Flowers, Ferns, Grasses, Vines, Shrubs, Trees Sep 22, 2020

ONTARIO’S NATIVE PLANT CATALOGUE

No Nonsense - Plain Language - Go Shopping

Have you ever thought that the Earth might be healthier without you on it? Take credit for healing your little bit of the planet by choosing to grow a Native Plant Garden and practicing the Healthy Gardening Style. Choose the right plants for your garden, stick them in the ground, water them, then sit back, relax, and feed and shelter our birds, bees and butterflies. For all of Ontario, north to south, east to west.

John Boydell www.frontyardrestoration.com ONTARIO’S NATIVE PLANT CATALOGUE

The Ecological Way to Choose Native Plants

Dedicated to the botanists who first discovered and documented the existence of these plants, and to the under-appreciated owners of native plant nurseries whose love of Canada motivates them to risk money and labour to bring these plants to what, sadly, are tiny markets, much to the chagrin of Nature.

No permission is required to quote from, print, or distribute free of charge (except to recover expenses) any part of this work, so long as the source is acknowledged: © John Boydell, author; Ontario’s Native Plant Catalogue, Sep 22, 2020. Photography by the author accept where indicated. This catalogue, its compact version, An Introduction to Native Plant Gardening, and other works are available for free at: www.frontyardrestoration.com Ontario’s Native Plant Catalogue

…I honestly believe that having once sampled an ecologically driven approach, gardeners won’t want to do anything else. Garden Revolution, L. Weaner and T. Christopher, Timber Press Inc., 2016

The plants within are grouped by their habitat because that is how plants are found in nature. If plants were people then we wouldn’t call them habitats but communities, neighbourhoods, or barrios where “like-minded” individuals gather together with the neighbours they feel most comfortable, the ones that are most like themselves in their needs, and that they’ve grown up with all their lives. These facts are true simply because the plants in a habitat evolved side by side for hundreds of thousands of years. This grouping is the way it is in the wild and that’s the way it should be in your garden if you want to increase the chances of your plant’s survival, increase the benefits to wildlife, and maximize your peace of mind - zen. This is the ‘ecologically driven approach’.

This catalogue is intended to be used in conjunction with ‘An Introduction to Native Plant Gardening’, which is available for free at www.frontyardrestoration.com. If the paragraph above read like nonsense to you, ‘An Introduction …’ gives you the whys and whats of the ecological approach so that it will make sense, in fact, common sense. It also teaches the Healthy Gardening Style to help you do it all easily.

At the time of writing the plants included here were available in the marketplace. There are quite a few books on native plants or “wildflowers” that go into great detail describing the many hundreds that grow in eastern North America so that you can identify them on the chance you come across them. But what good do they do to the gardener if most of those plants can’t be found in your nursery and you have bigger intentions than just to recognize them? For example, The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario details approximately 300 species. This 300 does not even include ferns, vines, shrubs, or trees, yet I can guarantee that your local nurseries carry only a very tiny fraction of these. It is the ones that are in your nursery that you want to read about, and that us what you’ll find in this book.

This catalogue was written by a newbie gardener for gardeners, not botanists nor landscapers. When I first had the idea that I wanted a garden composed of the plants that best did the job of attracting and sustaining wildlife, bees and birds, besides never having grown a garden in my life I thought that what I wanted were weeds since birds seemed to love them. The words “native plants” were not in my vocabulary. That is to say, I started from scratch. It is only through trial, error, and a lot of reading that I gained the knowledge that’s in here. I am still neither a botanist nor landscaper and as a result, I address that which gardeners need to know, not scientists. I think the most technical aspect of the plant entries is soil acidity. In most cases this isn’t that much of a concern because most gardens are of average acidity and most plants

1 Ontario’s Native Plant Catalogue are happy with that. However, this subject is given its own little section to tell you just what you need to know.

Why is this not chock-a-block full of gorgeous photographs enticing you to buy that plant? First, your nursery wouldn’t have the plants for sale if they weren’t worth buying. Your nursery has already done the choosing for you. You can take it for granted that the ones they offer are ones that you might want. More importantly, I would prefer that you choose a plant not by how beautiful it is when in bloom but instead by how well it fits into your garden’s environment. The longevity of a plant is more important than the beauty of its short-lived blossom. Second, each entry contains a list of websites containing the most beautiful and detailed photographs that you’d ever possibly be willing to pay for, but they provide them for free. Third, I’d like you to try a game. As you read through the catalogue, choose a plant without looking at the photographs. When you’ve found one that suits your garden’s conditions, put it on your shopping list. It belongs there no matter what it looks like because nature and your garden benefit from all plants, not just the most beautifulest. If beauty was the principle criteria than every garden would look exactly the same and if you walk around your neighbourhood they probably do. Another purpose for this game is to generate imagination and fun. Read the plant’s little blurb. Can you imagine what the plant looks like? Before I discovered all the websites with their pictures I bought everything based solely on the few lines my nursery had written about it. Every spring, summer, and fall was like Christmas with a yard of presents just waiting to be opened. Photographs are useful, but I think they take a lot of the fun and appreciation away.

I encourage you to select as many different species that suit your yard’s conditions as will physically fit, with room to grow and spread. Maximize the biodiversity because “biological diversity is the key to the maintenance of the world as we know it” (E.O. Wilson, American biologist). This holds true for the maintenance of your garden as well.

The author assumes no responsibility for any damage or ill effects caused by falling trees, limbs, or fruits, etc.; nor by flooding, rampant roots, or any other means. The author does not encourage the ingesting of the plants listed herein.

A White Baneberry with “Doll’s Eyes” prominent.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to use this Catalogue (and what you need to know about soil acidity) 2

Where to buy Native Plants 8

Sources and Resources 17

Explanatory Notes 29

Lowland Garden - water saturated for at least part of the year LL-1 (includes lowland tall trees)

Prairie Garden - full sun, dry soil P-1 (includes dry, upland beaches and alvars)

Meadow Garden - full sun, moist to average soil M-1

Open Woods Garden - part sun/shade, but more sun than shade OW-1 (includes full sun shrubs and short trees)

Forest Glade Garden - part shade/sun, but more shade than sun FG-1

Forest Floor Garden - full shade FF-1

Tall Trees for all habitats TT-1

1 How to use this catalogue

HOW TO USE THIS CATALOGUE The essence of the catalogue is in the division of the plants into sections by their habitats, by the plant entries themselves, and then by indicating the regions of Ontario in which each plant is native. This makes the catalogue much easier to use than all this verbiage would make you think. I bet if you just did Steps 1 and 2 you could make a pretty good go at finding the plants that you want in your garden. Don’t stress out.

1. Determine your Garden Type. Each Garden Type has its own section so you want to determine which type of garden is yours.

YOUR GARDEN’S CONDITIONS YOUR GARDEN TYPE Water saturated for at least part of the year - Lowland; LL- Full Sun, dry soil - Prairie; P- Full Sun, average to moist soil - Meadow; M- Sun/shade, but more sun than shade - Open Woods; OW- Shade/sun, but more shade than sun - Forest Glade; FG- Mostly shade - Forest Floor; FF-

Now go to the section dedicated to that type. There you’ll find the plants that require the same general conditions that your garden offers. Each plant has its own entry. Search through to find the plants that are native to your region and that require the same soil and moisture conditions that your garden offers. That’s pretty much it. This search can be made much easier by using a computer. Use the computer to search for more specific garden conditions such as ‘dry’, ‘clay’, or ‘sandy’.

2. Determine the Region in which your garden resides. For your garden to be 100% native (not absolutely necessary) it should be populated with plants native to the region in which it is located. Ontario is divided into 10 regions simply for convenience’s sake. The second part of each entry identifies by number the ones in which the plant is native. Very simply, regions 1,2, 3 divide up Windsor to Tobermory; 4, 5 move east to the Québec border; 5 to 8 move north from the St. Lawerence River to James Bay; and 8, 9, 10 are east to west from the Québec border to the Manitoba border. The detail given below may look formidable, but just read through it until you find the region in which you live and the number assigned to it. Circle your number and use it to identify the plants and nurseries pertinent to your garden. The boundaries of the regions should be used as rough guides and when shopping don’t rule out the nurseries adjacent to your own to see if they have the plants you want.

Note that northern Simcoe County, including Orillia and Midland, is wedged between regions 2, 3, 6, and 7. Your local nursery should be capable of being the arbiter of what’s native to your region.

2 How to use this Catalogue

1. Carolinian Canada: aka Carolinian Life Zone, Canada’s most southern deciduous forest. Carolinian Canada Coalition states that the boundaries of this region are not firmly delineated but roughly correspond to those of EcoRegion 7E; for a map click on: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer? ll=42.83444033990235%2C-80.92321400000003&spn=2.294474%2C4.45296&t=m&msa=0&sour ce=embed&ie=UTF8&mid=1JRvaiUIQcvqYm2UZNRE6Bu5aW-E&z=9. — it encompasses southwest Ontario south of a swooping line beginning just north of Grand Bend, gradually drooping down to just north of London; rising north again but not quite reaching Cambridge; drops south to north of Hamilton, Waterdown, Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Mississauga, southern Brampton; continues east north of Toronto to finally drop down the Rouge Valley to end at the river’s mouth on Lake Ontario. Everything south of this line is in and this includes: Grand Bend, London, Chatham-Kent, Windsor, Leamington, St. Thomas, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Brantford, Dundas, Hamilton, Waterdown, Burlington, Milton, Mississauga, southern Brampton, southern Vaughan, Markham, and Toronto.

