Category Archives: Bees & Pollinators

Bees & Pollinators, Birds, Books, Butterflies and Moths, Information, Insects, Native Plants, Perennials, Propagation, Seeds, Winter Sowing

Book Review – The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region

March 25, 2024 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

Wow. What a pleasure to finally see this book in print. Written by two very knowledgeable Ontario gardeners — Rick Gray and Shaun Booth — this is the native plant gardening resource I wish I had more than 5 years ago when I started incorporating native plants in my garden.

Focused specifically on the Southern Great Lakes Region, it’s an all-in-one, easy to use resource for those interested in plants that not only look wonderful but fulfill a critical role in our gardens in supporting wildlife, birds, and pollinators like butterflies, moths, bees, and insects.

It reminds me of an encyclopedia, with a full page spread on each native plant (and there’s over 150!). It’s not surprising to me that’s it’s already #4 on the Globe & Mail’s bestseller list.

The book is visually designed to make it easy to see key information at a glance, using quick guide key icons and two colour-coded bars providing exposure/light and moisture requirements. We’ve been blessed with several excellent native plant books in the past few years, but I appreciated several unique elements I hadn’t seen before – numerous appendices (matching soil types, seed collection and preparation, propagation, and butterflies and their host plants), as well as each plant’s Ontario’s Species at Risk status.

You’ll understand what each plant needs to thrive, how big they will get, and how to make more plants to share with your friends!

As a Peterborough Master Gardener I have long been engaged in two Facebook groups – the Ontario Native Plant Gardening group (started by Shaun) and the Master Gardeners of Ontario group (where I am an admin and moderator). I remember clearly in May 2023 Rick trying to gauge interest from members on their proposed native plant book, and the incredibly positive response that they received. So full disclosure – I knew I was going to love this book before it was ever published.

The authors explain why the plants are organized by botanical/Latin name, which is important because common names can vary by region. However, if you only know the common name you can always search using the alphabetical index at the back of the book.

Essentially, each entry is a ‘checklist in a page’ on what you need to grow the plant. There are lots of photos (whole plant, leaves, flowers, fruiting bodies), a detailed description, easy to see symbols (the Quick Guide), information on the USDA Hardiness Zone, lifespan, propagation, and wildlife/pollinator value.

Skill levels are also mentioned but don’t be alarmed – most are listed as beginner, but there are certainly a few native plants that are a bit more challenging to grow and propagate.

Table of Contents plus shameless plug for my wonderful local, independent bookstore where I ordered the book.

I appreciate that in the introductory chapters the authors clearly explain things such as:

What is a native plant?
Aggressive vs invasive
Origin of the term weed
Nativar vs cultivar
Value of native plants

The authors clearly have a good sense of humour – there are pages titled “How to use this book”, “A coneflower by any other name”, “Fifty shades of…shade” and my favourite “2b or not 2b” (on the rationale for using USDA Hardiness zones). I loved the section on propagation and codes as I’m actively trying to grow more native plant material in my area.

I have to say that as a seasoned gardener I was surprised to see Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower) is not in the book (not native to most of this region but often sold as a native apparently) and Agastache foeniculum (Anise hyssop) is one that is included specifically because it is non-native to Ontario (it’s a western prairie plant). Oops! I have both in my garden north of Peterborough.

Was anything missing? Technically no, as the authors were clear that this was not a garden design book. Perhaps after putting out Vol. 2 (the other 150+ plants I know they wanted to include), they’ll consider something on understanding planting density and creating root competition, which I am learning is different to conventional perennials, and good plant pairings (which native plants support others).

One quick comment I will add is that native plants are wonderful once they are established, so you may need to do a bit of watering that first year, but after that they need no watering or fertilizing.

If you’re interested in hearing about how this book came to be check out Rick’s Native Plant Gardener website.

This book is perfect for reading at home (my husband gave me a quick quiz contest this afternoon on the Latin names) or taking with you to your local nursery as you search for native plants to add to your garden. Having trouble finding these plants? The Halton Region Master Gardeners maintain a dynamic map listing native plant nurseries around the province. Check it out!

The bottom line – a wonderful addition to my garden library, and to anyone interested in incorporating more native plants in their Ontario gardens.

__________________________________________________________________________

The Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region

By Rick Gray and Shaun Booth
Publisher: ‎Firefly Books, 2024
Paperback‏:‎ 352 pages ISBN-10: 0-2281-0460-2
Price: C$45.00; available through local booksellers and larger book companies

About the Authors

Rick Gray (The Native Plant Gardener) has more than 300 species of native plants in his garden in southwestern Ontario and provides native plant garden design services.

Shaun Booth runs In Our Nature, an ecological garden design business, and launched the Ontario Native Plant Gardening group on Facebook.

Want More Information?

Many wonderful books on native plant gardening and naturalization have been published in the past few years – anything by Lorraine Johnson is a great complement to this book, and I love Piet Oudolf’s work (although he doesn’t always use native plants).

Dr Linda Chalker-Scott (and the Garden Professors blog on Facebook) is a great source of good, solid scientific information on gardeners keen to avoid the misinformation often seen on social media.

And if you’re on Facebook, please follow both the Master Gardeners of Ontario and Ontario Native Plant Gardening groups.

