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July 2020
Happy Canada Day!
"1500 years ago St. Augustine said, 'If you wish to judge the quality of a city, look to see what it cherishes.'
The same may be said of a country. Our green spaces, our parks — urban, provincial and national — and, of course, our gardens, both public and private, say something profound about who we are as a nation and what we value.
Gardening is the most popular outdoor pastime in Canada, next to walking. More than 80 percent of us grow something green." - Mark Cullen
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Thursday, July 2 - Plant It and They Will Come: Create Your Own Pollinator Garden - Zoom webinar hosted by Ecology Ottawa with guest speaker Berit Erikson, a pollinator and habitat gardening enthusiast.
Time: 6 pm
Since 2017, Berit has been turning her ornamental plantings and lawn into pollinator gardens. See some of the bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that now live in her urban yard. Learn how to create your own pollinator garden by using suitable plants and creating habitat.
FREE! Please RSVP to receive the link.
Sunday, July 5 - Bountiful Beautiful Bees - Creating bee-friendly gardens' workshop by Hume City Council's Live Green program (Australia!)
Time: 10:30-11:30 AEST (8:30 pm Ottawa)
In this online Zoom workshop learn how to create bee-friendly gardens. Katrina Forstner from Buzz and Dig will share lots of fascinating information about native bees and how to help them, including landscaping for bees, top bee-friendly plants, how to save seed, 2 min Salvia/Rosemary propagation, native bees, and native plants, bee hotels. This event will be hosted by Hume City Council, as part of the Live Green series of sustainability workshops.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Wednesday, July 8 – Garden for Wildlife: Invasive Species Management by New Jersey Audubon.
Time: 7-8 pm
Invasive plant removal is a necessary skill when creating and enhancing wildlife habitat at home. However, learning about the options and best approaches can quickly become overwhelming. Join us as we take a dive into the world invasive plant management where we define what a non-native invasive is, consider their implications, and discuss the management options available to you.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Thursday, July 9 – Urban Cycling hosted by Ottawa Public Library
Time: 12:30 pm
Join Jen Stelzer, from EnviroCentre to learn about cycling in Ottawa, local infrastructure, and tips for having a safe and comfortable ride in an urban environment. This seminar is intended for people of all ages and cycling abilities.
Jennifer is the Community Programs Manager at EnviroCentre.She is an avid cyclist and her passion for encouraging sustainable transportation and lighter living is reflected in the work she does. She has been exploring cities by bike for over 40 years and loves encouraging others to do the same!
This program is part of Ottawa Public Library's Cycling in the City Series.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Tuesday, July 14 – Garden Talk Tuesday – by University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners, Douglas County
Time: 8-9 pm
Ornamental Plants for Your Home and Garden: Are you focused on vegetables and not familiar with ornamental plants? Join Robin to learn about some easy ornamentals you can include in your garden and get some design basics so you can plan next year's garden now!
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Thursday, July 16 – Green Infrastructure webinar hosted by Ecology Ottawa
Time: 6 pm
FREE! Please RSVP to receive the link.
Monday, July 16 – Vélo en ville organized by Ottawa Public Library
Time: 12:30-1:30 pm
Joignez-vous à Denise Inglis d'EnviroCentre de la ville d'Ottawa pour en apprendre sur le b.a.-ba du vélo, les façons d’assurer votre confort et votre sécurité à vélo, et l’infrastructure urbaine. Cette activité s’adresse aux cyclistes de tous âges et de tous niveaux d’expérience. Il n’y a jamais eu de meilleur moment pour prévoir des vacances à vélo dans sa propre ville ou région!
