Bats
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Look up to see our bat boxes along Indian Creek Trail across from the Sherwood Community Centre, and at the ICCM. The Toronto Zoo has some interesting reading about bats.
Bees
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Our latest insect friendly garden is along Roper Drive in Milton. It recently became an official part of The Butterfly Way, Initiated by the Suzuki Foundation, “The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement growing highways of habitat for bees and butterflies across Canada.” Come check it out!
Trees
If you have a native plant sapling and are wondering where to plant it and what it will look like then look no farther. We have some handy links below but if you are still unsure about what to do feel free to contact us.
Here is a quick rule: plant trees, bushes and bulbs in the fall, everything else in the spring. (Though perennials planted in the fall often do well.)
The first thing is to do some research. Use websites like bplant.org or treecanada.ca to learn about your tree. Does it like sun? How wide and tall will it grow? How do I feed a sapling? How do I prune a young tree so that it grows straight and healthy?
Generally make your hole bigger than the pot and slightly shallower than the soil in the pot. Soak the pot and the hole then gently pull the tree out by the stem. Put the tree and root ball in your hole and back fill gently tamping down the soil. Water daily (not a soak but enough to maintain transpiration) until the leaves fall off (remember it is the autumn and leaves will turn and fall off soon). In the spring and especially the first summer make sure your sapling gets a good soak at least once a week. If you use mulch, keep it away from the trunk. Mulch should resemble a donut around the trunk, not a volcano up against the trunk. Follow recommended feeding and pruning advice from your research.
Some native trees we have been encouraged to plant are:
RedBud
Choke Cherry
Pagoda Dogwood
White Ash
Harold says “Make sure your tree stock is sourced locally. Garden centre trees often come from different climate zones and will not thrive as well as local stock.”