Other Native Plant Blog Posts By Me

A Few of My Favourite Native Plants

Native Ontario Goldenrods for Your Garden

Why Do We Garden?

Ditch Lilies – A Cautionary Tale

The KISS Principle – Winter Sowing 101

Advice, Bees & Pollinators, Dreams, Invasive

Why Do You Garden?

February 19, 2024 peterboroughmastergardeners 1 Comment

By Cheryl Harrison, Master Gardener

This is an important question! People garden for various reasons and the answer to that question is a wonderful guide for helping to create your garden. If you do not know why you garden, then you may put a lot of effort, and money, into something that does not make you happy or meet your needs. So, figure out why you garden, what inspires you and keeps you coming back for more!

I recently asked this question of the Peterborough Master Gardeners. Some find gardening a creative, and passionate, process that gives them joy and peace and a feeling of gratitude. They spoke of being in nature and being part of the relationship between the soil, bees, birds, butterflies and plants. For some, it is the nurturing of the land and being able to feed their families, and share with neighbours, through the vegetables that they grow. Others spoke about the enjoyment they get from the physical process of gardening. Gardening is good exercise, especially if your job includes sitting at a desk all day. One of our fairly new Master Gardeners talked about starting to garden because it was a lower-cost opportunity to take care of living things and the desire for her property to be pretty and attractive to pollinators. Gardening has evolved for her to provide her with a sense of peace and accomplishment. A final comment about the “why garden” question…..gardening can be a solitary activity or a very social activity where you talk to fellow gardeners or give advice to curious non-gardeners.

Thinking about why one gardens leads to asking yourself what type of garden you are most drawn to. One Master Gardener shared that she prefers a more formal garden although she can appreciate a cottage style or meadow garden too. The rest of us are a bit more on the wild side. We prefer colourful cottage gardens that are informal but not out of control. This type of garden might include bee balm (Monarda species), coneflowers (Echinacea species) and brown/black eyed susans (Rudbeckia species). The importance of growing for diversity with native plants and not growing invasives was mentioned as was a garden that appealed to pollinators. Formal gardens can be more difficult to maintain because it may require more time and effort to keep a very specific style eg. pruning shrubs to a unique shape. Cottage gardens tend to have a looser structure and may require less maintenance. They may also include vegetables!

However, gardening is not all just pretty flowers and shiny vegetables. Some Master Gardeners mentioned the frustration when garden pests or disease attack. The best defense is to inspect your garden often to catch problems early. Plants are also less susceptible when they are healthy. For good health, plants need the appropriate moisture, light, temperature and soil for that plant. Other Master Gardeners were challenged by out-of-control invasive plants (eg. goutweed, Aegopodium podagraria), weeds or limitations that occur as we age….for some, gardening from dawn until dusk is just a memory!

So, grab your pen and paper and answer the question, “why do I garden?” You may feel that you are on the right track, or you may decide to make some changes. Now is the time to dream and plan what you would like to do this year, to have a garden that feeds your soul and maybe your family and neighbours too!

Thank you to the Master Gardeners who responded to my questions. I loved reading your answers and thinking about how we are drawn to gardening in slightly different, but similar, ways.

Bees & Pollinators, Birds, Dreams, Garden Design, Native Plants, Perennials, Planting, Shrubs & Trees

Creating a Wildlife Friendly Hedgerow in my Ontario Garden

January 22, 2024 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

Although I’ve lived in Canada for almost 50 years, I grew up in Bristol, England for some of my formative years, and always loved the traditional hedgerows that existed along rural roads and properties. Every time we return to the UK on a trip, I marvel at the diversity and intricacy of these functional garden/farm structures.

On our three quarter of an acre property in a small village north of Peterborough (Zone 4b/5a) I have a neighbour on one side who has a chain link fence and loves their golf green lawn. On the other side there is no fence at all, but I’ve been growing a few elderberries (Sambucus canadensis) and cup plants (Silphium perfoliatum) to hide a poorly maintained house – the first shrub suckers well and the second plant grows fast and tall.

So I’d love to have a traditional English-style hedgerow on both edges that would provide visual screening as well as animal and bird habitat…so I went looking to see how to adapt the traditional English hedgerow to Ontario.

Hedgerows can provide amazing bird habitat

The origins of hedgerows

It’s thought that hedgerows (or hedges) were first used by humans as ‘dead hedges’ to enclose livestock using thorny plants. Once agriculture began, clearing woodlands created fields with tree and shrub boundaries that were managed to create livestock-proof ‘living fences’.

Hedgerows have been planted since the time of the Romans and reached their peak in Britain during the Enclosure Acts of the 1700s when an estimated 200,000 miles of mostly hawthorn (Crataegus spp) hedgerows were planted.

Credit: People’s Trust for Endangered Species, UK

Hedgerows have many purposes, as you can see from this graphic from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. They have an excellent video on how to manage a hedgerow here, but it’s not quite the same in Ontario, as we don’t have the same hedgerow species or coppicing techniques.

In their best form I think hedgerows can be a mini-ecosystem with key ingredients that animals and birds need to survive — food, shelter, nesting and denning sites. Hedgerows also function as corridors, connecting one habitat to another and offering a safe passage for wildlife. They help muffle sound, create privacy, and act as windbreaks.

