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DonatePublished on April 25, 2024
April showers bring May flowers, and in honour of Native Plant Day, we’re gearing up for a month of celebrating sustainable gardening and the sheer joy of getting our hands dirty in the soil.
Urban gardening plays a crucial role in supporting biodiversity in cities. Planting and growing native plant species is not just a hobby, but a vital contribution to our urban ecosystems. This May, we’ve got all you need to either get started or take your sustainable gardening to the next level.
After a long winter, it’s time to soak up the sun again! Our Farmers Market returns outdoors from 8am – 1pm starting Saturday, May 4 – and Star Wars fans should look out for a special visitor at the market that day. Why not hit the trails and admire the blooming foliage in the Don Valley after picking up some fresh produce?
For those of us without a green thumb, our farmers have you covered with spring crops including wild leeks, fiddleheads, nettle and rhubarb. Want to get a head start on growing your own veggies? Some of our farmers will also have seedlings for sale!
Did you know that 1 out of every 3 bites of food we take worldwide involves pollination? Plants depend on pollination to produce fruits, nuts and seeds. To help support the declining population of important pollinators like bees, it’s important to provide them with habitat and food sources by growing native plants.
Transform your garden into a pollinator paradise with Ontario-native plants from the Evergreen Garden Market! Here you’ll find a wide variety of Ontario-native plants, including Wild Bergamont, Pearly Everlasting, Dense Blazing Star, Foam Flower, Swamp Milkweed, Golden Alexander, and much more.
These plants provide many benefits to our ecosystems such as supporting pollinators and wildlife, promoting local biodiversity and reducing water usage.
New to native plant gardening? We have resources to guide you like A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat Gardens for Native Pollinators by Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla.
Celebrate Native Plant Day with gardening workshops, tours and more
Join us at the Brick Works on Saturday, May 11 for a full day of workshops and activities that celebrate native plants!
Crooked Farmz Workshop: Growing a Healthy Garden with the Power of Compost Tea
In this introductory drop-in workshop with Sean Smith from Crooked Farmz, we’ll learn about the wonderful world of soil microbiomes and how ‘compost tea’ can boost the vitality of your garden.
Plant a Native Seed with Perma-stake
Perma-stakes are sleek, rustproof and eco-friendly stakes that gardeners can use to write botanical plant names or gardening notes. Workshop attendees will get a free seed planting and their own Perma-stake to customize!
Native Plant Tours
Hosted by the gardeners at Evergreen Brick Works, these tours will highlight the many native plant species we have on site. We can accommodate 20 people per tour on a first-come, first-served basis.
Native Plant & Pollinators Information Booth
Pick up some native plant resources from experts at the City of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department!
Learn more about the special activities going on for Native Plant Day here.
Calling all little green thumbs — join us in the Children’s Garden for Weekend Nature Play! This May we’ve got some hands-on fun planned, including making clay native seed balls. It’s the perfect way to spark a love for gardening and nature in your kids and help grow more native plants in your community.
Dates:
Location: The Children’s Garden
Time: 9am – 3pm
Take our free Shuttle Bus from Broadview Station or hop on the TTC 28 bus from Davisville Station. And if you’re feeling adventurous, why not bike along one of the ravine trails? Paid parking is also available, but spaces are limited. Learn more about planning your visit here.
