A GROWING INTEREST
Don Budd sets up his kiosk for the Botanical Garden Great Gardening event. While the fun lasts all weekend, admission today is free. Darya Marchenkova has the details.
The Botanical Garden hosts its annual Great Gardening Weekend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The event features 65 exhibitors — many selling plants — and a speaker series. Whether you’re working with abundant backyard space or a balcony, here are six reasons to go.
ADMISSION IS FREE ON FRIDAY
Last year, 15,000 people visited the Botanical Garden on the Great Gardening Weekend’s free day. That’s three times more than an average day, so arrive early or between 3 and 5 p.m. to try to avoid the crowds.
FREE TREE AND ADVICE ON HELPING IT GROW
The Frédéric Back Tree Pavilion will distribute free tree seedlings belonging to six different species. Bring all the information you have about the plot of land where you want to plant your tree: details like how much sunshine it will get and its distance from buildings. Botanical Garden staff will match you with the right tree for your conditions. The trees measure about one-and-a-half metres high, small enough to take home on the métro.
BEES ARE IN TROUBLE AND GARDENERS CAN HELP
The theme of this year’s Great Gardening Weekend is “A garden for pollinators,” a family that includes bees, wasps, moths and even bats. Bees are in worldwide decline, and having a rough spring in Canada. Botanical Garden scientist Simon Joly said that urban bees are more resilient because of the varied habitats and food sources that cities offer.
“But that doesn’t mean we should not make additional efforts to promote pollinators, especially native ones,” Joly said.
“You can do this from the smallest act of putting out a planter to something quite a bit larger, like installing your very own garden,” said Meagan Hanna, who supervises the collections in the Botanical Garden’s greenhouses. Three
speakers this weekend will hone in on bees, including biologist Virginie Michaud in her presentation “Save the bees: yes, but how?” on Friday at 3 p.m.
GET INSPIRED TO LAUNCH A SUMMER PROJECT
If you’re looking to add some structure to your gardening, check out the Botanical Garden’s My Space for Life Garden program.
Start by choosing whether you want to attract birds, observe monarch butterflies, nourish native plants or yield edible treats for you and whatever wildlife roams in your neighbourhood.
The Botanical Garden then sends regular emails with cultivation tips and even issues certificates “for your efforts to protect biodiversity.” You can sign up for the program anytime online, but at the Green Gardening Weekend, you’ll also speak with experts catering to the specific type of garden you want to create.
GARDEN WITH RESPECT FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT
Grow micro-sprouts and edible flowers. Start your own compost squirming with worms.
Experiment with LED lighting for plants. Learn about all these methods and more in a series of presentations by gardening experts. All workshops will be held in French only.
IT’S PEAK LILAC SEASON
The Botanical Garden has about 400 lilac bushes and 20 different lilac species, and late May is their peak. Head to the Flowery Brook to find them.