Definitely not a short term project

According to the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club (OFNC), the ideal hedgerow is

Planted with a variety of berry- and seed-bearing shrubs for food
Interspersed with cedar for added cover
Thick, bushy, largely unpruned and entangled with vines

The Ontario Rural Skills Network suggests that hedgerows can be single species but are best if they comprise a diversity of plants. Planting should be very dense, with a double line spaced 40cm (16in) apart with plants in a staggered pattern at 30cm (12in), giving 5 plants per metre.

Because they’re comprised of living shrubs, hedgerows grow and require management. It’s all about creating a balance between growth and avoiding them becoming gapped and unmanageable. A hedgerow may take seven to 10 years to establish, depending on the species composition.

This young hedgerow bordering a field features native plants that provide habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. Photo: Janet Donnelly, © Oregon State University

Making a plan

I’m just at the beginning of my plan for hedgerows on our property, but winter is a great time to do research. Both sites are sunny and have well drained soil, and I want to focus on using Ontario native plants as much as possible. I’m looking at a combination of seed- or nut-bearing shrubs (like speckled alder and hazel) and berry producers (serviceberry, chokecherry, red osier dogwood). Thorny shrubs (native roses, wild raspberry, hawthorns) will give added wildlife protection. The design will probably be different for each one, but that’s the fun of it.

The OFNC has excellent lists of plants you can consider for an Ontario hedgerow. I’m thinking about using

Speckled alder (Alnus incana)
Beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.)
Common elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
Flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
Willow spp. (Salix spp.) – native if I can find them – there is an amazing group in
Choke cherry (Prunus virginiana)
Red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera or C. sericea)
Eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
Wild (riverbank) grape (Vitis riparia)

Next steps

I’m just at the beginning of my journey. In my next blog post on March 25^th, I’ll give you an update on my research and my plans for my spring hedgerow projects. Until then, here’s some interesting sites to look at if you are thinking about something similar. And, by all means, if you have created a hedgerow in your Ontario garden, I would love to hear about it.

More resources

Creating a hedgerow for wildlife (Canada)

Hedgelink (UK)

National Hedgel ayin g Society (UK)

The traditional farm hedgerow (Canada)

Surrey Wildlife Trust – how to lay a hedge (UK)

1000 Islands Master Gardeners – Wildscaping with hedgerows (Canada)

How to plant a hedgerow in the home landscape (Ohio, US)

How to Start a Hedgerow (5 Steps) (Washington State, US)

A Guide to Hedgerows: Plantings That Enhance Biodiversity, Sustainability and Functionality (Oregon State U Extension)

Healthy hedgerows on your land (UK)

What have hedgerows ever done for us? how hedges benefit us (UK)

Advice, Bees & Pollinators, Birds, Butterflies and Moths, Climate Change, Compost, Drought, Fertilizer, Information, Native Plants, Perennials, Vegetable Gardening

5 Simple New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners

January 1, 2024 peterboroughmastergardeners 1 Comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

As this year ends, I’m offering a few New Year’s resolutions for gardeners for 2024. If you want more of a challenge, the Chicago Botanic Garden offers 50.

Add Native Plants To Your Garden

We’re all seeing the effects of climate change on our gardens.
Native plants adapt more readily to stressful and changing weather patterns, such as prolonged droughts or winter cold snaps, than hybrids and non-natives often seen in our nurseries.
Native plants help sustain beneficial insects and bird populations because they attract native pollinators and birds that might not be drawn to non-natives.
Create less work for you, as native plants tend to be lower maintenance than non-native ones.
The Native Conservancy of Canada offers some suggestions to get you started, or consult with your local Master Gardener group or Horticultural Society.

Start A Compost Bin

Composting helps keep waste out of landfill by collecting and processing organics into material that can be used to create nutrient-rich compost used to feed and nourish soil.
Canadian Living offers a simple outline, as shared by Ed Begley Jr.
Or more here from the Thames Region Ecological Association, including troubleshooting issues.

Grow More Of Your Own Food

The pandemic has highlighted how our agricultural systems are vulnerable to global shocks. Issues with supply chains, migrant workers, transport, trade and border closures have resulted in some foods being in short supply or prices going up (while quality goes down).
Insects do all the hard work, and all pollinators benefit.
Gardening provides benefits for your wallet, your nutrition, and reduces your environmental footprint. By growing your own food (either from seeds or small plants), your food is automatically more sustainable simply because you are doing it onsite or in a community garden. If you control the ‘inputs’ and do it well, you can save a lot of money.
Ultimately there is nothing more rewarding than planting and maintaining your own vegetable garden and harvesting (and sharing) your results. And we all know how much better homegrown produce tastes versus conventional produce at the grocery store. If you have too much produce, then you can just share the love with others!
Royal City Nursery in Guelph offers 8 Reasons to Start Growing Your Own Food from Seed

Continuous Learning

Do what you love but keep on top of what’s trending in garden design to see if anything sparks your interest.
Keep track of what’s working and what’s not by documenting your garden happenings in a journal.
Expand your garden library and treat yourself to a new gardening book.
There are so many amazing (and free) garden webinars available now – learn from the experts.
Some of my favourite bloggers – The Impatient Gardener (in Wisconsin, similar climate to us), The Empress of Dirt (Ontario), Niki Jabbour (Halifax), The Laidback Gardener (Montreal), and Garden Myths (Robert Pavlis in Guelph, Ontario).