2. Southwest Central: north of region 1 up to Highway 21 and west to Lake Simcoe; this includes counties: northern Middlesex, northern Oxford, Huron, Perth, Bruce south of Highway 21, Grey south of the Georgian Bay coast, Dufferin, western Simcoe, Waterloo, Wellington; and communities: Kincardine, Mount Forest, Stratford, Shelbourne, Kitchener- Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and Barrie. Does not include Owen Sound or other communities directly on the coast.

3. South Georgian Bay: the Bruce Peninsula (north of Highway 21) and around the south coast of Georgian Bay to its southern most tip just east of Collingwood.

4. Lake Ontario Highlands: north of Greater Toronto, south of Lake Simcoe, plus east of the Rouge Valley to, but excluding, Prince Edward County; this encompasses northern Peel, York, Durham, Northumberland, Belfountain, Caledon, northern Vaughn and Richmond Hill, and east Pickering.

5. Ontario Lowlands: Prince Edward County and along the St Lawrence River valley to the Québec border. Plants native to this region and up the Ottawa River valley to Ottawa are sometimes also native to region 1.

6. Southeast Central: east of Lake Simcoe to the Ottawa River; includes the towns and regions of Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, Hastings, Lennox and Addington, Lanark, Carlton, Russell, Prescott; northern Leeds Grenville and northern Dundas-Stormont-Glengarry.

7. Central: north of Lake Simcoe to Temagami, from Georgian Bay east to the Ottawa River; and wrapping around the north coast of Georgian Bay to just south of Wawa; includes Manitoulin Island, Parry Sound, Gravenhurst, Haliburton, Bancroft, Algonquin Park, Pembroke, North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Temagami.

8. Northeast Ontario: north of Temagami; includes Cobalt, Temiskaming Shores, Kirkland Lake, Timmins, Iroquois Falls, Cochrane; Kapuskasing is on the western border.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 3 How to use this catalogue

9. North Central Ontario: directly north of Sault Ste. Marie to James Bay and up the eastern coast of Lake Superior almost as far as Wawa; includes Chapleau and Hearst; Kapuskasing is on the eastern border.

10. Northwest Ontario: north from the American border and the Lake Superior coast, and as far east as Wawa; includes Rainy River, Lake of the Woods, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Lake Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Wawa.

If I am unable to determine the native region for a plant, I provide: - the lowest winter temperature the plant can survive, - the minimum number of frost free days the plant requires, or - the coldest USDA Temperature Zone that the plant can tolerate.

If you are buying a plant from a nursery within your region it would be safe to assume they are not selling you one that is intolerant of your region’s conditions and destined to die.

3. What is the name of the species? The first line of each plant entry consists of the names of the plant. Here is how it looks: COMMON ENGLISH NAME, common French name - Scientific name

In each case the first name given is the “official” name as recognized by Canadensys. See http://community.canadensys.net/ and http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search.

So for example: Heart-leaved Foamflower False Mitrewort, tiarelle cordifoliée, tiarelle Tiarella cordifolia In this case, Heart-leaved Foamflower, tiarelle cordifoliée, and Tiarella cordifolia are the ones Canada’s scientific community wants us to use.

4. In what Environments does the species grow? You want to choose plants that will be happy in your garden, so it would be a good idea to know where they normally live and does where they normally live resemble your garden? The third part of every entry are the different sites (environments) in which the plant has been found growing; e.g. meadows, marshes, fields, fencerows, alvars, rocky ledges, abandoned lots, etc.. Don’t be put off by how esoteric some of them are. Just look for your garden’s conditions among these environments. Ignore the ones that you’ve never heard of before because you probably don’t have one of them. If you had it, say “limestone pavement”, you’d probably know it. Don’t let this part stress you out. Just look for what you know. The section ‘Explanatory Notes’ goes into further detail which you may find interesting. To be honest with you, you could probably ignore this part and just make sure your garden satisfies the necessities of life for the plant.

5. The necessities of life. The fourth part consists of the plant’s requirements for life. In an entry the assumption is that the plant prefers average loamy soil with decent drainage, containing an average amount of organic matter, has

4 How to use this Catalogue

‘mesic’ (average for Ontario) moisture levels, and is moderately acidic. However, the nitty-gritty may look more like this: “Rich, dry to average, acidic, well-drained soil. Accepts rocky to sandy to clayey, calcareous, drought, and juglone.” -‘Rich’ means that this plant prefers soil with plenty of organic matter. Its opposite is ‘nutrient-poor’. -‘Dry to average’ lets you know that it can accept dry soil, besides average Ontario moisture. -This plant prefers alkaline soil. If the words acidic, neutral, alkaline, or calcareous are present, then the nitty-gritty are not average. In this case, we see that while this plant is found more often in soil with above average pH (calcareous). See #8, below. -‘Well-drained’ indicates it prefers soil where water flows through more readily than average, i.e. it doesn’t tolerate excessive moisture for long. -While this plant is normally found in average loamy soil, it also accepts just as well a range of soil from one end of the spectrum to the other, i.e. rocky to clayey. Note that if it just read, ‘Accepts to clayey’ it indicates that the plant accepts loamy to silty to silty-clayey to clayey. ‘Clayey’ does not mean ‘heavy clay’. If the plant can tolerate heavy clay, this would be stated. ‘Juglone’: this plant tolerates soils within which a tree of the Juglans genus (e.g. walnut) is growing. Most cannot.

6. Root Systems Near the end is the plant’s type of root system. If you intend on doing some transplanting it’s a good idea to know what kind of roots to expect. For instance a plant with a tap root, like a carrot, is very difficult to get to survive transplanting because you have to obtain the complete root, to the very bottom. This is especially true with tap rooted trees because the roots are so deep. Speaking of trees, if a tree has shallow roots it’s a good idea to plant it together with like trees so that the roots intertwine to make it more wind-firm. See ‘Explanatory Notes’ for descriptions of types of root systems.

7. Websites and their Photographs Each entry finishes by listing websites that contain, besides much information, many beautiful and detailed photographs of the plant. When looking at a picture, don’t just focus on the plant itself but pay attention to the environments in which it is growing and compare them to your garden. You can learn a lot about where that plant likes to grow, and what your garden should look like.

8. Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline, Calcareous This is the special section that explains soil pH, the most technical part of this catalogue. • Nothing to get hung up about, but a joy to know about. • pH is a scale used by scientists to indicate the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution such as soil; some plants have preferences for acidic, neutral or alkaline. You probably know what an acid is, well an alkaline is just the opposite and just as dangerous if strong enough. Just to get this out of the way, technically the pH scale is a measure of the relative concentrations of hydrogen and hydroxide ions in a solution. www.frontyardrestoration.com 5 How to use this catalogue

• You can purchase simple test kits from nurseries and hardware stores to test your soil’s pH. However most soil in Ontario is moderately acidic and this is exactly what most plants want, so most of the time you don’t have to worry about it. The most common cause of neutral and alkaline soils is the presence of calcareous rocks such as limestone and dolostone and the most common location of such rocks is on and around the Niagara Escarpment, the Bruce Peninsula, and along the coast of Lake Superior. • Acidic: a specific soil condition (a pH less than 7). Beyond moderate acidity is intolerable by most plants but loved by others. The most common cause of our acidic soil is the long-time, ongoing decomposition of plant litter. Greater than average acidity (low pH) tends to be found under Pines and Oaks and in bogs. Plants that can tolerate this will flourish in these environments and are prized. There is no reason for bare earth in these conditions, such as beneath Pines; just choose acidic tolerant plants. As I mentioned, most soil in Ontario is moderately acidic unless there are extenuating circumstances. • Neutral: neither acidic nor alkaline; right in the middle, i.e. around a pH of 7. See note under Calcareous. Because most soil in Ontario is naturally at least somewhat acidic, soil that is at neutral or just above neutral can be considered Alkaline. • Alkaline: the opposite of acidic, greater than a pH of 7. The most common cause of neutrality and alkalinity is the presence of the mineral calcium leached from limestone or dolomite. • Calcareous: soil that contains enough calcium to make the soil register above a pH of 7. Not every plant can tolerate this. Neutral and calcareous soil is uncommon in the suburbs but common along the Niagara Escarpment, on Manitoulin Island, and the rocky coasts of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. Granite is not calcareous. Most of Ontario was originally forest and the historic decomposition of its plant litter has naturally made most of our soil moderately acidic. So, when the soil is calcareous, the calcium often just brings the soil up to neutral, and not especially alkaline. As a result, unless the plant is a true calciphile, a calcareous tolerant plant will probably tolerate your average garden soil, once again reducing your need to worry. Even where the bedrock is calcareous, the soil on top may still be acidic depending on the richness (presence of organic matter) of the topsoil. • Limey: describes calcareous soil. • Sweet: soil more alkaline than acidic. • Sour: acidic soil. • Bog: a nutrient poor, acidic, peat-forming, waterlogged, flat lowland. • Fen: more alkaline than a bog. May have raised hummocks of peat which tend to be drier and more acidic than at water level. Many bog plants locate themselves upon these hummocks.

