A new effort to get Calgarians to be more sustainable when they’re out working in their gardens focuses on watering less and helping the pollinators do more.
People at the Calgary Horticultural Society are putting the finishing touches on a new demonstration garden at their facility in the city’s southwest.
It’s aimed at encouraging people to put in more native plants, which don’t need much watering and also help to attract the all-important pollinators into a yard.
“Wildflowers also attract some very interesting birds, which are valuable to us because they give us more species of animals using the land,” the society’s Kath Smythe said. “The other thing I like about wildflowers is just the varying colours because every day there’s a new discovery that’s flowering and you think: ‘Oh, that’s great!”
The society is also encouraging gardeners to put a ‘bug hotel’ in their yard — a small habitat custom-made to attract insects.
“By planting flowers and greenery (on the bug hotel) we’re giving a place for pollinators to come,” Smythe explained.
“The ladybugs lay their eggs in these,” she said, pointing to the larch cones she’s collected to add to the bug hotel in her yard.
The Calgary Horticultural Society is inviting members of the public to attend the official opening of the new demonstration garden.
The “Be Yard Smart” event is a free event that runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, at the society’s facility in Richmond Green Park in southwest Calgary.
- B.C. introduces legislation recognizing Haida Gwaii Indigenous title
- Whale experts confident B.C. orca calf will survive, find family if rescue plan succeeds
- Plastic production cap still contentious as Ottawa set to host treaty talks
- Chemical plant shuts down after high benzene levels detected near Ontario First Nation
Comments