Reduce Your Use Of Plastic

Plastic is a major component in the garden, from plastic plant pots and seed trays to watering cans, and compost bins. Most plastic gardening equipment will end up in landfills, where plastic pots alone can take up to 500 years to decompose.
There are a few easy swaps you can make in going plastic-free: Many of us want to use less plastic in the garden, from plant labels to watering cans, tools, plant pots and the sheeting used to suppress weeds. Buying (and therefore using) less plastic will not only reduce your plastic footprint but also sends a message to manufacturers that gardeners want alternatives to plastic (especially single-use plastic).
Try to find biodegradable pots that made from natural materials such as coir, bamboo, wood chips, or seaweed (or commit to using your plastic pots year after year).
If you use plastic string, make the swap for a natural jute or hemp, and protect your fruits and vegetables with metal mesh instead of plastic netting – it lasts for years.

Find alternatives to plastic pots, or commit to using (and reusing them) for many years

Happy gardening dreams until we can get out into our gardens again….

Bees & Pollinators, Compost, Fruits, Vegetable Gardening

All About Pumpkins…

October 2, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

By Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

What says fall or October more than the iconic pumpkin? But how much do you really know about them?

Here’s 10 things about pumpkins that might surprise you.

They’re technically a fruit, not a vegetable. Pumpkins are a winter squash in the family Cucurbitaceae (which includes cucumbers, melons, and gourds.) Pumpkins, along with cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocados, grow from the flowers of their plants. So yes, all squashes are technically fruits as well. It is the official State Fruit of New Hampshire.
They’re native to the Americas. Scientists believe that pumpkins originated in the Americas about 9000 years ago. The oldest pumpkin seeds were found in Mexico and date to somewhere between 7000-5550 B.C.. Originally small and bitter, they were selectively bred by native peoples to be bigger, sweeter, and have more flesh.
They weren’t originally called pumpkins. The word “pumpkin” originates from “pepon” – which means “large melon” in Greek. Then it evolved to “pompon” (in French) and “pumpion” (in Britain). The evolution in North America was to “pumpkin,” what we use today.
Every single part of a pumpkin is edible. That means the skin, leaves, flowers, pulp, seeds, and stems. And they’re 92 percent water. Pumpkin and other squash blossoms can be eaten raw or I’m told they are tasty when lightly battered and fried. Pumpkin pie is a traditional part of Thanksgiving meals in Canada and the United States.
Bumble bees and squash bees are the primary pollinators of the cucurbit family of plants. They help transfer pollen from the male flower to the female flower by visiting each flower to drink the nectar located in the flower. As the bee drinks nectar it vibrates and moves its body around and in doing so, collects grains of pollen on the fine hairs of its body and in pollen baskets located in some species on their legs.
Pumpkins (along with other squash) were a historically important food staple among Native Americans. Using the “Three Sisters Method,” three crops (squash, maize, beans) were grown together – usually near riverbanks – so they could sustain each other. Corn is the trellis upon which the beans climb; beans keep the corn stalks stable on windy days, while also nourishing their soil; and pumpkins/squash shelter the corn’s shallow roots and prevent weeds from forming.
They’re a great source of beta carotene (which is what gives it the orange colour). It turns into vitamin A after you eat it, so it’s excellent for your eye and skin health.
They can get REALLY big. The heaviest pumpkin ever recorded was a staggering 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 oz), grown by Stefano Cutrupi (Italy) in Tuscany, Italy in 2021.
How long do they last? After a pumpkin is cut, it will usually last about seven to 10 days. Find out how to pick the perfect pumpkin.
Each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds. Once they sprout, pumpkins take between 90 and 120 days to reach maturity, which is why it’s recommended to plant them between May and July.

A LAST NOTE: Just a reminder that you’ll see lots of social media posts after Halloween about giving your pumpkins a second life by putting them out for wildlife. In your own garden, break the pumpkin into small pieces and monitor and remove the pieces when they rot, mold, or aren’t eaten.

Check and see whether local zoos or wildlife rehabilitation centres are interested in donations for animal enrichment. NOTE: they must still be fresh – carved pumpkins break down quickly and whole pumpkins that have been sitting in the sun for weeks can quickly become contaminated and shouldn’t be given to animals to eat. Some municipalities also offer a drop-off program.

Please don’t put them on the side of the road or in natural areas, as this creates problems because if they are near ditches or roadsides, animals will be drawn in close to traffic where they may get hit.

Last but not least, if a pumpkin is starting to decompose, turn it into compost! Chop it up to speed up the process.

Advice, Annuals, Bees & Pollinators, Seeds, Vegetable Gardening

Time to take stock of your garden…and collect seeds!

September 4, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

By Silvia Strobl, Master Gardener in Training

Summer is flying by. You can feel the growing season coming to a close with the cooler morning temperatures in late August. Now is a good time to reflect on which vegetables did well in your garden and, if heirloom or open-pollinated varieties, allow some to go to seed for next year’s planting. Or you could collect more seed than you need and package them to exchange for more new varieties at next spring’s Seedy Saturday/Sunday events.