• Coniferous Swamp: tends to be neutral to alkaline, but may be acidic.

6 How to use this Catalogue

• Meadow Marsh: the soil tends to be slightly alkaline.

A Swamp Pin Oak in late fall. The leaves have turned from bright to rusty red and will remain on the tree to be lost in winter wind storms. The European Buckthorn (an invasive exotic) bear their tell-tale green late into the fall.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 7 Where to buy Native Plants

Where to buy Native Plants I’ve tried to produce an accurate list, but nurseries go in and especially out of business regularly; I only have the information the nurseries themselves provide; furthermore, they do not contact me to be included, I must find them. Hence, I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy.

Many of these nurseries call themselves ‘wholesale’ which usually means that you can’t just show up and wander around the aisles as in a grocery store. You must order in advance and/or visit by appointment. Sometimes it means that they are set up to deal with organizations such as landscapers, municipalities, golf courses, etc. and so they sell in bulk only. Occasionally you must register as a customer first. I have done this and, so far, not encountered any problems.

Be aware that a nursery may have a different definition for ‘native’ than your own. They may consider any species that grows in the wild anywhere in Ontario, or Canada, or North America to be native. Some use Plant Hardiness Zones to classify their plants. Because a plant is able to accept your region’s climate conditions is it native? Some use the term ‘wildflower’. Is a wildflower native or is it an exotic species that has escaped from home gardens and become naturalized?

So it’s best to decide what native means to you before shopping and also to familiarize yourself with the most common ones so that when you come across a plant you’ve never heard of before, you’re prompted to research it before deciding to buy it. Many of these Websites are very informative and I recommend perusing them to educate yourself even if they are not in your region.

If you’re not sure yet what native means to you, here’s a common definition: a species that grows in your region but not as a result of humans having transported it there. The antonym of ‘native’ is ‘introduced’, with humans being the introducer. Then there is the question of what defines a region: your county, the whole of Ontario, or only your part of Ontario. You have to decide for yourself. If a nursery refers to themselves as a Native Plant Nursery, you should be able to trust them to tell you what native means to them and whether a species is native to your region or not.

Read labels carefully when buying and depend on the scientific name if you have doubts. You may think these are scary but usually they’re just difficult to pronounce. A common name can lead to confusion since, because it will vary across regions and over time, there is almost always more than one.

‘Canadensys, operated from the Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre, is a Canada-wide effort to make the biodiversity information held in biological collections accessible to everyone.’ It maintains the user-friendly online Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) which you can use to research whether a species and its varieties are native to Ontario: https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search.

One last thing. Even though I know it isn’t easy, try not to be tempted by the ornamentals some nurseries stock. Remember your mission.

8 Where to buy Native Plants

The number preceding each nursery is the region in which the nursery is located.

1 Alma, Grand Moraine Growers: CLOSED; the educational catalogue remains available for now. http://grandmorainegrowers.ca

7 Bracebridge, Muskoka Conservancy: a volunteer-driven, staff-supported registered charity; perennials, ferns, grasses, shrubs, and trees; one day each spring holds a native plant sale. Ordering for the 2020 sale begins on March 16th at 10 am; pickup on May 9th between 9 am and 12 pm at the Huntsville and Bracebridge locations. https://muskokaconservancy.org/shop/category/native-plant-sale/

1 Brantford (Ohsweken), Kayanase - Restoring Mother Earth: a native plant nursery; Carolinian Canada native plants for residential and commercial restoration; ecological restoration services; cultural and eco- tourism packages; invasive species management. https://www.facebook.com/Kayanase-317468838440153/; https://kayanasegreenhouse.weebly.com/

7 Bristol, QC, Beaux Arbres Plantes Indigénes / Native Plants: seeds, flowers, grasses, shrubs, vines, trees, and aquatics native to the Ottawa Valley, plus species native to eastern North America; vegetables; consultation services for home or cottage; educational Website with excellent photos. https://beauxarbres.ca/

5 Brockville, Devra Rayvals: collect and provide seeds to-order of native shrubs and trees. [email protected]

3 Bruce County (Red Bay), Earth Bound Gardens and Greenhouses, Monarch Butterfly Waystation #1047: wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and aquatics; alvar demonstration garden; consultation services; 20% native with a focus on those of the Bruce Peninsula. http://www.earthboundgardens.com

2 Caledon, Acorus Restoration Native Plant Nursery: native wildflowers, grasses, ferns, shrubs, trees, and aquatics. https://www.acorusrestoration.com/

2 Caledon, Humber Nurseries 2020 Ltd.: trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals; while retail clients can email their order or visit their farm by appointment, they specialize in servicing landscape contractors and wholesale clients (school boards, golf courses, cities, cemeteries and conservation authorities) in the GTA; landscape design. http://www.gardencentre.com

2 Cambridge, Burford Tree Nursery: operated under the auspices of the Grand River Conservation Authority; trees native to the Grand River watershed; only landowners residing in the Grand River watershed with more than 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of land are eligible to order. The minimum order is 200 seedlings, or 20 saplings or potted stock. Orders are ready for pick-up every spring starting approximately the third week of April through to the second Wednesday in May. The GRCA holds an end- of-season tree sale every year on the second Friday in May (8 am to noon). All watershed residents are welcome. Offer Forestry Specialist consultations and tree planting. https://www.grandriver.ca/en/our-watershed/Tree-planting.aspx

1 Chatham-Kent (Bothwell), Heavenly Earth - Carolinian Tree and Shrub Nursery: trees and shrubs with some wildflowers. Despite their name, their location, and the information they provide written by Fox & Soper (Royal Canadian Institute) concerning ‘The Carolinian Zone’, this is not a ‘Carolinian Canada’ nursery. Most of their species are native to southwest Ontario, but the grief I received in just trying to clarify the nature of their inventory was very unprofessional. Read the catalogue carefully. When a plant www.frontyardrestoration.com 9 Where to buy Native Plants is indicated as ‘Carolinian’ it may in fact be native no further north than North Carolina. Their inventory also includes species native no further west or south than York Region. https://heavenlyearth.ca/

1 Chatham-Kent (Wallaceburg), Ontario NativeScape - a division of Rural Lambton Stewardship Network: a non-profit organization that offers multiple extensive services to both private and public landowners that encourage and support sound ecological land management; herbaceous seed sales (click on Services at the top of the homepage and then scroll to the bottom). http://www.ontarionativescape.ca/

2 Dufferin County (Mulmur), ForFaraz: a small scale operation giving individual care to container grown native trees. Educational Website. www.forfaraz.com

2 Dufferin County (Mulmur), Not So Hollow Farm: native perennials, shrubs, and trees. http://www.notsohollowfarm.ca

1 Elgin County (Port Stanley), Moore Water Gardens: aquatic and lowland plants; educational Website; 25% native. http://moorewatergardens.com/

1 Essex County (Amherstburg), Native Trees and Plants: flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, aquatics; everything is native to Essex County and Carolinian Canada; special orders grown on request. http://www.nativetreesandplants.com/

1 Essex County (Essex), Essex Region Conservation Tree Planting: grants of up to 90% of project costs are available to qualifying landowners to implement tree planting projects which will help improve local water quality, reduce soil erosion, and increase natural areas cover; wetland creation. https://essexregionconservation.ca/stewardships-grants/landowner-grants/

4 Georgina (Pefferlaw) and New Tecumseth (Tottenham), Native Plant Nurseries: native wildflowers and grasses; landscape design; contract growing; custom seed packets for events & fundraising; ecological restoration expertise. The nurseries can be visited by appointment. The inventory is well organized on the Website and there is a nice photo-gallery. http://www.nativeplantnurseries.ca

7 Gravenhurst (Kilworthy), Hidden Habitat: seed, flowers, grasses, and shrubs; garden design and consultations; serves the Barrie, Collingwood, Orillia areas. http://www.hiddenhabitat.ca/

3 Grey County (Markdale), Ontario Flora: mostly wildflowers with some grasses and shrubs, landscape design, ecosystem restoration, community greening, and educational services available to the public, contractors, landscape designers, charities/non profits, nurseries, and retail outlets; serves the GTA, Southern Ontario, and Grey-Bruce counties; the public can receive the wholesale price if buying quantities over 10 plants per species - otherwise the price markup is 100% of the wholesale prices listed in the catalogue; 100%native. https://www.facebook.com/ontarioflora.ca/; https://www.ontarioflora.ca/

