Garden Route Therapy

A short segment, part of the Living in Toronto series, aired on CBC television yesterday about Evergreen at the Brick Works, with a focus on volunteers. I had the chance to be interviewed for the program, along with Executive Director Geoff Cape. You can view the piece online and add comments to the [...]

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At a recent community workshop about plants, where we went on a walkabout, the presenter pointed out to the group and then removed the much dreaded invasive species Dog Strangling Vine. She discussed how this invasive is threatening native woodland species and how it can be removed by cutting the vines at the base [...]

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I had some time to pass in the neighborhood of the bus terminal and ended up mindlessly browsing the clothing shops at the Eaton Centre. I noticed that store after store carried large displays of cheap t-shirts with socially conscious messages, especially ones about the environment. I found myself desiring a “PLANT A [...]

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I was first introduced to the Cup plant, by a friend, during a walk around the Brickworks. I was intrigued by the way in which this plant’s large leaves fuse together at the bases to form a “cup” of sorts. These miniature green receptacles collect rainwater and dew, providing a drink for small [...]

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Martin Mittelstaedt reports from the Globe & Mail (August 13th, 2007) on the arrival of foreign species in the Great Lakes, at the alarming rate of “about 180 at last count and rising by a new one on average every 28 weeks” (A8). 75 percent of exotic species are brought into the area by [...]

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For tonight’s Community Stewardship at the Nordheimer Ravine our attention was focused on a shady patch of forest taken over by Dog Strangling Vine (Black Swallow-wort), an invasive species that likes to take over a site. On some of the vines, seedpods had already started to appear making removal more urgent. [...]

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We started off our weekly community stewardship by spending ten minutes monitoring for pollinator activity. We chose to stand-by and observe a patch of Purple Flowering Raspberry. At the start the group seemed skeptical we would be able to see anything but within seconds of setting the timer we saw a hairy bumble [...]

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Yesterday I participated in an Evergreen celebration at the Don Valley Brickworks for volunteers involved with the Native Plant Nursery and the Farmers’ Market. A beautiful lunch was prepared for us with a bunch of wild flowers displayed on the picnic table and fresh food from the market served, including my favorites elk burgers [...]

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Mountain Equipment Co-op green roof
In the spring, at the end of May, I had the opportunity to spend the morning riding my bike around town specifically to check-out sites with green roofs and/or roof gardens as part of the Doors Open Toronto event. My tour included Mountain Equipment Co-op, 401 Richmond, the Robertson Building [...]

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