It is important to only collect seeds from open-pollinated varieties as these will retain their genetic diversity and produce plants that adapt to changing growing conditions. They produce seeds that can be legally grown, saved, and shared. Do not collect seeds from hybrid varieties as these will not grow like their parents.

Last spring, I picked up seeds of several new (to me) varieties that diversified both my vegetable garden and my diet this summer, including:

An heirloom basil lettuce leaf variety with a milder peppery basil flavour that enhanced mixed lettuce salads throughout the growing season
A purple pole bean, Trionfo Violetto, that unlike the purple pole bean, Blauhilde, that I usually grow was more tender and stringless, although not quite as productive
A purple podded sugar snap pea, Sugar Magnolia Pea, that is still producing pods today. The peas are very sweet and unlike the purple pole beans do not turn green when cooked, plus they are easy to spot in the tangle of 6 feet tall vines
A cantaloupe, Minnesota Midget,that started producing juicy, sweet, ripe fruits by the second week of August
A mix of 2 different Armenian cucumbers with light green, ribbed tender skins rather than the dark green skinned Lebanese cucumbers typically grown and available year-round at the grocery store. Surprisingly, Armenian cucumbers are the same species as cantaloupe! Their denser, less watery flesh makes them ideal for tabouli and cucumber salads.
Two different peppers that I grew as container plants: (i) Mini Red Bell that produced early sweet peppers that are 1-1/2 inches tall and wide and (ii) Buena Mulata a hot cayenne variety that changes from a pretty purple to red when ripe although we also enjoyed the early milder purple peppers in fresh salsas. Both pepper varieties are very productive, yielding dozens of peppers on one plant!

Why try growing something new?

While it is easy to get into a routine of growing the same varieties of vegetables each year, there are several reasons to experiment with new varieties. A different variety of beans or tomatoes might grow better in your soil conditions and produce a bigger crop, it might taste better, be easier to harvest, mature earlier, or be better suited to the vagaries of our new climate change world with more drought and/or rainy weather. Aside from these good reasons, growing something new can be a lot of fun!

Contributing seeds to your local Seedy Saturday/Sunday event is an economical way to support experimentation with new varieties. You can trade your seeds for seeds of other varieties collected by other gardeners.

How do you get started with seed collection?

As I learned during a seed collection workshop with Jill Bishop of Urban Tomato, here are some general steps to follow:

Ensure the variety is open-pollinated or heirloom. The original seed package should provide this information. Or search for the variety name on the internet.

Identify the vegetable varieties you enjoyed and mark healthy plants that you will let go to seed. For example, this year I identified 2 plants in my pole bean row where pods could go to seed.

Let seeds mature on the plant and observe carefully to ensure you harvest seed heads just before they start to split open.

For beans and peas which are self-pollinated let pods over-ripen and turn brown on the plant. Keep green beans away from purple ones. When seeds rattle inside pods they are ready to harvest. Let the pods dry further indoors.

For lettuce greens, cruciferous vegetables (e.g., kale, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) and herbs let a plant bolt. Keep different varieties (e.g., of lettuce) apart to avoid cross-pollination or only let one variety bolt. It will take some time for seeds to form and turn completely dry and brown. You might want to cover the seed head with a gauze bag to capture the seeds when seed heads split open. Note that kale is a biennial and won’t form seeds until Year 2 while most spinach varieties are dioecious and both a male and a female plant are required to obtain seed set.

Pepper seeds are simple to collect but make sure to grow varieties separated from one another to avoid cross-pollination. Growing peppers in pots makes this easy to do as you can move the pot during the flowering period. Scrape seeds from a fully ripe pepper and set seeds on newspaper to dry.

Both tomato and cucurbit seeds require a bit more effort to collect.

A recent Peterborough & Area Master Gardener blog post, “Tasty Tomatoes”, provided steps for saving tomato seeds from ripe healthy tomatoes. As described in the blog, seeds should be fermented in water for a week to separate viable seeds and improve seed germination and longevity.

For cucumbers, squash and melon, let the fruit get big, overripe, and mouldy on the vine, open the fruit, scoop out seeds and let them ferment like tomato seeds, then rinse and let dry.

Ensure that you label and date the seeds you collect through the drying and packaging process. When packaging seeds in smaller envelopes for Seedy Saturday/Sunday events include variety name, year collected, days to maturity, and spacing for sowing. Store seeds in paper envelopes in a dry cool place. If you use jars to store seeds, put an envelope with a fully gummed flap in the jar as well. If the envelope is sealed when you check the jar a week later, humidity levels are too high in the jar. Seeds will start to germinate if kept in humid conditions.

Follow these steps and you’ll be ready to leave a few seed envelopes of your favourite varieties at a Seedy Saturday/Sunday event that will soon be scheduled near you. And you’ll be able to pick up a few free new heirloom varieties to try in 2024!

Seed Collection Resources

Seeds of Diversity a Canadian organization with 1000+ members that grow rare seeds to exchange. They support Seedy Saturday and Sunday events across the country.

