“Informed Choices and Sources”
These are from Conservation Halton’s workshop May 13, 2023: Designing your native plant garden
Plants are native to a place: the concept of “native”
“Is it native?” Blog post on Halton Master Gardeners site: https://haltonmastergardeners.com/2021/05/07/is-it-native/
“Why native plants?” https://haltonmastergardeners.com/2020/07/26/why-native-plants/
Lists of native plants:
* Michael Oldham’s “List of the Vascular Plants of Ontario’s Carolinian Zone”
* VASCAN (Database of Vascular Plants of Canada)
https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/*
* BONAP (Biota of North America Program database) good for finding native ranges outside of Ontario http://bonap.net/NAPA
*USDA range maps: https://plants.usda.gov/home
Where to buy native plants GTA / GHA region
www.onplants.ca mail order. Pickup for larger orders. Good availability. 4” pots. Shipped from Flamborough.
Kayanase Greenhouse, Oshweken, near Brantford (shopping / regular retail)
Origin Native Plants Online order, pick up in Guelph
Prairie Song Native Plants. Facebook presence only. Near St. Williams. Visit by appt.
Seedbox Wild Plants Near Simcoe, online orders, pickup in St. Catharines
Native Plant Source, Breslau, near Waterloo
Bee Sweet Nature, in Puslinch
Native Plants in Claremont (north of Pickering) (shopping / regular retail)
“In the Zone” label, sold by major grocery store chain(s), supplied under contract to several native plant specialist growers
Local enviro group / garden club / native plant enthusiast
Interactive Map of Native Plant nurseries in SW Ontario
https://haltonmastergardeners.com/2022/03/28/native-plants-nurseries-in-ontario/
link to map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1dHiK77VTR2EKZXbXoKdTctGGZDVvPqeJ&ehbc=2
Researching plant species
Forest Gene Conservation Association https://fgca.net/
Network of Nature (former Evergreen / CanPlant database) https://networkofnature.org/
Cdn. Wildlife Fund Native Plant Encyclopedia https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/native-plant-encyclopedia/
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center / Texas A&M: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (use “advanced search”) https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderSearch.aspx
Tools for DIY garden designers
GIS mapping systems: City of Hamilton City of Burlington
Google Earth https://www.google.ca/earth/
Plant Diversity planner (opens files from this site): as png / image file as spreadsheet / .xls file
“Dream Garden” questionnaire (opens pdf from this site)
Shade calculators: www.findmyshadow.com and suncalc.net
Free, open source office software suite: LibreOffice LibreOffice.org
Online Planting Plans / Sample Designs / Garden Templates
Don’t follow these blindly! Always research the suggested plants.
* City of Guelph
https://guelph.ca/living/house-and-home/lawn-and-garden/sample-garden-designs/native-gardens/#native-garden-design%e2%80%94full-sun
* Grow Native! (Missouri, but many species are native here too) https://grownative.org/learn/native-landscape-plans/
* Native Plants for the Small Yard (Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Pennsylvania) https://lgnc.org/project/native-plants-for-the-small-yard/
Invasive Jumping Worms
All gardeners need to know about the second wave
https://canadainvasives.ca/jumping-worms/
Facebook group for support & information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1005215093563213
Plant sales: advice for donating / organizing / buying https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Extension-Community-Horticulture/Guidelines_for_Plant_Sales_to_Avoid_Jumping_Worms.pdf