Homegrown National Park Event @ Fort York on June 26!

On Wednesday, June 26 the David Suzuki Foundation, along with several partners including Fort York National Historic Site and Toronto and Region Conservation, will be holding a Homegrown National Park event at Fort York. Admission is free and the event will run, rain or shine, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

At 7:00 PM we will be presenting the Gardening with Native Plants workshop in the Blue Bunker. Visit trcastewardshipevents.ca to register. We'll have great resources, door prizes, and local, native tallgrass prairie seeds to help start your garden.

Throughout the event there will be food trucks, local beer, and a campfire. Also, the Community Canoe container garden sponsored by the North American Native Plant Society will be unveiled. This project encourages residents to plant native plants for pollinator habitat throughout the Homegrown National Park.

At 9:00 PM there will be an outdoor screening (bring your own blankets to sit on) of the Lost Rivers documentary featuring the lost Garrison Creek, which flows underground past Fort York, and forms the backbone for the Homegrown National Park.

Visit the facebook event page to see more details about this event.

Looking Back.

This weekend I will be attending my first board of director's planning retreat for the North American Native Plant Society (NANPS). The retreat is held every June to ensure that we are collectively guiding NANPS down the right path and remaining dedicated to the study, conservation, cultivation, and restoration of North America's Native Flora. I am really looking forward to learning more about the society and getting to know my counterparts a little better.

In order to prepare for the retreat, I have been reading everything I can find about the society. I may have mentioned before that I have been following the work of NANPS for several years now; throughout most of my education and career. Tonight I've been reading Silver Memories - A Personal History Dedicated to the Society on its 25th Anniversary by Jim French, one of the founders and the honourary president of NANPS. This document has many interesting stories about NANPS over the years and I have certainly gained some insight into the great work of the NANPS volunteers since 1985. I really like the part about how Sir David Attenborough became the Honourary Patron of NANPS.

 

Over the years, I've been involved with a few different not-for-profit groups and organizations. I am always so interested in the history of these groups and learning about the people who came before me. It's important to be able to understand how groups have evolved and how decisions have been made over the years so that the current board of directors and members at large can stay true to the path and keep the momentum moving forward.

There's a lot to learn and I am very excited to see where this new endeavour takes me.

Ever Onward.

A Homegrown National Park.

The first? Homegrown National Park is gaining momentum in the west end of Toronto. The park is forming around one of the lost rivers, the Garrison Creek. It's growing out of community involvement, clever projects, and native plants for pollintators. There is so much to learn, see, and do in this city and I am so excited to be involved with this project.

Today I read a fantastic blog post about some of the history of this project and where it's heading. There are also many links included to learn more about this type of project. I've been following closely and I can't wait to see what happens next.

On June 26, from 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM the Homegrown National Park crew is hosting an event at Fort York. It'll start with my Creating a Beautiful Garden with Native Plants workshop then there will be food trucks, local beer, campfires, the unveiling of the North American Native Plant Society sponsered Community Canoe, and an outdoor screeing of the Lost Rivers documentary.

Much more to come about this project! O yeah, and the Star covered the story too.

Happy 25th, TMG!

Tonight I attended the 25th anniversary celebrations for the Toronto Master Gardeners (TMG). The event was held at one of my favourite places, just down the street, the Toronto Botanical Gardens. The weather was perfect tonight for a garden party.

 

This accomplishment, 25 years of great work in Toronto, was recognized by Premier Wynne.

TMG provides all sorts of support and resources for people interested in gardening. They are part of an international network of gardeners. They give talks, answer questions, and lead inspirational tours of local gardens. I always find great advice in the tips section of their website. If you have a question about gardening, you can just submit it online and they will provide the answer. TMG encourages all types of gardening: vegetable gardening, container gardening, gardening with native plants, and horticulture, just to name a few. Sometimes advice is directed at a specific type of gardening, but much of it is general and applies to all types of gardening. Just make sure that you do your research to understand which species are native and which ones are not if this is important to you and your garden.

A usual, I met a lot of interesting people, had some great conversations, and I came home from this event feeling completely inspired. I'm really glad that I am finding my way into this community in Toronto.