How to Save Your Own Seeds–A handbook for Small Scale Seed Production available from Seeds of Diversity for $15.00

The Seed Savers Exchange publishes a Seed Saving Guide in table format that identifies the primary pollination method, how many plants you should grow to collect viable seeds, and how far apart plants should be from other varieties to avoid cross-pollination for more than 80 varieties of vegetables. For example, for vegetables like tomatoes, beans, lettuce and squash, you should grow each variety at least 10 to 20 feet apart from other varieties. If you have a small garden, you can still grow more varieties together but cover a flower with a gauze or blossom bag to only allow that variety to self-pollinate.

There are lots of resources on the internet for making your own seed envelops, including this one: Make Your Own Seed Envelopes For Cheap

Bees & Pollinators, Information, Native Plants, Perennials

Around My Garden

August 28, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

by Laura Gardner, Master Gardener

To Squish or Not to Squish?

For over 13 years, I have had a Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ (Smooth Hydrangea) in my garden. A few years ago, contractors put in a fence, and I thought it was a goner — trampled into the ground. It was their version of rejuvenation pruning.

Well, I learned they are hard to kill. Every summer there is a profusion of blooms. Every spring, some of the leaves are curled and fused together—a temporary home for Olethreutes ferriferana (Hydrangea Leaftier Moth) caterpillar—a native insect. Anecdotally, it seems to favour Hydrangea arborescens over others, although the food plant database for Tortricid (Leafroller) moths indicates simply Hydrangea spp.

Most sites I have seen online advise you to squish the caterpillars because they can cause a reduction in blooms. They feed on the leaves and the flower buds. While my Hydrangea has likely seen a reduction, I have not noticed. It does not affect the overall health of the plant. Another consideration is that often within these rolled-up leaves, spiders make their home. It is thought that they take up residence before the moth leaves but do not predate the caterpillar.[i] Year after year, I just let this moth complete its lifecycle.

In Integrated Pest Management (IPM) there is something called a threshold of action. Is the damage enough to warrant taking any action to control the pest? Is it possible that other beneficial organisms may be harmed in the process? If there are only a few blooms that could be affected, consider not doing anything.

*Hydrangea arborescens* ‘Annabelle’ in July

Curled and fused leaves of *Hydrangea arborescens* ‘Annabelle’ in June. Note the pupal skin hanging out of the leaf pouch—this indicates that there is no caterpillar within and the adult moth had exited.

Is it Real or an Imposter?

Last year I planted what I thought was Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop). It was a huge Bombus (Bumblebee) magnet and flowered virtually up until frost. It did not come back this spring — apparently it is considered a short-lived perennial, but in the end, I concluded that its demise was mainly due to a sustained dog pee assault. I am the crazy gardener that runs after my dogs with a watering can. I digress.

*Agastache rugosa* (Korean Mint) and a Bumblebee visitor

Like many in the mint family, there were many seedlings that popped up in its place. Fast forward to this week, and I noticed a discussion online about how some nurseries are inadvertently selling Agastache rugosa (Korean Mint) instead of A. foeniculum.

After careful inspection, I am now certain that I am one of many who got the non-native species. “Both these species are aromatic and have flowers of similar colors, but Korean mint has rugose, dark green leaves with cordate bases, whereas Anise Hyssop has shiny, bright green leaves with feltlike undersides and cunate bases.”[ii] The undersides of the leaves of A. rugosa also have little indentations (areoles) that A. foeniculum lacks.[iii]

The question is, should I keep it in my garden? A field study of Agastache spp. in Iowa over a three-year period found that more Apis mellifera (European Honey Bee) visited the Korean Mint and hybrids than Anise Hyssop.[iv]

Judging from the number of Bumblebees on the few plants that sprung up this year, it would seem like a keeper. If I were to find and plant Anise Hyssop, there would be a high probability that it would cross-pollinate with the Korean Mint, creating hybrid plants. According to the literature, these hybrids are sterile[v] and so there would not be a problem of the hybrids re-seeding. Korean Mint is also morphologically like Anise Hyssop.[vi] This means that there is a greater chance that pollinators can benefit from the non-native species. I am waffling.

[i] Boggs, Joe. Hydrangea Leaftier. Buckeye Yard and Garden Online. May 22, 2022. Ohio State University. Online: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1979 Accessed August 24, 2023

[ii] Widrlechner, Mark P. A Field Evaluation of Native Mint Family Plants as Honey Bee Forage in Iowa. Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Prairie Conference 1990. p. 40. Online: https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/55985 Accessed: August 24, 2023.

[iii] Serres, Terry. Buyer Beware. Agastache foeniculum vs. Agastache rugosa. September 2018.

https://bigriverbigwoods.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ThreeProblemSpecies_v3.pdf Accessed: August 24, 2023.

[iv] Ibid., p.40.

[v] Vogelmann, James E. “Crossing Relationships among North American and Eastern Asian Populations of Agastache Sect. Agastache (Labiatae).” Systematic Botany 10, no. 4 (1985): p. 451. Online: https://doi.org/10.2307/2419137 Accessed: August 24, 2023.

[vi] Ibid., p. 451.