2 Guelph, Origin Native Plants: herbaceous wildflowers, ferns, horsetails, grasses, rushes, vines, shrubs, and trees native to southern Ontario and Manitoulin Island; contract seed collection and propagation; installations; landscaping expertise. Located within the agricultural lands of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre, this is the reincarnation of the late Grand Moraine Growers (Alma). https://www.facebook.com/Origin-Native-Plants-104257564551554; https://www.originnativeplants.com/

2 Guelph, University of Guelph - The Arboretum: every fall there is a one day ‘Arboretum Expo and Plant Sale’ of more than 6,000 woody and herbaceous native and non-native species; proceeds have been

10 Where to buy Native Plants used to upgrade Arboretum nursery facilities; this year it’s on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/educationandevents/plantsale

7 Haliburton, Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning (FEEL):a registered charity which for one day every spring offers native and eco-friendly plants (trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, ground covers, grasses, and heirloom plants) for sale to landowners and community organizations; the majority of the plants are genetically local with plant stock derived directly from Haliburton County. Sales for 2020 are now open; online pre-order sales close on April 25th; one-day plant pick-up on May 16th at Haliburton Highlands Brewing from 10am-2pm. https://www.ecoenvirolearn.org/native-plants.html

1 Hamilton, Ontario Native Plants: native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses; large and small-scale habitat restoration and invasive species management projects; an online business - orders are shipped. https://www.onplants.ca/

1 Hamilton (Waterdown), Northland Nursery: many native flowers, ferns, shrubs and trees (among their exotics) grouped into their own section on the Website so that they’re easy to find; the Website is very informative and well organized. https://www.northlandnursery.com/

1 Hamilton (Dundas), Verbinnen’s Nursery Ltd.: a wholesale nursery specializing in trees and shrubs, but also offer wildflowers and seeds; accepts orders from just a few plants to truckloads; 100% native to Ontario. http://www.verbinnens.com/

1 Hamilton (Flamborough), Winkelmolen Nursery Ltd.: shrubs, fruit trees, shade trees, and conifers; most are non-native or cultivars but they have some interesting native trees. http://www.winkelmolen.com/

6 Hastings County (Marlbank), Golden Bough Tree Farm: fruit trees, nut trees, evergreens, and shrubs; under the menu selection labeled ‘Catalogue’ there is a tab for ‘Native Trees & Shrubs’; however there are also other natives listed under ‘Fruit Trees’ and other tabs, so that you have to search around to find all that they offer; some are cultivars; 40% native. http://www.goldenboughtrees.ca

7 Huntsville, Muskoka Conservancy: a volunteer-driven, staff-supported registered charity; perennials, ferns, grasses, shrubs, and trees; one day each spring holds a native plant sale. Ordering for the 2020 sale begins on March 16th at 10 am; pick-up on May 9th between 9 am and 12 pm at the Huntsville and Bracebridge locations. https://muskokaconservancy.org/shop/category/native-plant-sale/

6 Kawartha Lakes (Bethany), Koi Valley Canada: a wholesale Koi farm that is expanding its business to include a retail pond and water garden centre offering fish, pond supplies, and aquatic plants, some of which will be native. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Business/Koi-Valley-Canada-160308061316617/

6 Kawartha Lakes (Cameron), Rockwood Forest Nurseries: a mix of native and non-native seeds, perennials, ferns, shrubs, and trees; many cultivars. An online business - purchases are shipped. Educational Website. http://www.rockwoodforest.com

6 Kawartha Lakes (Omemee), Green Side Up Environmental Services & Landscaping, (GSU): native trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials (terrestrial & aquatic); contract growing; bio-engineering materials; landscape design/construction; ecological restoration; Managed Forest Tax Incentive Plans (MFTIPS); forestry; an open-to-the-public nursery. Serves Durham Region, Kawartha-Peterborough County, Northumberland, and all ‘Cottage Country’. http://www.greenservices.ca/nativeplant

www.frontyardrestoration.com 11 Where to buy Native Plants

6 Kawartha Lakes (Omemee), Grow Wild! Native Plant Nursery and Ecological Consulting Services: native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees; contract growing; environmental assessment; wetland evaluation; soil classification; ecological restoration; forestry management; native landscaping. http://nativeplantnursery.ca/

6 Kawartha Lakes (Pontypool), Richardson's Pineneedle Farms: trees and shrubs, plus small fruit trees; specialize in seedlings; 75% native. https://www.pineneedlefarms.ca/

1 Lambton County (Petrolia), Windover Nurseries Inc.: native plant, shrubs, and trees; specialize in Carolinian species. http://www.windovernurseries.com/

6 Leeds and Grenville County (Kemptville), Ferguson Tree Nursery: operated by the non-profit Ferguson Forest Centre Corp.; flowers, vines, shrubs, and trees; for most species a minimum order is required; not all are native. https://www.fergusontreenursery.ca/

6 Lennox and Addington County (Tamworth), Norton Naturals: native and non-native plants with edible roots (tubers, bulbs, corms); an online business - the products can be ordered anytime of the year but are only shipped out once in the spring and once in the fall; educational Website. https://www.nortonnaturals.com/collections/native-plants

7 Manitoulin Island, Origin Native Plants: this nursery is actually located in Guelph but has a sub- specialty in plants native to Manitoulin Island. Herbaceous wildflowers, ferns, horsetails, grasses, rushes, vines, shrubs, and trees native to southern Ontario and Manitoulin Island; contract seed collection and propagation; installations; landscaping expertise. Located within the agricultural lands of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre, this is the reincarnation of the late Grand Moraine Growers (Alma). https://www.facebook.com/Origin-Native-Plants-104257564551554; https://www.originnativeplants.com/

4 New Tecumseth (Tottenham) and Georgina (Pefferlaw), Native Plant Nurseries: native plants and grasses; landscape design; contract growing; custom seed packets for events & fundraising; ecological restoration expertise. The nurseries can be visited by appointment. The inventory is well organized on the Website and there is a nice photo-gallery. http://www.nativeplantnurseries.ca

4 Newmarket, Connon Nurseries Ltd.: native flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, and aquatics amongst their cultivars and ornamentals; educational Website. www.connon.ca

1 Niagara Region (Wainfleet), Earthgen Tree Nursery: native and non-native trees with the natives clearly separated; specialize in developing Hazelnut hybrids. https://www.earthgen.ca/

1 Niagara-on-the-Lake, Mori Garden and Design Centre: mostly non-natives but the natives are easy to find because they have a blue ribbon around them; some are cultivars. http://www.morigardens.com/visit.html

1 Norfolk County (Forestville), Orange Dog Native Plants: native perennials, shrubs, trees, and aquatics grown from seed; an online business - orders are delivered. https://www.orangedognativeplants.com/

1 Norfolk County (St. Williams), St. Williams Nursery & Ecology Centre: seeds in bulk, flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, aquatics; consulting services. This is a wholesale business with a minimum purchase required - enquire. Educational online catalogue. 100% native. You are asked to create an

12 Where to buy Native Plants

Account before gaining access to their online catalogue or to place orders, but they tell me that the public can set up a General Account at stwilliamsnursery.com/account/register. http://stwilliamsnursery.com/

1 Norfolk County, Seed-Box Wild Plant Studio - specialty native plants: a NP nursery collective serving Oxford, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Niagara, Hamilton and Halton regions; offer flowers and grasses, custom growing, and consulting; plants are offered wholesale, are ordered in advance, and can be picked-up at either their St Catharines or Norfolk sites or delivered. [email protected]; http://www.seedbox.studio/

2 Orangeville & Mono, In Our Nature: flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, and aquatics; ecological consulting and garden design; wildflower meadow design; invasive species removal. Visit by appointment at their business centre in Orangeville or at their nursery in Mono. Educational website. 100% native. https://www.inournature.ca/

7 Ottawa (Manotick), Rideau Valley Conservation Authority: through its Butternut Recovery Program distributes Butternut tree seedlings in small batches to landowners across Eastern Ontario; to participate, contact Rose Fleguel, Butternut Recovery Technician: [email protected]. https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/butternut-recovery 3 Owen Sound, Grey Sauble Forestry Service (in association with Grey Sauble Conservation Authority): shrubs and trees of Grey & Bruce Counties; an annual Arbour Day sale, this year on Saturday April 25, 2020 (8 am – 12 noon); tree planting services. Hover over Forestry and then click on Forestry Services. http://www.greysauble.on.ca

3 Owen Sound, Inglis Falls Arboretum Alliance (IFAA) & Nursery (in association with Grey Sauble Conservation Authority): an arboretum; volunteers operate the Native Plant Nursery where trees and shrubs native to the Grey & Bruce counties are propagated, used to reforest the Arboretum, and made available to the public by donation and free to non-profit groups Saturday mornings and by appointment. First, hover over Conservation Areas, then over Inglis Falls CA, and then click on Inglis Falls Arboretum Alliance (IFAA) & Nursery. https://www.greysauble.on.ca/

