Category Archives: Stewardship

First Blooms

Purple Coneflower Uncovered

It’s taken over 200 volunteer hours and we’ve finally weeded the perennial bed in Ben Nobleman Park. Under the thistle, almost choked by the quackgrass and hidden by the overgrown junipers, we uncovered some lovely purple coneflowers, a lovely drought resistant native plant. In the last two weeks our noble volunteers have also replanted the bed with beautiful new plant material some of it is already blooming…

Perky Sunflowers

Most of the new material came from nurseries. But the perky sunflowers were donated by volunteer Debra Anthony, a passionate plantswoman who grows everything from seed. So when this little beauty makes you smile, you have Debra to thank for that.

In the new planting we also have a variety of daylillies. The first to bloom was Hemerocalis Flamenco Queen. Over the years these hardy drought-resistant plants will multiply until we have a strong mass of flowers to admire on a hot summer day.

Hemerocalis "Flamenco Queen"What’s next? Well, we continue to mulch the bed with cedar mulch to help retain the moisture and to keep the weeds in the bed at bay. And now, back to the fruit trees! We will weed around the pear and plum trees this Saturday starting from 8am. Come join us!

Recognize this bed?

So, do you recognize this bed?  This is what the Ben Nobleman Park perennial bed looks like after about 180 volunteer hours of research, redesign, weeding, weeding, weeding and planting together with hundreds of dollars worth of new plant material generously paid for by a Walmart Evergreen grant, a Fiskars Orange Thumb Grant,  and herbs including lavender, sage, tarragon and thyme generously donated by Richters Herbs. A total of more than 20 amazing volunteers (plus the morale building contributions of Rocco the dog and Alice the Baby) helped to make this transformation possible. And while this weekend’s work – in the pouring rain part of the time – got us over the biggest hump, we still have lots to do. Next sunday we’ll be finishing the weeding around the stone edge of the bed and planting the edging materials from Richters Herbs and then we’ll meet regularly on Thursdays and Sundays to maintain and irrigate the bed and our orchard trees to keep the park looking beautiful. Come and join us! All are welcome. To keep up to date on stewardship days, keep an eye on our calendar on the webpage. THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

The bed after 180 volunteer hours to renovate

The bed after 180 volunteer hours to renovate

The Perennial Bed Before Renovation

The Perennial Bed Before Renovation

Just a few of the wonderful, crazy volunteers who helped make it happen

Just a few of the wonderful, crazy volunteers who helped make it happen

Perennial Bed Renovation Part 2

Our Big Dig this week started with a bang! Just before 10 am, while we gathered in Ben Nobleman Park, there was a collision on Eglinton that involved a number of vehicles. It seems no one was hurt and the cars and the local police from 13 division parked along Strathearn while they sorted it all out. For those involved in the accident, the 11 volunteers (all female this week) provided a relaxing way for those involved in the accident to pass the time. They could watch the show as we continued to dig out the weeds and turn the soil in the perennial bed to prepare it for planting. Despite the forecast, which predicted rain and thundershowers, the day was humid but mostly dry. And after the event we gathered at our harvest table to enjoy a feast including locally-baked bread and Ontario sheep cheese, followed by local cherries and strawberries and cream (also local). Thanks to Katie for picking up the food at this morning’s market at Wychwood Barns and to all the others who brought their offerings (egg sandwiches, locally-grown beet salad, etc.). We’ll be back in the park tomorrow at 9 a.m. for another two of hours and then again this Thursday at 5.30 p.m. when we hope we’ll be able to start planting. Or we’ll keep prepping…we’ll see…

This week's stewardship event started with a bang - literally

This week's stewardship event started with a bang - literally

Girl Power: This week we were an all female team