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PLANT OF THE MONTH
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Mayapple in bloom
Photo: David d'Entremont
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Early in the spring, green umbrella-like shoots start to poke out of the ground. As these young plants grow to full height (about 30 cm tall), they begin to unfurl, revealing large, deeply lobed leaves that overlap with their neighbours to create a miniature forest for creatures real and imaginary. These ephemeral woodland wildflowers, known as Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), are commonly found in your local forest, but they’re also great plants for the urban home garden.
Many Mayapples grow only one leaf, directing their energy into their underground root system to create new plants for next spring. If you find a plant with two leaves, peer underneath and be rewarded with a waxy white flower with a bright yellow centre. While bees sometimes gather the abundant pollen, there is no nectar reward, so visits are infrequent. It’s a bit of a mystery how these flowers are pollinated… fairies maybe?
Mayapple flowers develop into small yellow fruit that are enjoyed by a variety of mammals. By mid-summer the leaves start to fade, and the plant spends the rest of its summer lying dormant underground, waiting for next spring to arrive.
In the right conditions, Mayapple can spread to form a dense patch, so start with 3-5 plants. Grow in shade or part-shade beneath mature hardwood trees, like maples, preferably in moist soils. Mayapples don’t like competition, so provide them with dedicated space alongside other complimentary plants, such as wild ginger, and away from areas where road salt is used.
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CARING FOR YOUR YARD
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Put back what you dig up
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Does Your New Tree or Shrub Need New Soil Too?
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Should you add peat moss, compost, triple-mix or other soil amendments to the planting hole when planting a new tree or shrub? The short answer is no. Here’s why and what you should do instead.
A Gardening Myth
It’s a common gardening myth that soil amendments around the base of your new tree or shrub will help it survive, when in fact, amending the soil can limit its growth and lifespan. As your new tree grows, its roots become accustomed to the luxurious nutrient-rich, airy soil conditions you’ve created by adding amendments. When they reach the more compact original soil, they won’t have the strength (or desire) to penetrate through. Often, the roots grow back into the amended soil, circling themselves and potentially choking the tree and weakening its stability.
What You Should Do
The best thing you can do is choose native trees and shrubs that suit your garden’s soil conditions and fill the planting hole with the same soil you dug up. Gradually improve the soil by maintaining a 6-8 cm (2-3 in) layer of natural, biodegradable mulch, such as woodchips or leaves, around your tree to retain moisture, control temperature and discourage root competition from other plants.
Although it has yet to be proven, it is suspected that new trees and shrubs thrive where healthy fairy habitat is also nearby.
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DID YOU KNOW
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Entice fairies to your garden
Photo: The Carouselambra Kid
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Fairy Gardens Foster Magic
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Reveal the magic of tiny places and entice fairies and other ‘small folk’ by adding miniature features such as fairy doors and stepping stones to your garden. Foster curiosity and wonder in your tangle of Wild Strawberry or your Mayapple patch, and maybe capture a glimmer of fairy luck, too!
Location, Location, Location
Fairies are guardians of the natural world. Creating good fairy habitat cultivates healthy spaces for pollinators, birds and other creatures that keep our yards alive and magical. Create your fairy garden in a sheltered area, possibly close to the base of a tall tree, shrub or old stump. Use small branches or garden debris to mark the edges, and try adding pebbles to create paths.
Add Diversity
Fairies need small plants like we need trees: for shelter, windbreaks and shade. Adding plants below taller trees and shrubs creates a healthy, multi-layered yard with spaces for fairies to play.
In shady yards, fairies love Northern Maidenhair Fern or Sensitive Fern, native violets, sedges and spring ephemerals, such as Bloodroot. In sunny areas, try Blue-eyed Grass and Nodding Wild Onion for playful green tufts and Prairie Smoke for early spring whimsy. Vines such as Virginia Creeper provide elevated spaces where fairies can hide or visit roosting sparrows or robins.
Observe Closely
Observe regularly for signs of fairy activity, and to ensure plants are thriving. Water new plants until they are established and then during drought conditions, if necessary. Add other features to enhance each season, such as a stick ladder to reach Mayapple fruit, a shallow water dish for midnight fairy swims or small piles of leaf mulch for fairy youth to tumble in.
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EVENTS
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Discover the magic of native plants
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Naturescaping
Find inspiration to start planning your spring garden projects. Discover which native plants thrive in urban spaces, and how they can add colour and beauty to your yard.
Vic Johnston Community Centre
Thursday, May 16, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Register Online
Chris Gibson Recreation Centre
Tuesday, May 28, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
A Fletcher's Creek SNAP Event
Register Online
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Local attendees can sign up for a free tree or shrub at our Naturescaping workshops
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Landscaping for Pollinators
Discover which local, native plants butterflies, bees and other local pollinators love and ways to use them to create beautiful landscapes.
Port Credit Library
Tuesday, June 4, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Register Online
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At Credit Valley Conservation, we create connections between people and nature, knowledge and action. We lead the protection, restoration and enhancement of our local natural environment, and we inspire a deep appreciation for the role of nature in keeping us connected, healthy and happy.
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