Bees & Pollinators, Butterflies and Moths, Myths, Native Plants, Shade Gardening

Native Ontario Goldenrods for Your Garden

August 7, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners Leave a comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

The burst of bright yellow in our late summer gardens and surrounding countryside heralds the blooming of our iconic native goldenrods. Although there are more than 25 goldenrods native to Ontario, most people are familiar with Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), which is likely the tall one you see as you are out driving.

I have lots of Canada Goldenrod in the naturalized back of my garden, but I also call it my garden thug, because it’s very happy there and trying to take over the world (or at least my backyard). First it outcompeted my New England Asters, and then started crowding out my newer planted trees.

So I started exploring other, more well-behaved goldenrods to add to my garden that still bring all the benefits of this lovely plant, including acting as important nectar and pollen sources for many specialist pollinators and host plants for many moth and butterfly caterpillars. Goldenrods are important late season fuel for migrating butterflies (like monarchs) and our bumblebees.

Here are 3 goldenrods that you should be able to find at native plant nurseries (and maybe eventually in our regular nurseries) that I am experimenting with in my garden.

Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

I first saw this goldenrod in a local provincial park and fell in love with it because it thrives in shade/part shade! It can take fairly dry conditions and will grow up to 3 feet high. I’m told if it’s happy it will spread nicely by rhizomes and seed. The name refers to the “zigzaggy” form of the stems. Added bonus? It’s fragrant.

Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)

Another winner in my book (before it’s even flowered) because it also brightens up shade gardens, although this one prefers moister soils. Bluestem Goldenrod has graceful, arching stems and bright yellow flowers and can reach 3 feet tall – the name comes from the purplish stems. It will colonize over time by self seeding. Also known as Wreath Goldenrod.

Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)

This one’s a sun lover and can reach 5 feet; I’m trying it in my front garden bed with my New England Asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) and false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) because it needs similar height plants to avoid floppiness. Unlike the bluestem goldenrod, this one is upright and has large oval leaves and a cluster of yellow flowers at the top of the stems.

The City of Toronto’s LiveGreen initiative has some excellent additional information on various other goldenrods here. There is one to meet whatever garden conditions (sun/shade; dry/wet etc) you might have. You can also grow some in containers!

For those interested in more information on identifying and learning about goldenrods here are a few resources:

Ontario Wildflowers – Goldenrods Group

Ontario Wildflowers – Learn the Goldenrods

Goldenrods

Native Goldenrods for Ontario Gardens

So what new goldenrods will you try in YOUR garden?

Do Goldenrods Cause Hay Fever?

And finally (because we’re always asked this question as soon as fall hay fever starts) no, goldenrods do not cause hay fever. Their pollen is far too heavy to be blown around in the wind – the real culprit is Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) which is easily blown around by the wind and while native, will never find a place in our garden (my husband gets hay fever). NOTE: yes I acknowledge that some people are allergic to goldenrod but they have to literally stand beside them to get the pollen on them). I love what Horticulture Magazine has to say

So why do we blame goldenrod instead of ragweed? Probably because goldenrod flowers are so showy. Ragweed’s green flowers are inconspicuous. It makes sense that people suffering from allergies suspect the plant that they can see is in full, abundant bloom.
Horticulture Magazine

Bees & Pollinators, Perennials, Propagation

Why are my Columbines Changing Colour?

June 12, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners 1 Comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

Columbines (Aquilegia spp) are lovely perennials. I have had them in my garden for many years, and they always offer a pop of colour in the late spring/early summer garden here in Lakefield, Ontario.

These easy care perennials come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes – most are bi-coloured, ranging from pastel shades to vibrant hues. Columbines have distinctive five-petaled flowers with long backward-extending spurs as pouchlike extensions of the petals, containing nectar. Sepals and petals are brightly coloured. The leaflets of the compound leaves are usually rounded and notched.

In my garden I have both cultivars and straight species (native) columbines, but it was a query on our Master Gardener of Ontario’s Facebook page about someone’s columbines changing colour from year to year that caused me to go down the research rabbit hole to try and find an answer for them.

What Did I Find Out?

Well, apparently columbines really like to hybridize with other columbines. They really do. They are also sensitive to their soil conditions and a number of other factors.

There has been some fascinating research done at universities like UC Santa Barbara (here and here). In one study they used two columbine varieties – red columbines pollinated by hummingbirds, and white or yellow columbines pollinated by hawk moths. Apparently hummingbirds prefer medium length nectar spurs (the ‘tails’ on the columbines), while hawk moths prefer the relatively longer-spurred species.

A. formosa (left) is primarily pollinated by hummingbirds. A. pubescens (right) is primarily pollinated by hawk moths.

The study also noted that columbines can change from blue to red, then white to yellow. According to the researchers, the colour shift from red to white or yellow in columbines has already happened at least five times in North America.

So Why Do They Change?

There are several reasons why columbines change colours:

DNA mutation
Natural selection
Adaptive radiation
Hybridization
Changes in soil conditions

DNA Mutation

Based on the UC Santa Barbara findings, at least 34 genes produce different columbine flower colours. Because of the presence of various genes, there’s an increased likelihood that the colours will change simply due to gene mutation. It doesn’t happen because of creation of new genes, but just because of current gene mutation.