1, 2 Oxford County (Ingersoll), Wildlife Gardening: native seed, custom seed collecting, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, ferns, shrubs, trees, and aquatics; a sub-specialty in edible native plants; custom growing; design, installation, restoration, maintenance; workshops. Open by appointment and for garden parties. The catalogue is a work in progress - contact them directly; 95% native. https://www.facebook.com/pg/WildlifeGardening.ca/about/?ref=page_internal; https://www.wildlifegardening.ca/

6 Peterborough, GreenUP Ecology Park: plants, ferns, shrubs, and trees; click on the Printable Plant Catalogue tab; not every species is native. https://www.greenup.on.ca/plant-category/plant-catalog/

4 Pickering (Claremont), Native Plants in Claremont: native perennials, shrubs, grasses, and seeds; will courier plants to your home across the mega-Toronto region. http://www.nativeplants.ca

5 Quinte West (Frankford), Natural Themes Farms: native plants, shrubs, and trees; demonstration gardens. Every Saturday they have retail space at the Trenton Farmers’ Market. http://www.naturalthemes.com/?page_id=16

www.frontyardrestoration.com 13 Where to buy Native Plants

7 Renfrew County (Cobden), Connaught Nursery: native and pollinator plants; abundant Trillium and Yellow Lady’s-slipper; they prefer pre-orders. [email protected]; https://www.facebook.com/pg/Connaught-Nursery-204283659768804/about/?ref=page_internal

1 St Catharines, Seed-Box Wild Plant Studio - specialty native plants: a NP nursery collective serving Oxford, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Niagara, Hamilton and Halton regions; offer flowers and grasses, custom growing, and consulting; plants are offered wholesale, are ordered in advance, and can be picked-up at either their St Catharines or Norfolk sites or delivered. [email protected]; http://www.seedbox.studio/

1 Sarnia, Aamjiwnaang Greenhouse - Maajiigin Gumig "Place where plants start to grow": native plants for small and large scale ecological restoration projects; a collaboration between Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Return the Landscape. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Garden-Center/Aamjiwnaang-Greenhouse-Maajiigin-Gumig- Place-where-plants-start-to-grow-584019535094537/; http://www.aamjiwnaang.ca/environment-greenhouse/. Return the Landscape is a non-profit organization that specializes in growing native plants, ecological restoration, landscape design, and environmental education. https://www.returnthelandscape.com/

4 Scugog (Seagrave), Koi Nursery & Water Gardens: CLOSED; they sold their inventory to “Koi Valley Canada” in Kawartha Lakes. www.koinursery.com

7 Simcoe County (Coldwater), Wildflower Farm: flower and grass seed; the species are categorized by Plant Hardiness Zone so they may not necessarily be native to the Coldwater region; an online business - orders are shipped; educational Website. https://www.wildflowerfarm.com/

7 Simcoe County (Elmvale, just north of Barrie), Return of the Native: seeds, wildflowers, ferns, shrubs, vines, and trees; serves the communities of Elmvale, Barrie, Wasaga Beach, Midland and area. Not everything native, but it’s all clearly marked. https://www.returnofthenative.ca/

7 Simcoe County (Everett), Somerville Seedlings: tree and shrub seedlings and transplants; serves the public, reforestation projects, conservation plantings, Christmas tree and nursery trades; seedlings must be ordered in lots of 10; 70% native. http://www.treeseedlings.com

7 Sudbury, Northern Wildflowers: mostly native plant seeds; custom seed collection; bulk sales. An online business with purchases delivered by post. https://northernwildflowers.ca/

1 Thorold (Port Robinson), Sassafras Farms: native seed and plants for ecological restorations, conservation and reclamation projects. www.sassafrasfarms.ca

1 Tillsonberg, Little Otter Tree Farm: mostly native trees and shrubs; woodlot management services. https://www.littleottertreefarm.com/

1 Toronto, Evergreen Brick Works: a few native plants, shrubs, and seeds among their ornamentals but are centrally located in the city. https://www.evergreen.ca/evergreen-brick-works/markets-food/evergreen-garden-market/

1 Toronto, LEAF - Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests: a non-profit group; subsidize native tree plantings for property owners in Toronto, Ajax, and York region; 100% native. http://www.yourleaf.org

14 Where to buy Native Plants

Toronto’s native plant society, NANPS: holds plant and seed sales at special events around southern Ontario; a very educational Website if you poke around. http://nanps.org/; http://nanps.org/native-plant-database/

1 Toronto, Urban Forest Associates Inc.: an ecological restoration consulting firm; grow seedling and small whip stock for use in their own projects; supply seed to nurseries and groups that restore natural areas; grow plants for reforestation projects; can source hard to find species; make surplus stock available to other projects and the public. To order, email [email protected]. http://ufora.ca/

5 Trenton, Connon Nurseries Ltd.: native wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, and aquatics amongst their cultivars and ornamentals; educational Website. www.connon.ca

4 Uxbridge, Ephemeral Ark Nursery: specialize in native woodland species; consult on ecological gardening; *Website not operational at time of writing; 100% native. [email protected]; www.ephemeralark.ca

1 Walsingham, Prairie Song Nursery and Restoration: nursery and supplier of seed for restoration projects; contact to schedule a visit: [email protected]. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Prairie-Song-Nursery-and-Restoration-102197734866360/about/? ref=page_internal

1 Wasaga Beach, WILD Canada - Native Plant Nursery and Ecological Consulting: native seed, wildflowers, grasses, rushes, vines, shrubs, and trees of central and southern Ontario; provide an array of ecological and interpretative consulting services. http://www.wildcanada.ca

1 Waterdown, Connon Nurseries Ltd.: native wildflowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, and aquatics amongst their cultivars and ornamentals; educational Website. www.connon.ca

1 Waterdown, Hortico: native flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs, trees, and aquatics. https://wholesale.hortico.com/

1 Waterdown, Royal Botanical Gardens Arboretum: every fall the RBG holds a “BioBlitz Native Plant Sale”. https://www.rbg.ca/bioblitz

1 Waterloo, Ontario Seed Company Ltd., (OSC Seeds): native, non-native, and cultivar flower, grass, shrub, and tree seeds in bulk and home garden amounts; their Website is educational but you have to make sure you poke around quite a bit to find everything they offer. In general, be wary of seed mixes, e.g. ‘Bee Pollinator Meadow Seed Mixture’, because they seldom contain only native seeds and they often contain invasives such as Forget-me-nots, as in this case. Also, they do not use the word ‘wildflower’ to mean ‘native’. Click on the Contact tab to find the location of their retail store. https://www.oscseeds.com/

2 Waterloo Region (Breslau), Native Plant Source: plants, information, and services for the re- establishment of native plant communities; *the Website was not fully operational at the time of writing but it did provide contact information. http://www.nativeplantsource.com

1 Welland, Sassafras Farms: native seed and plants for ecological restorations and conservation/ reclamation projects. www.sassafrasfarms.ca

www.frontyardrestoration.com 15 Where to buy Native Plants

2, 3 Wellington County (Erin); Baker Forestry Services & Nursery: native trees and shrubs; tree planting services; forest consultation services; tree removal services; trail design/construction. [email protected]; https://www.facebook.com/BakerForestryServices/; https://www.ontariowoodlot.com/246-baker-forestry-services-nurseries-and-consulting (scroll to bottom of page).

2, 3 Wellington County (Puslinch), Bee Sweet Nature Company: specialize in honey, but they also sell native trees, shrubs, grasses, plants. Perhaps the most educational Website out of all the nurseries. https://beesweetnature.ca/products/tree-plant-inventory/?v=3e8d115eb4b3

2 Wellington North (Mount Forest), Tin Roof Rusted Farm & Plant Nursery: native wildflowers, grasses, vines, and shrubs; vegetables; contract growing; garden design. https://www.facebook.com/TinRoofRustedFarmPlantNursery/; http://tinroofrustedfarm.com

1 Windsor, Ojibway Nature Centre: The Friends of Ojibway Prairie is a non-profit charitable group made up of volunteers dedicated to promoting public awareness and appreciation of Ojibway Prairie Complex; offer “Prairie Wildflower Seed”. http://www.ojibway.ca

Round-leaved Dogwood (Cornus rugosa) in a very tight site.

