By Sheila Laurin

The meeting started off with a presentation by Jennifer Nantais, a program specialist with Carolinian Canada about “In the Zone” ITZ Gardens that Help Wildlife Thrive.  The aim is to grow Canada’s biggest wildlife garden network from Windsor to Toronto. The scientific reasons for growing native plant habitats are numerous.  A diverse landscape attracts bees, butterflies, moths, birds, rabbits and more. The In the Zone program has lots of information about ways to get started, and track your progress. The website link is here::  | Carolinian Canada.

Kiera McManus, an intern, introduced the guest panel of gardeners and asked them some questions.  The panel included: Brenda Taggart, Karla Comartin and Lorraine Chambers.  Each native plant gardener explained how they got started, and where they are now in their fascinating gardening journey.  They also expressed some of their challenges, future plans and tips for other gardeners.  

A couple ideas mentioned during the meeting to stay inspired are: There are several Facebook groups on this subject,  for example, Windsor-Essex Native Plant Gardening There are some good books on this topic, such as the latest one from Rick Gray & Shaun Booth “Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants of the Southern Great Lakes Region”  Winter time is ideal for winter sowing and formulating plans for springtime.

By Jennifer Nantais:

The August monthly meeting featured a panel of native plant gardeners who shared unique insights into their experiences growing native plants at home. They highlighted how native plant gardening varies depending on location, lifestyle, and priorities creating habitat at home. Each panelist recounted their unique journey into native plant gardening, including inspirations and invaluable resources that guided them along the way.

We extend our sincere appreciation to our panelists Brenda Taggart, Karla Comartin, and Lorraine Chambers for generously sharing their time and experience with us.

The meeting also hosted a native plant swap where native plant lovers shared plants from their gardens, accompanied by personalized care sheets providing background information and maintenance instructions.

At this meeting, there was interest in establishing a native plant sub-committee, with several attendees expressing readiness to join. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please let us know. We will soon meet to discuss the committee’s focus areas which could include advocacy, guest speakers, resource dissemination, and future plant exchanges.