Community Engagement

Hi there, green beans,

Sadly, this will be my last chat with you. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have shared bits and pieces of information that I have learned about how to be a better steward of our environment. Before I go - I want to share a few tips about getting your garden ready for the summer. It’s all about attracting pollinators. I mean, New Glasgow is a Bee City!

I’m going to start this spring with planting purple coneflowers – apparently, they are easy to grow in almost any soil, and your yard will be overrun with butterflies and bees. How great would that be.

Allium attracts bees and butterflies, and I read that it is considered to be an absolute pollinator magnet! They start showing their rosy purple flowers beginning in midsummer, and they are a great addition to flower arrangements. And the bonus is that it is an onion-scented flower, deer and rabbits typically avoid them.

Bring some smiles to your garden and attract butterflies and songbirds with sunflowers. They do prefer heavy soils, even clay, and like consistent moisture in the early days. Be sure to plant lots of them to add to your vases.  

Add russian sage; they will bloom all season and will keep pollinators well-fed before they make their departure. It starts to bloom in midsummer but continues into fall, providing bees and hummingbirds with food for several months.

And definitely I will plant lavender. Bees and butterflies enjoy lavender because their beautiful violet purple flowers are an easy colour for bees to spot. And their sweet perfume plays a big role in attracting pollinators, as well.

Everything you need to know about gardening is available online or at garden clubs. I’m going to try these at the back of my yard where the soil isn’t the greatest and hopefully in July, I will have lovely blooms and lots of pollinators.  I am hoping to sit on my deck and enjoy bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all summer.

And if you haven’t already, check out the Climate Quest exhibit at the Museum of Industry. It’s on until June 22^nd and it is very worthwhile and kids love it.

And my final words from a great lady ….

"It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change." —Queen Elizabeth II