16 Sources and Resources

Sources and Resources (incomplete) *The sources marked with an asterisk provide gardening advice. In the midsts of verifying and updating every Website Link, I was truly amazed at the information available to us because of the work of so many dedicated and diligent people who often worked just out of love for their subject; March 28, 2020. Online

Adirondack Almanack, Adirondack Explorer’s Online News Journal, Adirondack Park, New York https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/category/natural-history/

Adirondacks Forever Wild, geology, habitat, flora, fauns of Adirondack Park, New York http://wildadirondacks.org/index.html

Alabama Plants, Dan Tenaglia http://www.alabamaplants.com/species_list.html

Algonquin Words Borrowed Into English Quiz Stats, Sporcle, Inc. https://www.sporcle.com/games/Esme/algonquin-words-borrowed-into-english/results

Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers, Andy Fyon; habitats & flora circum Sudbury and Manitoulin Island http://www.ontariowildflower.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Andy.wildflowers/

Field Guide to the Ash Trees of Northeastern United States, Atha and Brian, The NY Botanical Garden https://www.nybg.org/content/uploads/2018/01/SCI_Ash_Field_Guide_3_web.pdf

American Beech Tree (Fagus grandifolia), Natural History projects about the Morgan Arboretum, McGill U. https://stlawrencelowlands.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/american-beech-tree-fagus-grandifolia/

*Beech Bark Disease in Ontario, McLaughlin, Greifenhagen; Research Forest note, #71, 2012; OMNR https://dr6j45jk9xcmk.cloudfront.net/documents/2851/stdprod-096009.pdf

American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), Heather Holm, Restoring the Landscape with Native Plants http://www.restoringthelandscape.com/2011/01/native-plant-of-week-american.html borealforest.org, Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University http://www.borealforest.org/index.php

The Butternut (Juglans cinerea) Recovery Program, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority https://www.rvca.ca/stewardship-grants/butternut-recovery

*Butternut Tree - A Land Owner’s Resource Guide, Forest Gene Conservation Association https://www.svca.on.ca/downloads/A_Landowners_Resource_Guide_To_Butternut.pdf

www.frontyardrestoration.com 17 Sources and Resources

Canadensys, Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN) http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Carex of Northeastern Illinois and Northwestern Indiana, USA; Balaban, Rothrock et al, Chicago Wilderness Guide #4; genus Carex: sedges. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 249645671_Carex_of_Northeastern_Illinois_and_Northwestern_Indiana_USA_Sedges_Carex_spp_of_the_ Chicago_Region_Chicago_Wilderness_Guide_4_httpfm2fieldmuseumorgchicagoguidesguideimagesaspID4

Carolinian Canada Coalition https://caroliniancanada.ca/ -home page https://caroliniancanada.ca/legacy/SpeciesHabitats_OtherRareSpecies.htm - Carolinian Zone Rare Species https://caroliniancanada.ca/legacy/SpeciesHabitats_RepSpecies.htm - Representative Animals and Plants https://caroliniancanada.ca/legacy/Publications/eis_F.pdf - Guide to Plant Selection https://caroliniancanada.ca/guide/article/planting-under-walnut-how-survive-juglan-zone-20160826 - Juglone tolerance

Prostrate Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila var. depressa), Online Conservation Guide, New York Natural https://guides.nynhp.org/dwarf-cherry/ Heritage Program

Greater Chicago Region Species and Family List, Environmental Studies, Lake Forest College https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/programs/environmental/courses/es203/day_by_day.php

Chilling out by the lake: arctic-alpine disjunct plants along Lake Superior, Lesley Ng, Parks Blog, Ontario Parks http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/arctic-alpine-disjunct-plants-of-lake-superior/#more-14557

CLIMBERS: Censusing Lianas in Mesic Biomes of Eastern RegionS, Robyn J. Burnham, U. of Michigan http://climbers.lsa.umich.edu/?page_id=8 - a climbing plant database

Comité régional pour la protection des falaises of the Piedmont, Prévost, Saint-Hippolyte escarpments http://www.parcdesfalaises.ca/index.php/la-flore-du-massif/#principale - the flora of the cliff massif

Connecticut Botanical Society http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/Plants - Vascular Plants of Connecticut Checklist https://www.ct-botanical-society.org/Gardens/view - Gardening with Native Plants

*Plant Database, University of Connecticut, College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources http://hort.uconn.edu/list.php

ConnecticutWilderness.com http://www.connecticutwilderness.com/- unable to find the original site; Mar 28, 2020

Delaware Wildflowers, David G. Smith http://www.delawarewildflowers.org/index.php

18 Sources and Resources

*Eastern Flowering Dogwood: Cornus florida, Norfolk Woodlot Owners Association http://www.norfolkwoodlots.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Dogwood-Sheet.pdf

Recovery Strategy for the Eastern Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in Canada; Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series, Environment Canada, Ottawa https://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/plans/ rs_eastern_flowering_dogwood_e_final.pdf

The Ecosystems of Ontario, Part 1: Ecozones and Ecoregions, Crins, Gray, et al.; Ontario Ministry of https://www.ontario.ca/page/ecosystems-ontario-part-1-ecozones-and-ecoregions Natural Resource www.eFloras.org - Flora of North America, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242417145 Herbaria, Cambridge, MA

Essex Region Conservation Authority: A Guide to Local Native Plants https://essexregionconservation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Native-Plant-Guide-for-web.pdf

Yellow Fairybells, (Prosartes lanuginosa), John Torrey, Natural History of New York, Part 2, Vol. 2, pp 321 https://books.google.ca/books? id=pJwgAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA321&lpg=PA321&dq=prosartes+lanuginosa+roots&source=bl&ots=gVCPcypEq W&sig=Nd6rxcayjoo74G5PJiWuJ3PnpQU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiY99DHr- TXAhUs9IMKHRCFARkQ6AEIWjAN#v=onepage&q=prosartes%20lanuginosa%20roots&f=false

Bulblet Bladder Fern (Cystopteris bulbifera), Bruce Trail Conservancy http://brucetrail.org/system/downloads/0000/0487/Archive_copy.pdf

Male Fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) in Durham Region, Ontario, Michael J. Oldham, OMNRF https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274250106_Male_Fern_Dryopteris_filix- mas_In_Durham_Region_Ontario

Ontario Ferns, Walter Muma http://www.ontarioferns.com/

Ferns and fern allies of Canada, WJ Cody and DM Britton, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada https://gardening.usask.ca/documents/Ferns_and_Fern_Allies_of_Canada.pdf

Rocky Mountain Fescue (Festuca saximontana), E-flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia; an initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Festuca%20saximontana

Jardin écologiquie Fletcher Wildlife Garden, Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club https://ofnc.ca/programs/fletcher-wildlife-garden - unable to find the original file; Mar 28, 2020

floraQuebeca, Denis Paquette, nomenclature and classification of Québec flora, 2015 http://www.floraquebeca.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/15mars2016-Nom-scientifique.pdf

*Friends of the Wild Flower Garden, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/ - click on Garden Information then Plant Community. www.frontyardrestoration.com 19 Sources and Resources

*Germination Guide, Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society http://www.onrockgarden.com/germination-guide/plants

Go Botany, Native Plant Trust, New England https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/simple/ - the ‘Search’ field is useful if you know the plant’s name

Summary of Key Identification Points of Goldenrods, Walter Muma http://ontariowildflowers.com/groups/2/GoldenrodID.pdf

Ontario Goldenrod (Solidago simplex ssp. randii var. ontarioensis), Invasive.org https://www.invasive.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=42579

Grasses of Ontario, William G. Dore and J. McNeill, Biosystematics Research Institute, Agriculture and http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/aac-aafc/A54-3-26-1980-eng.pdf Agri-Food Canada

Grey Bruce Wildflowers http://www.greybrucewildflowers.com/index.php - unable to find the original file; Mar 28, 2020

City of Guelph Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants, Healthy Landscapes http://guelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/droughtTolerant-NativePlants.pdf

Dwarf Hackberry (Celtis tenuifolia), Carolina Nature; Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/cete.html https://www.carolinanature.com/ - home page

Hardiness Zones, Natural Resources Canada http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=22&lang=en - zones by municipality http://planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=1&lang=en - zone map of Canada http://planthardiness.gc.ca/images/PHZ_2014_USDA_Map_30M.pdf - zones by Extreme Minimum Temp.

The Hidden Treasures of Carolinian Canada, Nina Barabas, Credit Valley Horticultural Society http://www.gardenontario.org/docs/fact_caroliniantalk.pdf - ‘Carolinian Talk’ not found; Mar 28, 2020

Lake Huron Coastal Dune Plants Guide, Clark & Peach, The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation http://www.huronkinloss.com/public_docs/documents/Lake_Huron_Coastal_Dune_Plants_Guide.pdf

Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/index.htm

*Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ - plant database

Tips and advice from landscape professionals, Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association https://landscapeontario.com/ - mostly exotics

*Lakeside Daisy (Tetraneuris herbacea), Midwest Region Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/plants/lakesidedaisy/index.html Service https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/plants/lakesidedaisy/lakeside.html

20 Sources and Resources

Flore Laurentienne, Gaëtan Morin, éditeur, 2002 https://www.florelaurentienne.com/flore/Groupes/Synopsis.htm

Maryland Biodiversity Project https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/index.php

Michigan Flora Online, University of Michigan Herbarium; College of Literature, Science, and the Arts http://michiganflora.net/specimen-search.aspx

*Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca) for Monarch Caterpillars, Monarch Butterfly Garden https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/milkweed-plant-seed-resources/asclepias-syriaca/

Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), Royal Botanical Gardens http://www.rbg.ca/archive/rare/epo_aexa.htm -

*Minnesota Wildflowers, a field guide to the flora of Minnesota; Katy Chayka and Peter Dziuk https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/ - notice the Search field in the upper right hand corner

