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Planning Your Garden
Spring has Sprung! If you are a gardener or hoping to get into gardening, this time of year means it is time to start planning your garden space! This year, the District is challenging residents of Muskoka to plant only native plants and focus on plants that attract and support pollinators. For a complete list of zone appropriate native plants suitable for the Muskoka area, check out the Watersheds Canada – Plant Database for Zone 5b.
Pollinators are in trouble! Thousands of pollinator species in Ontario are being negatively affected by several factors including habitat loss due to development, increasing extreme weather events due to climate change, pesticide/herbicide use as well as parasites, predation, and disease. As citizens of Muskoka, we must help protect our beautiful and biodiverse backyards by following these two steps:
- Plant only native plants in your gardens. Check out the Best for the Biosphere: Native Plant List by the Georgian Bay Biosphere to learn about many of Muskoka’s native plants.
- No pesticides/insecticides/herbicides. Ensure plants are not treated with any of these chemicals, especially Neonicotinoids.
Watersheds Canada – The Natural Edge Program, offered by the Muskoka Watershed Council, is perfect for waterfront property owners hoping to re-naturalize their shoreline. Check out the Shoreline Re-Naturalization Starter Kit that includes a free site visit resulting in a customized native plant plan including 50 native plants with all required planting material as well as a plant care guide to support the success of the naturalization.
Together we can work towards a beautiful, biodiverse Muskoka!
Resources:
https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/plant-database/
https://www.gbbr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Best-for-the-Biosphere-Plant-List.pdf
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