The Community Garden in Roseland

The main criteria for choosing the different plants in the community garden were to provide sequential food for pollinator species, for birds, butterflies, bees, flies, moths and that the plant was derived from a native species.  We know native species will be hardier and more adaptable to our location. Native plants will have more appeal to our native pollinators, the insects, bees, butterflies etc are familiar with these plants and can recognize them. Many plants have been hybridized and modified to put more emphasis on the blooms whereas we want our emphasis to be on food production (nectar rich plants). We also wanted to provide blooms and hence food for as long a period as possible so care was taken in choosing early, mid and late blooming species.

We are fortunate in the location of our pollinator garden as it is between two previously installed gardens on the Port Nelson United Church site. There is some duplication in the plantings which encourages pollinators to stop at each of the gardens.

There are many factors which have contributed to the decrease in pollinator species: use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, urbanization and lack of appropriate food, climate change such that bloom times are changing and do not meet the needs of the pollinators, and fractionalization (the great distances between appropriate food sources.) We hope to remedy what we can, that is we do not use pesticides, we have tried to use many native plants and we have three consecutive gardens which provides some continuity in food sources.

Some of the plants which are in the garden are listed here with a few details about each:

 

Achillea millefolium cv. Paprika, (yarrow)

• • Original species native to North America, many hybrids have been produced
  • Used by Indigenous peoples as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ailments and fevers
  • Attracts: Native Bees and it also attracts predatory insects which prey upon other harmful pest insects.
  • Flowering time: August, September

 

Agastache scrophulariifolia, (giant hyssop)

• • • Native to North America
    • Plant leaves were used by Native Canadians
    • Attracts: bees, butterflies and hummingbirds
    • Flowers mid to late summer
    • Propagate by splitting plant roots

 

 

 

 

Allium spp. (Ornamental onion) different varieties withdiffering flowering times (spring through summer)

• • Fast growing
  • Not edible
  • Extremely tough, drought-resistent and cold tolerant

 

 

 

Aquilegia vulgaris hybrids, cv. Songbird Dove, cv. Songbird Cardinal, cv. Double Violet Blue, (columbine)

• • short lived but self seeding
  • attracts hummingbirds and butterflies
  • late spring to mid-summer blooms

 

Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)

• • • Native to North America
    • source of nectar for ruby-throated hummingbirds; it attracts a wide range of species of native bees, bumblebees, honey bees, butterflies and moths.
    • Flowers late spring/early summer
    • Propagation, seeds. Plants do not transplant well but grow from seeds distributed after they have dried on the plant

 

Arenaria montana cv. Avalanche, (mountain sandwort)

• • A cultivar of non-native genus
  • Early spring flowering provides nectar for early pollinators
  • Spreads by roots

 

 

 

Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)

• • Native throughout North America
  • Food source for endangered monarch butterflies
  • Attracts hummingbirds to nectar rich flowers
  • Spreads through seed dispersal and underground rhizomes

 

 

 

Buxus sempervirens, (boxwoods)

• • Inconspicuous blooms in April to May
  • Native primarily to open woodlands and rocky hillsides in southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia
  • Wood was originally used to make boxes

 

 

 

Echinacea purpurea c v. PowWow Wild Berry, (coneflower)

• • Native to parts of eastern North America
  • Up to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 25 cm (10 in) wide at maturity
  • Blooms throughout summer into autumn
  • pollinated by butterflies and bees
  • Long used in traditional medicine

 

 

Eriocapitella vitifolia (Grape leaf anemone)

• • Non native plant
  • Flowers late summer
  • Attracts bees and flies

 

 

 

 

Gaillardia aristate cv. Arizona Apricot and SpinTop Orange Halo, (blanket flower)

• • Native to western half of North America
  • Attractive to bumblebees and sweat bees
  • Short lived perennial but can self seed
  • Flowers late summer and into the fall

 

 

 

Gaillardia grandiflora cv. Mesa Yellow, (blanket flower)

• • Native to North America
  • Attracts butterflies and especially attractive to native bees
  • Short lived perennial but can self seed
  • Flowers late summer and into the fall

 

 

Galanthus nivalis, (snow drop)

• • one of the earliest and loveliest spring flowering bulbs
  • native to Europe and southwestern Asia
  • spreads by self-seeding and bulb offsets
  • feeds bees

 

Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy,’ sedum spectabile “Autumn Joy”

• • Non native
  • late season bloomer, early to late fall
  • important source of food for bees and butterflies and other pollinators
  • note the recent name change from Sedum spectabile to Hylotelephium spectabile
  • easily divided with a spade, divide in early spring

 

Leucanthemum X ssuperbum, (shasta daisy)

• • non-native, have naturalized throughout N. America
  • attracts butterflies
  • blooms july through the summer

 

 

 

Penstemon digitalis cv. Blackbeard, (beard tongue)

• • Native to North America
  • spring flowering
  • attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators

 

 

 

Phlox subulate cv. Red wing, (creeping phlox)

• • Native to North America
  • flowers early spring
  • spreads readily but stays compact
  • Attractive to butterflies
  • prune after flowers have finished to help plant keep a mounded shape
  • can be split by root division or planting seed directly into the ground

 

Rudbeckia fulgida cv. Goldstrum, (black eyed Susan, coneflower)

• • Native to eastern North America
  • flowers mid to late summer and early fall
  • attracts butterflies and birds eat the seeds
  • spreads by underground rhizomes, divide the roots propagation

 

 

 

Salvia nemorosa cv. Caradonna, (sage)

• • Non native
  • flowers late spring to early summer
  • attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds

 

 

 

Salvia nemorosa cv. East Friesland

• • Non native
  • flowers late spring to early summer
  • attracts butterflies, and hummingbirds

 

Schizachyrium scoparium “The Blues”, (prairie grass, blue stem)

• • Native to North America
  • fuzzy white seeds are attractive to winter birds.
  • stems are bluish in spring then plant turns dark pink/mahogany in the fall
  • plants clumps and the clumps can be divided with a spade

 

 

 

Scilla Siberica alba, (Siberian squill)

• • Non-native
  • early spring flowering bulb
  • plants can become invasive so care in handling dug up bulbs, dispose of properly
  • propagates by self seeding and bulb off shoots
  • provides early season nectar to bees and other pollinators when not many other plants are in flower

 

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae cv. Grape crush, (New England aster)

• • Native to Ontario and many parts of N. America
  • Flowers late summer, all fall
  • Important source of late season food for pollinators, bumble bee queens, bees, and importantly monarch butterflies which are heading back to Mexico

 

Thalictrum aquilegifolium Black Stockings, (meadow rue)

• • some species native range is Europe and Asia but has naturalized across Ontario
  • flowers late spring to early summer
  • attracts butterflies

 

 

Tiarella cordifolia cv. Spring Symphony, (foam flower)

• • native eastern North America
  • propagates by runners(stollens) to form clumps, good ground cover
  • flowers late spring
  • provides food for native bees and syrphid flies and seeds for birds

 

 

First name is the genus, second name the species, then cultivar and finally in brackets a common name for the plant

Plant information credit: The University of Texas at Austin, Notsohollowfarm.ca, onplants.ca, https://ontarionature.org/going-wild-for-native-plants-blog/