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Trees and Forests https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees/native-trees.html - notice the Search field in the upper right hand corner

Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/plantfindersearch.aspx missouriplants.com, photographs and descriptions of the vascular plants of Missouri http://www.missouriplants.com/

The Morton Arboretum; Lisle, Illinois http://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/search-trees/search-all-trees-and-plants

What Do Those Botanical Names Mean, Rainy Side Gardeners http://www.rainyside.com/resources/reference/latin.html

*NANPS http://nanps.org/

*An Introduction to Native Plant Gardening- More Birds, More Bees, More Butterflies http://www.frontyardrestoration.com/

*Native Plant Encyclopedia, Canadian Wildlife Association http://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/encyclopedias/flora/

*Native Shrubs and Trees for Wildlife, London, Canada https://www.london.ca/residents/Property-Matters/Lawns-Gardens/Documents/ PLANT%20SPECIES%20LISTS%20UPDATE.pdf

*Oak Trees of Canada, Jacob J. Wright, Garden Guides https://www.gardenguides.com/101927-oak-trees-canada.html

www.frontyardrestoration.com 21 Sources and Resources

Ontario Trees & Shrubs, Walter Muma http://www.ontariotrees.com/

Species at risk in Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/species-risk-ontario-list -

The Tree Atlas, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/tree-atlas

Nature Lover, T. McLellan-Dath and C. Dath-McLellan; a nature blog naturelover.ca

*NatureNorth.com - Manitoba’s online nature magazine, Nature North Zine http://www.naturenorth.com/

Northern Ontario Plant Database, Susan J. Meades http://www.northernontarioflora.ca/

Southern Ontario Vascular Plant Species List, OMNR; unable to find original document - April 1, 2020 http://conservationontario.ca/events_workshops/ELC_portal/files/ S%20Plant%20Sp%20List%20Update%20July2013.pdf

Rare Plants Database, Royal Botanical Gardens http://www.rbg.ca/archive/rare/epo_plant.htm

Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario, Fourth Edition, Oldham, Brinker, Natural Heritage Information Centre, https://collections.ola.org/mon/23004/290066.pdf OMNR

Ontario Species at Risk, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/species-risk-type?name=Plants+and+Lichens

Wildflowers of Ontario, John Wright http://www.wildflowersofontario.ca/

Go Orchids, North American Orchid Conservation Center https://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/

Manitoba Orchid Society http://www.manitobaorchidsociety.ca/

Conserving Ontario Orchids, The Conservation Committee of the Southern Ontario Orchid Society (SOOS); A science module for Ontario elementary schools https://soos.ca/conservation/science-module/ -it’s best to download or print the PDF

*The Orchid Society of The Royal Botanical Gardens https://osrbg.ca/wp/

*Plants Database, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) https://plants.usda.gov/java/; if present, click on “Characteristics” and “Fact Sheet” for detailed data

22 Sources and Resources

Plants Database (Garden.org), The National Gardening Association, USA https://garden.org/plants/search/text.php

Plants for a Future: A resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants https://pfaf.org/user/Default.aspx

Plants of the Northeastern United States, Michael Hough http://www.thismia.com/index.html

Plant Species Information, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, Friends of the Arboretum https://arboretum.wisc.edu/get-involved/friends/native-plant-sale/plant-info-sheets/

Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), LORRAINEPETERS, The Garden Club of London gardencluboflondon.ca/2015/march-2015-wood-poppycelandine-poppy-stylophorum-diphyllum/

Prairie Pollination, The Manitoba Museum http://www.prairiepollination.ca/galerie_des_plantes_et_des_pollinisateurs-plant_and_pollinator_gallery/ galerie_principale-main_gallery/galerie_des_plantes-plant_gallery/ - Plant Gallery http://www.prairiepollination.ca/bienvenue_dans_les_prairies-welcome_to_the_prairies/types_de_prairie- prairie_types/ - Prairie Types

Prairies and Savannahs of NW Ontario, Tall Grass Ontario (Tgo) https://tallgrassontario.org/wp-site/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/PrairiesSavannahsofNWOntario.pdf https://tallgrassontario.org/wp-site/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/LandownersGuide2005.pdf www.tallgrassontario.org

Répetoire Québec Nature, a guide to identifying nature (not animals) present in Québec http://www.repertoirequebecnature.com/

La Vigile Verte, the ecosystem, flora, and fauna of the Saint-Jacques River (QC) and its watershed http://www.vigileverte.com/flore.html

*Rain Garden Requirements and Plant Lists, Illinois Department of Natural Resources https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/education/Pages/PlantListRainGarden.aspx

Recommended Native Wildflowers & Grasses for Naturalization Projects & Gardens in the Upper Thames River Watershed (Middlesex, Oxford, Perth Counties), Upper Thames River Conservation Authority http://thamesriver.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/NativeSpecies/Native-wildflowers-grasses.pdf

ResearchGate, a database of published research papers https://www.researchgate.net/

Revegetation Species Profiles, Alberta Centre for Reclamation and Restoration Ecology (ACRRE), https://acrre.ualberta.ca/resources/osrin-2009-2014/revegetation-species-profiles/ University of Alberta

Species at Risk within the Rice Lake Plains, Rice Lake Plains Initiative http://www.ricelakeplains.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RLPJI-Species-at-risk-booklet.pdf

www.frontyardrestoration.com 23 Sources and Resources

Rice Lake Plains Species at Risk, Rice Lake Plains Partnership https://www.ricelakeplains.ca/learning/species-at-risk/

Rosemére, QC; a small flora of its environs; François Gros d’Aillon http://www.labunix.uqam.ca/~fg/index.html - begin with the French and then translate to clear the ‘errors’

Saskatchewan Wildflowers http://www.saskwildflower.ca/native-plant-photos-list-of-all-plants-common-names.html http://www.saskwildflower.ca/nat_Lactuca-biennis.html

Saving Ontario’s Savannas, William Wilson, Tallgrass Ontario http://tallgrassontario.org/Publications/Will_Wilson_SaveOntarioSavannas.pdf http://tallgrassontario.org/index.html

White Mountain Saxifrage (Saxifraga paniculata), Tamara Bonnemaison, UBC Botanical Garden, UBC https://botanyphoto.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/2014/12/saxifraga-paniculata/

*Scorpionfly, a plant database of over 150 species native to E. Canada or NE USA http://www.scorpionfly.ca/plants/index.htm

Bushy Seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia), Phillip Merritt, Virginia Native Plant Society, John Clayton Chapter https://vnps.org/johnclayton/2016/02/22/seedbox-march-2016-wildflower-of-the-month/

Woody Shrubs for Stormwater Retention, Dropkin, Bassuk, and TSignorelli; Cornell University http://www.hort.cornell.edu/uhi/outreach/pdfs/woody_shrubs_stormwater-print.pdf

*Site and Insight, Reflecting on Art and Landscape, a nature blog; Pat Webster - Glen Villa estate http://www.siteandinsight.com/

*Black Snakeroot (Actaea racemosa), Specialty Cropportunities; OMAFRA http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/CropOp/en/herbs/medicinal/bkco.html

Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), Mark H. Brand; Plant Database, University of Connecticut http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/detail.php?pid=481

Tall Blue Lettuce (Lactuca biennis), Virtual Herbarium of Plants at Risk in Saskatchewan, U. of Sask. http://www.usask.ca/biology/rareplants_sk/root/htm/en/plants-description/lactuca-biennis/y-lactuca- biennis.php

The Arboretum, University of Guelph https://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/thingstosee

Trees of Ontario: the Ashes, CA Plexman, Natural Resources Canada, 1982 http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pubwarehouse/pdfs/9325.pdf

Canadian Tree Tours http://canadiantreetours.org/trees.html

24 Sources and Resources point59.ca, Carolinian and Deciduous Forest Trees of Southern Ontario http://www.point59.ca/

TreesForMe http://www.treesforme.com/About_Us.html

North Dakota Tree Handbook, North Dakota State University Tree Information Center https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/trees/n-d-tree-handbook

National Register of Champion Trees, American Forests https://www.americanforests.org/get-involved/americas-biggest-trees/champion-trees-national-register/

Jill and Olivia’s guide to deciduous trees of the Northeast!, Olivia Siegel and Jill Clapp-Hansen http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/Clapp_Hansen_Siegel/Pages/Search_Methods.html

Know Your Trees, JA Cope, FE Winch, Jr., and SJ Vance; LH Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University http://bhort.bh.cornell.edu/tree/

Trees and Shrubs online, International Dendrology Society https://treesandshrubsonline.org/

Tree Bee, Forests Ontario https://treebee.ca/ - click on ‘Identify a Tree’; you don’t need to ‘Register’ or ‘Sign In’ treenuts.ca, Canada Nutculture Association, Ottawa http://treenuts.ca/

Pawpaw Trees, City of Guelph -original file not found - Mar 28, 2020 https://guelph.ca/living/house-and-home/lawn-and-garden/

Trees, insects, and diseases of Canada’s forests, Natural Resources Canada https://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/en/trees/all

