Events

Plant Sale: Featured Plants

Our members have been hard at work growing and dividing plants for our upcoming sale. Did you know that our work starts almost a year before each sale when we begin winter sowing seeds? With a strong emphasis on native species to help support pollinators and biodiversity, we share some of our favourites that you can find available on September 13.

Ontario has 11 species of native milkweeds and 3 of them - common, swamp, and butterfly - are utilized by endangered monarch butterflies in addition to many other pollinators. Here, Jennifer Deeks briefly profiles the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). Both the native pink version and the ‘Ice Ballet’ white nativar will be available for purchase.

Goldenrods are frequently blamed for causing allergies, but their only crime blooming at the same time as the much more allergenic ragweed and for being so darn showy! They are actually insect-pollinated, which means that their pollen is heavy and not carried on the wind. Ontario also has more than 20 goldenrod species of various heights, growing habits, and soil and light requirements. There is even an upland WHITE goldenrod.

Asters boast even more variety with somewhere north of 30 varieties that cover all sorts of habitats from deep woodland through open fields.