It was a beautiful morning for stewardship at Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard, and we had our work cut out for us.
After being rained out for a couple of stewardship days, the pollinator garden had been growing vigorously. So much so, that we first got to the garden this morning, it was hard to know where to start.
But with a strong team of volunteers, we soon got to work.
One of our priorities was removing some of the campanula, with its pretty purple flowers.
Campanula is easy to pull, but it spreads enthusiastically, so we need to keep it under control. We also began reopening pathways through the centre of the pollinator garden. Without those paths, it becomes difficult to get inside to weed, thin plants and see what’s actually growing where.
One thing we deliberately left alone was the milkweed. We’ve learned just how important these plants are for monarch butterflies, so we want to make sure they have plenty of habitat. Interestingly, though, we didn’t spot any monarchs today.
That certainly didn’t mean the garden was short on insect life.
Eleanor, our resident insect expert, discovered an impressive collection of visitors, including a bicoloured striped sweat bee, a brown-belted bumble bee, a katydid and an ambush bug. It’s wonderful to see this kind of diversity in the garden because it suggests that our strategy of planting many different types of pollinator-friendly and native plants is working.
And these insects aren’t just interesting to look at. Many help pollinate our fruit trees, while others are predators that can help keep potential fruit-tree pests in check.
Meanwhile, there was plenty happening throughout the orchard.
Our new volunteer Anne tackled the campanula and trimmed back the sage, and proved herself to be an incredibly hard worker. We’re hoping she will join us again.
Sara turned her attention to one of our apple trees, removing vigorous shoots and thinning some crowded growth to improve light and air circulation through the canopy. She did a beautiful job.
Carolyn bravely waded into the pollinator garden, as if she were cutting a path through a jungle. One of her missions was to rescue a spirea that had practically disappeared beneath the surrounding plants. We thinned some of the black-eyed Susans and goldenrod that were crowding other plants. We’re definitely keeping goldenrod in the garden because it is an excellent pollinator plant. We just don’t need it taking over everything else!
Eli focused on removing cherry suckers, while Zeni pitched in wherever work needed to be done.
And what a difference two hours made. We started with a garden that felt both unruly and overwhelming. By the end of stewardship, a number of pathways had reappeared, plants had breathing room again and the whole garden felt more manageable.
One of the things I appreciate most about our stewardship days is seeing how everyone’s knowledge grows over time.
Fruit-tree pruning is a great example. We now have a number of volunteers who have become really confident and have honed this important skill. After looking at a tree, they understand what it needs and are able to prune it into an open, airy shape that encourages tree health and productivity.
The pollinator garden involves another kind of learning. Which plants belong there? Which ones are becoming too dominant? What should we remove, what should we thin and what should we protect? I know it’s taken me years to learn those things. And there’s still more to learn!
But I do see how all of us are developing our knowledge and skills over time, through working in the garden and getting to know it season after season.
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in the park again next time!
Susan Poizner is one of the volunteers for The Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard in Toronto. She is the creator of the fruit tree care education website OrchardPeople.com. Susan is the author of four fruit tree care books including Grow Fruit Trees Fast: A Beginner’s Guide to a Healthy Harvest in Record Time. She is also the host of the Orchard People podcast and an ISA Certified Arborist.