Guest blog by Kathleen Davies, garden team member

Hope

It seems that every year at St. Cuthbert’s Leaside Anglican Church a new garden “springs up.”  As we began a second planting season under Covid restrictions, our gardening team needed a little inspiration. Motivated by Communities in Bloom Canada’s pronouncement that YELLOW is the garden colour of 2021, we created a HOPE planter.   It joyfully sits on St. Cuthbert’s front steps for all the community to see.  Our message of HOPE inspired more than our own gardeners…photos of our planter have been shared online and in community news!

This year, we created an expansive pollinator garden on the south-west corner of our large property.  This is a significant addition to our ever-expanding vegetable gardens, small pollinator garden and tiny patch of milkweed. 

In 2020, we learned that “social-distanced gardening” provides a coveted opportunity for sunshine, exercise and fellowship.  As folks heard our joyful stories, our numbers “blossomed.”  Community and parish participants of all ages and abilities contributed to establish and maintain our vital gardens.  It has become a true community effort!

A few of our community volunteers

We have already observed a notable increase in “tiny visitors!” 

Working bee

Monarch on Phlox

Black Swallowtail

We are grateful to all who have contributed, in particular, TD Friends of the Environmental Foundation and Scotts Canada, through the extraordinary efforts of Donna Lang of Faith & the Common Good. This support enabled us to purchase seeds, plants, manure and more, thereby creating a fresh fertile  base for our pollinator-friendly plants. 

We  are confident that our gardens will continue to make a significant contribution to the welfare and rejuvenation of our precious pollinators. 

Sign of the times