{"id":742,"date":"2024-11-10T14:30:05","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T14:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cgcasite.info\/?page_id=742"},"modified":"2024-11-10T14:30:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T14:30:07","slug":"gardening-in-the-glen","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cgcasite.info\/?page_id=742","title":{"rendered":"Gardening in the Glen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cardinal Glen has been rightly described as an Oasis of Beautiful Gardens. It not only remains so, but seems to get more beautiful year after year making Dunbarton Court a hidden gem. Just as we offer advice to those who seek it on house maintenance, this page is your source for gardening advice in the neighbourhood. If you have a question, issue or concern, just ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Butterfly Friendly Gardening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All gardens are not created equal. Just ask any butterfly.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Creating\u00a0and restoring\u00a0butterfly habitat offsets\u00a0what\u00a0development, roadside mowing or wetland drainage\u00a0have destroyed. (Gardening pesticide-free helps, too.) Whether you have a small plot in the big city or a few acres, transform your yard into a butterfly garden! Many butterfly species don\u2019t migrate. You can provide habitat and food for their entire life\u00a0cycle \u2014 eggs, larvae, pupae AND adults \u2014 throughout the year. Think beyond providing flowers for nectar in the height of summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you’ll need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Start by identifying a sunny area that\u2019s also somewhat sheltered from the wind. Butterflies rely on sunlight to regulate their temperature and for energy for flying and foraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

01<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Host plants<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Adults need a place to lay eggs where their caterpillars will forage. (Plant species that will get eaten and not just look pretty!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

02<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mud puddles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some butterflies rarely visit flowers. They prefer mud, poop (a.k.a. \u201cscat\u201d or \u201cdung\u201d), sap and rotting fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

03<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overwintering habitat<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Consider not raking leaves to provide a butterfly nursery! Most butterflies in Canada overwinter as caterpillars, others as pupae. A few species winter as adults, hibernating in hollow trees, under bark and firewood piles, or in garden shed cracks and crevices. Few spend winter as eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

04<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blooms from spring through fall<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t limit your garden to an end of July color extravaganza. You\u2019ll need a diversity of native nectar plants to flower over a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

05<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunshine<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Make sure you (or your neighbours) have sunny spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

06<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nectar plants<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most butterflies will feed from more than a few plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about the role of your yard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is it a habitat source (high-quality patch that supports population increases)? Or is it more of an island?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some yards can provide for one butterfly species\u2019 entire life cycle. Some are disconnected from other habitat patches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk around the block and view your neighbourhood through a butterfly\u2019s eyes. Chat with your neighbours and see what they\u2019re planting. Note possible connecting corridors between butterfly-friendly patches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tiger swallowtails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tiger swallowtails choose nectar plants like lilacs or bee balm; nearby willow, alder, aspen or apple trees can host larva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Painted ladies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Painted ladies choose nectar plants like aster, cosmos or zinnia; host plants include lupines, native thistle, mallow or hollyhock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monarch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Monarchs choose nectar plants like milkweed, lilac, goldenrod and cosmos; host plants include the milkweed family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milkweed is crucial \u2014 in fact, the survival of this butterfly depends on its abundance. Once hatched, a monarch caterpillar will munch the plant unceasingly (and exclusively) for nine to 18 days, growing to 2,700 times its newly-hatched size. At that point it forms a light-green chrysalis and hangs upside-down for another nine to 18 days before emerging with a fresh pair of wings. Those eye-catching appendages are also warning signs: adult monarchs store the poison from the milkweed\u2019s white juice in their bodies throughout their lives. It makes them foul-tasting and somewhat toxic to potential predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The milkweeds (plants of the genus Asclepias<\/em>), include common milkweed, butterfly weed and swamp milkweed in Eastern Canada, and showy milkweed and green milkweed in Western Canada. These perennials grow in every Canadian province except for Newfoundland and Labrador. They\u2019re easy to grow from seeds \u2014 mature pods can be collected in the wild in early fall, or seed packets can be purchased at certain gardening centres. Plant in the spring as soon as temperatures reach 15 C or warmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common milkweed, especially, can spread aggressively, so it can be better suited to large plots than small urban spots. Each of the milkweeds requires slightly different conditions to grow, well, like a weed, so bear these differences in mind when planting. Swamp milkweed, as its name implies, loves moister conditions with full sun, which is why it grows along riverbanks. Butterfly weed, conversely, thrives in well-drained, sandy soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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New England aster (Photo: Sarah Coulber\/Canadian Wildlife Federation)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweet, sweet nectar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For their all-liquid diet, adult monarchs, like many butterflies, prefer the nectar of brightly coloured flowers, usually in purples, pinks, yellows and whites (perhaps because butterflies have the widest visual spectrum in the animal kingdom). Monarchs, and other butterflies, will flock to gardens with an array of blooms, especially if those blooms have been clustered together to draw attention to the plants. Plant species strategically so the patch is full of flowers throughout the entire growing season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the monarch\u2019s favourite blossoms are Canadian goldenrod (not to be confused with ragweed, which is the real allergy-culprit), wild bergamot, New England aster, black-eyed Susan, common yarrow and boneset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other tricks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cin general,\u201d says Coulber, \u201cmaintain your property in an earth-friendly manner, in part by avoiding the use of harsh chemicals and mirroring nature instead.\u201d And a few simple elements can be added to a butterfly garden that will support both local and migratory butterflies, and will improve the likelihood that a large number of monarchs will visit and lay their eggs in your garden:<\/p>\n\n\n\n