We started rewilding this space in 2017.Some mulch, time, and many meetings later (plus 100s of volunteer hours) and now we have the vibrant, blooming Pollinator Path Garden!
Welcome to the Garden!HorseradishSpring WeedingBlue CornflowerWe always have a barrel of fun!Native species for pollinators!
JUNE 2023 NEWS
We’re starting a tree nursery. If you have a baby tree or a small shrub to donate, let us know. Email us at legsetobicoke@gmail.com
MAY 2023 NEWS
We’ve been super busy this month, cleaning up the garden, and getting ready for a soil delivery to really help our pollinator habitat grow!
At the end of April, we did a preliminary clean up to prune some of the damaged branches on our fruit trees and smaller shrubs, clear the space of garbage, and make sure the pollinators still had ground cover and some stalk cover to stay safe and warm until the temperature rose.
Spring Clean up in the Pollinator Path Garden! You know you want to join us – sign up here
Spring Clean up means saving the pollinator garden debris
Last week, Monika added some fruit and veg to the the southern edge of the garden. We love mixing flowers and produce – and the pollinators love it too! What did she plant?
Echinacea
Strawberries
Kale
Basil
Tomatoes
Hens & chicks
Zinnias
Marigolds
Callaloo
Zucchini
Monika planting strawberries in the Pollinator Path Garden
Over the long weekend, Dorota and Julie weeded the space, in anticipation of the soil delivery later this week. They pruned a severely damaged mulberry tree, and removed thistle and bindweed. Julie also prepped a few areas for all the baby milkweed (swamp, butterfly and common) to grow happily as well as the other native species she picked up at the GreenUP Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery in Peterborough, Ontario!
Cleaning up the garden paths and mulch ways for pollinators big and small
WeedingBaby MilkweedGathering materials for our bee nesting areaAll the Native Plants at GreenUP Ecology ParkPruningSpicebush!
Mariola is busy refinishing the garden signs, so we are ready for JUNE and the Longbranch Garden Tour!
Showing a little wearComing back to life!
A great big thank you to Mariola, our carpenter/painter/designer extraordinaire who makes our natural wooden signs for the pollinator garden.
APRIL 2023 NEWS
LEGS was one of 44 community groups to receive a PollinateTO grant this year! Much thanks to the City of Toronto for supporting pollinators and biodiversity in this great city!
OUR GOALS FOR THE POLLINATOR GARDEN PATHWAYS:
1. Expand the Pollinator Habitat
Add more plants, shrubs and trees with diverse pollen and nectar sources to support pollinators.
Add a safe nesting area for ground-nesting pollinators / native bees.
Add water area for pollinators.
2. Develop Educational Programming
3 members are certifying as Pollinator Garden Stewards with Pollinator Partnership Canada to learn how to maintain the Pollinator Path and be ready to run education tours in the summer and fall.
We will also run seed collection, planting, and native species growing workshops throughout the year.
3. Create a self-guided tour
We will create and install 8 – 10 ‘waystation’ signs. Each will focus on one native species, indicate which pollinators it attracts, and have one fun “Did you know?” fact. Potential plants include: Goldenrod, Common Milkweed, Serviceberry, etc.
We will develop an interactive Pollinator Path map on the LEGS website for those who want to access more detailed information online.
