Grand Erie Master Gardeners

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

Despite the wind, this bee is able to gather pollen and drink nectar from this Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata). Did you know that there are 13 native varieties of milkweed in Ontario? Poke Milkweed grows well in moist shady conditions at the edge of woodlands or in your garden in dappled sunlight. The plant pictured here is planted under the canopy of a native Tulip Tree by a house.

06/18/2026

06/17/2026

Our native Tulip Trees (Liriodendron tulipifera)are in bloom! One can see by the flowers where the common name comes from, although it is also known as Yellow Poplar or Tulip Poplar. This is a large, fast-growing tree in the Magnolia family and is the host plant to a number of native insects including the magnificent Tuliptree Silkmoth.

06/16/2026

These Flowering Onions or Ornamental Alliums provide a look of fairy tale whimsy to the garden at this time of year. This variety may be Star of Persia (Allium christophii), which is native to Iran, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

06/15/2026

Congratulations to Liz Hopkins and Georgia McCormick on completing all of the requirements to become Master Gardeners! The Grand Erie Master Gardeners are very fortunate to have you on our team!

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

The Grand Erie Master Gardeners completed another successful workshop today. This was the second of our free “Back to Basics” series entitled “The Best Laid Garden Plans”. From left to right: Master Gardeners Kim Hutten, Georgia McCormick, Lynne Goulet-Smith, Laura Rodger and Liz Hopkins.

06/14/2026

Invasive plants are for sale at many garden centers in Ontario. This is Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) which is native to Europe and Western Asia. It is invasive here in North America where it escapes from pretty garden baskets, often reverts to its original green form, and ends up in native areas like Ruthven Park, pushing out beneficial native plants. Please check out CCIPR.ca, an organization created by Master Gardeners to try to improve the regulation of sale of invasive plants to unsuspecting consumers.

06/13/2026