Natural Selection

In the studies and mentioned above, if most pollinators are hummingbirds, most of the columbine colours are red. However, when the population shifts and most of the pollinators become hawkmoths, there’s a potential for the colour to modify. The resulting blooms can be white or yellow.

Adaptive Mutation

Another concept explored in the study of the columbine colour changes is adaptive radiation, based on Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, which assumes that living organisms change their structures to better adapt to the changes in their surroundings. For columbines, flowers develop new traits as a response to changes in their environment. In this case, the changes include the pollinators.

Research shows that columbine flowers are tailored to the tongues of their pollinators, which shows an example of how they evolve based on their environment.

Hybridization

Columbine colour change can also be due to cross-breeding, when male and female parts are pollinated. The goal? Combining the positive attributes of two species, changing the physical characteristics, resulting in a better yield and disease resistance, among others.

Hybridization can also occur non-deliberately – for example when we plant two columbine varieties near each other, this will often create colour changes from the original plants.

To prevent problem hybridization, especially with our native Eastern Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), the best thing you can do is plant the native species as far away from the cultivars as you – not foolproof but an important thing to consider. Or don’t have any cultivars on your property, but that doesn’t guarantee they will stay the same as pollinators move from garden to garden.

Changes in Soil Conditions

It’s common for columbine colours to shift because of slight changes in the soil’s pH, as well as the presence or absence of metal ions in the soil. A pH lower or higher than 6.0 to 6.5 can result in nutrients being unavailable, which in turn can affect colour.

Our beautiful native Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Colour change in columbines is a fascinating phenomenon, as you can see from my “rabbit hole research”.

But here’s the bottom line – if you want to keep your native columbines from hybridizing with cultivars you have to keep them as far away from each other as possible. If you like the idea of them changing colours (for a variety of reasons) just sit back and enjoy!

Like Moths to a Flame – Rethinking Outdoor Lighting in Your Garden

April 24, 2023 peterboroughmastergardeners 1 Comment

by Emma Murphy, Master Gardener

A few weeks ago, the incomparable Lorraine Johnson spoke at my local horticultural society. She summarized four key actions gardeners could do to help our pollinators, and the last one stuck out for me — reduce/reconsider outdoor lighting (see her full list of actions at the bottom of the blog).

I thought, what does outdoor lighting around my house or garden have to do with pollinators? I know that the presence of lighting (or even more importantly, light frequency) is disruptive for migrating birds and nesting sea turtles, but for pollinators in my garden?

However, what I’ve learned in my research is that artificial lighting at night (aka ALAN) poses a hazard to nocturnal pollinators and prevents proper navigation, reproduction, and their ability to find food.

This really cool graphic (from Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC) shows some examples of day and night pollinators.

Why is it a problem?

Use of ALAN has rapidly spread around the globe over the past few decades. This 2021 Nature Communications journal article states increasing evidence that ALAN adversely affects the behaviour, physiology, and survival of animals and plants, ultimately leading to a significant decline in their abundance and diversity.

This 2020 Biological Conservation journal article says that although habitat loss, pesticide use, invasive species, climate change all play a role in insect decline, ALAN is another important—but often overlooked—bringer of the “insect apocalypse”.

A Nature journal article back in 2017 also sounded the alarm, showing that in ALAN plant–pollinator communities, nocturnal visits to plants were reduced by 62% compared to dark areas.

This UK Royal Horticultural Society article lists some of the effects of ALAN, not just on pollinators but all wildlife:

Nocturnal insects (including many moths) who navigate using natural light sources (like the moon) are disoriented by ALAN (although research is now indicating that ALAN disrupts circadian rhythms in both nocturnal and diurnal animals).
Security lights appear to temporarily blind some animals and may even attract them (for example, frogs – I have seen this in my backyard near my pond).
Birds are disturbed from sleep by sudden lighting and can begin singing before dawn (robins especially seem sensitive to light). Birds that start migration flights at night can become disoriented.
In ALAN areas, shorter periods of nighttime darkness means less time for foraging/hunting for crepuscular (dawn/dusk) or nocturnal species.
ALAN is thought to be partly to blame for the decline of fireflies/glow worms; the females emit low, greenish light to attract mates and even low level ‘skyglow’ from distant light sources such as floodlit playing fields or towns will lessen their breeding success.

The type (frequency) of light seems to affect species differently. For example, research indicates that LEDs seem to attract more moths and flies, but fewer beetles than sodium lamps. And LEDs with cool white light (blue end of the spectrum) attract more insects than warm white ones. As a general rule insects are more sensitive or attracted to short-wavelength (UV, blue and green) than long-wavelength (orange, red and infra-red) light.

So what can gardeners do?

While ALAN has become a trendy part of our outdoor living spaces, consider whether you really need it, or modify it to minimize its impact. In my back garden I definitely need some path lighting for visiting guests, but I make sure it’s shielded lighting that is on a motion sensor so it’s only on for a short time. The International Dark-Sky Association has some great information on keeping our skies dark, including using shielded light fixtures that minimize glare, light trespass, and skyglow.

Besides, a garden can be just as magical a place enjoyed in moonlight or simply with the aid of a flashlight! And if you minimize ALAN you might just see more fireflies/glow worms in your garden, like I do (hint: having a pond or water feature also attracts them).