Darlene Pearson
Those who attended the third Coffee House on Sustainability at the Glebe Centre on March 24 came away with many helpful suggestions on gardening with native plants and trees, and ways to divert stormwater into practical use.
Tara Beauchamp, founder of Garden Releaf, talked about “ecological design”, an approach to gardening in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way. It promotes using native plants that have co-evolved in our region alongside insects, birds and mammals.
Some native plants nourish specific insects that have a limited diet and survive in a narrow range of environmental conditions. For example, milkweed is essential to the survival of the monarch butterfly. Planting native species has other benefits: they provide habitat corridors for birds and insects, are drought-tolerant and adaptable, and require little maintenance.
Beauchamp’s photos of colourful and aesthetically pleasing plants in her slide presentation went a long way to dispel the myth that native plants are messy and unkempt.
She encouraged the use of naturally occurring plants rather than plant “cultivars” which are a product of controlled breeding. To learn which are native to the Ottawa region, she recommended using the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada which can be found at: http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search
And for those of us wedded to our cultivars, she advised setting a reasonable goal of 70 percent native plants, and enjoying non-aggressive favourite cultivars until they can be replaced at the end of their life cycle.
Handling intense rainfall
Connor Renouf from Rain Ready Ottawa spoke about stormwater issues, and his organization’s practical solutions, ranging from downspout redirection to rain gardens to permeable pavements.
Ottawa residents have certainly experienced the results of intense rainfall causing flooding when it overwhelms our stormwater systems. In addition to direct property impacts, Renouf also pointed out that stormwater in older Ottawa areas can disperse untreated water into the watershed, polluting our waterways.
Rain gardens – ideally planted with hardy native perennials – have loose, well-draining soils designed to promote the infiltration of rainwater into the ground. Handouts on rain garden design and suggested plants were available.
Driveways are often the largest impermeable surface on properties in Centretown. Options for their replacement include gravel stabilized with structural plastic (see the Red Apron parking lot on Gladstone Avenue), permeable interlocking concrete pavers, and pervious asphalts. The Rain Ready site has a link to certified professionals to help choose the best option for individual situations. Go to ottawa.ca/rain for more information.
Where to get native trees
Owen Clarkin, who introduced himself as a tree educator, activist and troubadour, encouraged the audience to learn more about trees native to the Ottawa-Gatineau region and to plant native trees and shrubs.
He pointed out that a majority of our native tree species are threatened and that we are rapidly losing natural forest, all before we fully understand the interconnectedness of forest plants and trees so important to biodiversity. Ottawa has recently witnessed the massive clear cutting for the Tewin development and the loss of trees at Hunt Club on airport lands.
Clarkin is a big fan of little-known native species and showcased many of them in his presentation, including Red Spruce, Swamp White Oak, Rock Elm, Slippery Elm, and Black Maple. He also mentioned the overlooked Pin Cherry, a small tree with flowers, red bark, and fruit, that can be suitable for planting in small urban places.
These native trees can be hard to find in local nurseries, which often stock cultivars and non-native species. Public demand may change this situation, but if residents can’t wait, Clarkin suggested growing trees from seed (see Growing Trees from Seed by Henry Kock).
He advised avoiding problematic invasive species such as Japanese Tree Lilac, Burning Bush, Japanese Yew, and Japanese Barberry.
The many people who attended had lots of opportunity to ask questions of the presenters and of the many knowledgeable neighbours who had actually put into practice many of the ideas introduced by the speakers – just in time for planning garden and yard makeovers for the spring season.