and they like the red and blue which are at each end of the light spectrum. Blue light helps with plant growth and keeps your plants compact, while red light is important for leafy growth and flowering.
Most seedlings should get about 16 hours of light each day. Invest in a timer that will automatically come on around 6 am and shut off around 10 pm.
There are many types of lighting systems available with lots of price points.
Check out Nikki Jabbour’s article where she talks about her successes and a great variety of lighting options.
You can invest in a light meter or get the app on your phone to determine how much light is being given off and how far that light can reach. This is also good for testing what your houseplants are getting for natural light from your windows. Be aware that many of the plant lights available now in very stylish designs are not for seed starting but for growing happy, healthy houseplants.
Leslie Halleck’s book Growing under Lights (published in 2018) has all the information you need about lighting for seed growing and plants. In her book, you can learn about kelvins, lumens, watts, footcandles, measuring light and photoperiods of specific plants you want to start indoors under lights.
I found her explanation of photoperiods interesting. This is basically how much light or darkness is needed for a specific plant to flower. For example, for poinsettia to bloom, they need a short day photoperiod, with 14 hours of darkness, while a perennial coneflower requires a long day and so doesn’t flower until days are longer in the summer. Peppers and tomatoes are both warm season vegetables from the nightshade family that many start indoors. They are day-neutral, which means they grow well with 14-18 hours of light. Check here for a book review.
With a renewed interest in food security and growing our own food, starting vegetables under lights is a good step forward.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”. Audrey Hepburn
Gardening has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I retired from social work in 2019, I made the decision to spend my time focusing on things that truly made me happy. While my list was lengthy, gardening without doubt hovered very close to the top.
Currently, I am a Master Gardener in Training, and this is my very first post for this blog. As I was deciding on a subject to write about, it occurred to me that while all of us enjoy different aspects of gardening, we share a similar outcome: we garden because it makes us feel good. So let’s spend a few moments discussing what research says about why gardening—even in small amounts—is good for us.
Given that this topic is vast and my word count is limited, I am going to break our discussion into two parts. This article will focus on a few of the mental health benefits gardening provides. In my next article, coming this June, I will focus on the physical benefits of gardening. Let’s get started!
Gardening Benefits for Our Mental Health
Being around nature lowers cortisol, our body’s primary stress hormone.
Soil contains beneficial microbes that help stimulate “feel-good” chemicals in the brain. When our bodies come into contact with these microbes—through our skin or lungs—chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins are triggered. All of these help regulate mood.
Exposure to natural light boosts vitamin D, which also plays a role in mood regulation and overall health.
Successfully growing plants—even small wins—creates feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Problem-solving in the garden (soil issues, pests, timing) strengthens confidence and resilience while helping keep our brains stay active and engaged.
Gardening encourages creativity without pressure or judgment. Creativity itself also helps trigger the “feel-good” chemicals mentioned above.
Repetitive gardening tasks, such as weeding, pruning, or even logging plant progress, promote mindfulness by helping us stay present rather than focused on worries or fears.
Gardening promotes community in many forms—and community decreases isolation while improving connection.
The practice of gardening compels us to slow down and focus on the task at hand. It requires thoughtful planning, encourages creativity, and rewards us with beauty and bounty for our efforts. In a world that loudly demands we hurry, gardening asks us to be patient, reminding us that nature operates on its own timing and schedule
Slowing our pace in a busy world is crucial to our well-being. For me, one of the best parts of working toward becoming a Master Gardener is knowing that I am part of something bigger than simply growing plants. While the role of a Master Gardener typically focuses on public education and environmental stewardship, it also provides us with an opportunity to help improve people’s lives. For me, this is the perfect way to do something for myself while simultaneously helping others. Does it get any better than that?
The Peterborough & Area Master Gardeners 