Article and photos by: Bryana Katz
You might have noticed a native plant garden emerging from the Bruyère Hospital’s previously empty raised garden bed off Cathcart Street. This L-shaped garden space needed life and colour. I wanted to create a peaceful place for patients, staff, and community, where all could experience the health benefits and joy of walking in nature. In the gardens, families visit patients, staff rest from their hard work, or do rehab with patients. Recently, I saw a patient walk a bit further to enjoy a harebell’s delicate beauty. The area is a popular pass-through for the neighbourhood, and for friends to stop and chat.
The plants are native to this area from before colonization. Many of the plants we think are native were brought by settlers, for food or medicinal purposes, or as a reminder of their home country. Others were introduced for ornamental gardening, tackling a challenging situation like shade, or for ease of care. Unfortunately, some of these plants are invasive here, choking out native plants, especially in our forests. In this neighbourhood, there is a sea of invasive plants. Goutweed, ditch lilies (orange daylily), creeping bellflower, lily of the valley, creeping Charlie, dog-strangling vine, and periwinkle are common. One creeping bellflower plant produces 15,000 windborne winged seeds. It’s a common misconception that invasive plants can be contained in a garden. Seeds are dispersed by birds, ants, and other wildlife.
Plants and pollinators have co-evolved to be mutually beneficial. A pollinator habitat includes food, shelter, and water throughout the growing season. A butterfly garden has host plants for the caterpillar stage. Songbirds feed caterpillars to their babies . . . a lot of caterpillars. There are two types of monarch butterfly host plants in the Bruyère garden, butterfly milkweed and poke milkweed. A butterfly has stopped by the garden already, to the delight of a patient. Bergamot attracts hummingbirds and hosts the hermit sphinx moth. Pearly everlasting supports the American lady butterfly and goldenrod provides sustenance for over 100 butterfly and moth species. Goldenrod has very heavy pollen, which does not become airborne and cause allergies (that’s ragweed). Five goldenrod varieties will bloom in the garden next fall, including two white-flowered ones.
Stop by the garden and watch it grow and change throughout the seasons. The plants are from Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library (OWSL), grown by me and other gardeners, or from sellers of native plants. OWSL gives away over 200 native plant seed varieties. If you’d like to grow native plants there is a seed giveaway on November 9 at the McNabb Recreation Centre, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Native plants need a natural freeze thaw process, so winter planting outside is ideal, and so easy.
Bryana is a certified pollinator steward and is on the board of the OWSL.