Denise est actuellement la coordonnatrice de Vélo-Vanier, un programme de partage de vélos gratuit dans le Quartier Vanier de la Ville d'Ottawa.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Tuesday, July 21 – Garden Talk Tuesday – by University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners, Douglas County
Time: 8-9 pm
Flowering Trees and Shrubs for Minnesota: Do you love flowers in your garden, and would you like to include more? Learn some basic trees and shrubs that provide season-long interest in your landscape.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Thursday, July 23 – Discover Your City By Bike hosted by Ottawa Public Library
Time: 12:30-1:30 pm
Join Jen Stelzer from EnviroCentre to discover some of the interesting destinations in Ottawa that are easily accessible by bicycle. Heritage sites, nature areas, and public art are a few of the destinations that will be covered. Route planning resources will also be highlighted to help you plan your own adventure! This seminar is intended for people of all ages and cycling abilities.
Jennifer is the Community Programs Manager at EnviroCentre. She is an avid cyclist and her passion for encouraging sustainable transportation and lighter living is reflected in the work she does. She has been exploring cities by bike for over 40 years and loves encouraging others to do the same!
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Tuesday, July 28 – Garden Talk Tuesday – by University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardeners, Douglas County
Time: 8-9 pm
Just Grow Up! Vining plants are a great addition to your landscape and add a new dimension to your garden beds. Learn about some popular vining plants, and how to grow them.
FREE! Please RSVP on Eventbrite
Thursday, July 30 – Ottawa Trees Zoom webinar hosted by Ecology Ottawa
Time: 6 pm
FREE! Please RSVP to receive the link.
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Garlic has been grown for more than 5,000 years, is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Cultures throughout history have used it for physical and spiritual health, and as a flavourful seasoning.
Now, Emma Houston explains how to grow garlic at home if you live in Ontario. See this as your complete guide to growing the vegetable!
You'll find more articles like this one in the Magazine section of gardeningcalendar.ca
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Every year Britain's National Garden Scheme opens up gardens belonging to famous gardeners and enthusiastic amateurs alike. The Open Gardens event raises funds for nursing and health charities.
This year, in lieu of in-person visits, the National Garden Scheme has put a fantastic series of video garden tours online, showcasing some of the nation's loveliest outdoor spaces.
WARNING - There are beautifully shot virtual tours of over 100 stunning gardens. Be prepared to lose total track of time as you wander through these delightful gardens!
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Strawberry Season Is Here!
Some of us are picking those delicious red berries in our own garden. For others, it's a visit to the local pick-your-own. However you get your strawberries, enjoy!
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Designed to save you time searching for the right plant, our new plant information base is under construction.
With the help of students from the Algonquin College Business Agriculture, new plants and new information about plants are being added daily.
Check it out and let us know what you think.
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"Everything in nature has meaning. Everything in nature can be used to tell us something. The key is curiosity" - Tristan Gooley
Once Gooley shows you something about nature that you didn’t realize before, you’ll never be able to not see it again.
When most of us go for a walk, a single sense—sight—tends to dominate our experience. But when New York Times–bestselling author and expert navigator Tristan Gooley goes for a walk, he uses all five senses to “read” everything nature has to offer. A single lowly weed can serve as his compass, calendar, clock, and even pharmacist.
Through his teaching and writing, Tristan Gooley has pioneered a renaissance in the rare art of natural navigation. He has led expeditions on five continents, climbed mountains in three, and studied the methods of tribal peoples in some of the most remote regions on Earth. He is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic.
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And finally, Happy Canada Day to you from the team at Gardening Calendar Ottawa!
It will be a Canada Day unlike any other we can remember. Many of us will spend it in our own backyards instead of at a public celebration - but what a wonderful place to be! We hope you find yourself surrounded by lots of red and white blooms.
By the way...did you know that Canada does not have a national flower?
The maple leaf serves double duty as both the arboreal and the floral emblem of Canada.
However, in 2017 there was an attempt to change that. A nation-wide contest to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, sponsored by Master Gardeners of Ontario, embraced the bunchberry, known as quatre–temps in French and kawiscowimin in Cree, as the winner..but it has not been recognized officially...yet.
"We all love to celebrate the wildness of Canada and its varied areas and having something that can actually grow in every part of the country pulls us together” - Maureen Hulbert, Master Gardeners of Ontario
Learn more about the bunchberry.
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Have a gardening question? Ask an Ottawa Master Gardener: mgoc_helpline@yahoo.ca
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