*Security Advice - Choose the Right Tree or Shrub, a shrub/tree database; Hydro Québec https://arbres.hydroquebec.com/search-trees-shrubs

Violets of the Ottawa District, John Gillett, Trail & Landscape 31(2): 53-64; Fletcher Wildlife Garden https://ofnc.ca/programs/fletcher-wildlife-garden/flora-and-fauna-at-the-fwg/violets-of-the-ottawa-district

Plant Establishment for Wetland Reclamation, Cooper, Evan et al; Colorado State University http://library.cemaonline.ca/ckan/dataset/030e976e-6f57-41a2-ad9f-c6a13e704c3c/resource/ bd5a753a-49ab-49be-9da6-d37005f9c69b/download/cooperwolfgageplantestablishmentreviewaugust2006.pdf

*Bebb’s Willow (Salix bebbiana), Precious Prairie Plants http://www.preciousprairieplants.com/blog/bebbs-willow

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

www.frontyardrestoration.com 25 Sources and Resources

Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Dave Spier, Adirondack Naturalist http://adirondacknaturalist.blogspot.com/2011/10/winterberry-dave-spier.html

Print

Canadian Wildlife, A magazine of the Canadian Wildlife Federation Taggart; Volume 16, #4

Cassell’s New Latin-English English-Latin Dictionary D.P. Simpson, Cassell & Company Ltd, 1959

Cultivated and Native Asters of Ontario Semple, Heard, & Brouillet; University of Waterloo Biology Series, 2002.

*FERNS, Wild Things Make Comeback in the Garden Burrell, Jones, Jones-Roe, Swell; Brooklyn Botanic Garden Inc., 1995

Forest Plants of Central ONTARIO Chambers, Legasy, Bentley; Lone Pine Publishing, 1996

*Great Natives for Tough Places Dunne, Editor; Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc., 2009

*Growing Wildflowers: A Gardener’s Guide Clare Sperka; Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. and Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., 1973

Guide d’identification des arbres du Québec et de l’est de l‘Amérique du Nord Williams; Broquet, 2008

Guide to Orchids of North America Petrie; Hancock House Publishers Ltd., 1981

Indian Summer, poem W.W. Campbell; Online text copyright © 2004, Ian Lancashire for the Department of English, University of Toronto. Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries

Introductory Botany: Plants, People, and The Environment Berg; Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2008

*Landscaping with Native Plants of Michigan Steiner; Voyageur Press, 2006

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers (Eastern Region) Thieret, Niering, Olmstead; Alfred A. Knopf, 2001

26 Sources and Resources

*Native Perennials: North American Beauties Beaubaire, Editor; Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc., 1998

Trees in Canada Farrar; Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd, and Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, SSC, 1995

Native Trees of Canada Hosie; Department of Supply and Services (Canada); Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., 1990

Naturescape Manitoba: all you need is a little space Manitoba Naturalists Society, 2006

*the new Ontario Naturalized Garden Johnson; Whitecap Books, 2001

The Orchids of Grey and Bruce Owen Sound Field Naturalists, 1997

Orchids of Manitoba - a field guide Ames, Acheson, et al.; Native Orchid Conservation Inc., 2nd Edition, 2016

*100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens Johnson; Whitecap Books, 2005

The ROM Field Guide to wildflowers of ONTARIO, Royal Ontario Museum Dickinson, Metsger, Bull, Dickinson; McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 2004

*The Shady Border: Shade-loving Perennials for Season-long Color Burrel, Editor; Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc., 2007

Shrubs of Ontario Soper, Heimburger; A Life Sciences Miscellaneous Publication of the Royal Ontario Museum, 1982

Soil Biology Primer Soil and Water Conservation Society https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/health/biology/

Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides www.bbg.org/gardening/handbooks

*taming wildflowers Goldberger; St. Lynn’s Press, 2014

Urban Soil Primer Scheyer and Hipple. Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, 2005 https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/use/urban/?cid=nrcs142p2_053993

Wetland Plants of Ontario Newmaster, Harris, Kershaw; Lone Pine Publishing, 1997

www.frontyardrestoration.com 27 Sources and Resources

Wildflowers of the Eastern United States W. W. Campbell; The University of Georgia Press, 1999

Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States Clemants, Gracie; Oxford University Press, 2006

*Woodland Gardens: Shade Gets Chic Burrell, Editor; Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc., 1998

Black Walnut. Sumach, most likely Staghorn, in bloom in bottom right corner.

28 Explanatory Notes

Explanatory Notes I recommend reading through these notes at least once.

The following is a hodgepodge of knowledge that can help you understand the information provided in the plant entries and in other sources. This is not a botany text and I am not a botanist nor a landscaper; this information is just to help give you a better understanding than what you might otherwise have had; the information may not conform to scientific definitions in all instances.

If anything looks more technical than you want to bother with, just skip it. Don’t stress out. Take what you need, forget the rest, and choose your plants. The Basics

Forb: a grouping of flora that’s commonly thought of as “flowers”. Also referred to as ‘flowering herbs’. It has two principle characteristics: it blossoms and it dies to the ground each winter. Mosses, grasses, sedges, rushes, ferns, vines, shrubs, and trees are not forbs.

“These are plants that produce flowers with conspicuous petals and/or sepals; the flowers of such plants are often showy and insect-pollinated. In contrast, grasses (Poaceae), sedges (Cyperaceae), and miscellaneous other plants are not forbs because their wind-pollinated flowers lack petals and sepals, or their petals and sepals are tiny and inconspicuous. Such wind-pollinated flowers are not very showy, although there are some exceptions.” Illinois Wildflowers, https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/.

Herbs; Herbaceous Plants: “…vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground”. Wikipedia.

Vascular Plants: land plants that have special tissues for conducting substances such as water, minerals, and nutrients throughout the plant, just like we have veins and arteries. Your flowers, ferns, shrubs, and trees are vascular.

Woodies: vines, shrubs, and trees that have woody stems/trunks that do not die to the ground each winter.

Graminoid: a member of the Grass family, Poaceae. A blade of grass has joints that are both visible and can be felt when you run your fingers up a blade.

Sedge: a member of the Sedge family, Cyperaceae. It generally looks and behaves just like grass, but has botanical differences. They do not have joints but they have edges that can be felt when you run your fingers up a blade; i.e. its blades are not round in cross-section.

Rush: a member of the Rush family, Juncaceae. A blade of rush is hollow.

Bulrushes: are members of the genus Scirpus, a member of the Sedge family.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 29 Explanatory Notes

Poales: just for interest’s sake, grasses, sedges, rushes, and bulrushes are all members of the order Poales.

Soil

Unless the first sentence of a plant entry specifies otherwise, it is assumed the species is most often found growing in loamy soil. For example, “>Full Sun; tolerates to Part Shade. Rich, moist to average soil” indicates that the species is most commonly found in loamy soil.

Discussing what is essentially dirt can be much more involved than you might think and most home gardeners are happy to simplify things — that’s exactly what is done here. We can do this because all you really need to do is have a fairly reasonable idea of your soil type and then be careful enough to choose species that suit it. Save yourself wasted money and labour because nurseries sell species that have evolved specifically to grow in your soil. These are the ones you want to buy and then love.

Sometimes people don’t like the soil they were given so they try to change it by trucking in amendments and fertilizers. It doesn’t work. Love the dirt you have and choose the species that suit it, the species that have adapted themselves to live in your yard exactly the way it is now.

Searching the Internet for ‘soil texture’ will quickly provide you with more than enough knowledge, but for a more comprehensive picture I recommend the books Urban Soil Primer (chapters 2-4), Soil Biology Primer, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens, and Introductory Botany (chapter 10, Mineral Nutrition and Transport in Plants). They’re listed in the ‘Sources and Resources’ section. The first two can be downloaded from the Internet for free.

Soil has four components: - inorganic mineral particles (broken down rock); - organic matter (organisms - alive, dead, or decomposing, plus their wastes); - air; - water.

Organic Matter is what makes dirt fertile. Fertile soil is often described as rich. You might think that all species prefer this, but there are many that actually prefer nutrient-poor. These are often Pioneer Species and they choose it because it limits the competition from other plants that require better.

Inorganic Mineral Particles come in three forms categorized by size: sand is the largest, silt is really very small (like in flour), and clay is ultra-microscopic. For the most part, it is size that determines the particle’s impact on your plants.

Soil Texture is defined as the proportion by weight of its sand, silt, and clay. Much to their chagrin, neither rocks nor gravel are included by botanists in texture, however many species care about them very much and, in fact, are often found growing in them. Since they are facts of life, in this catalogue, soil texture includes rocky and gravelly.

30 Explanatory Notes

Sandy soil contains more than 40% sand. The large size of these particles create relatively large spaces between themselves giving this texture its three important characteristics: i) water flows through freely providing Excellent Drainage with the result that it does not hold puddles for very long and roots don’t become waterlogged; ii) this excellent drainage means that the soil tends to dry out quickly and species that are not appropriately adapted will suffer; iii) these spaces provide room for the air that roots require for the plant to survive. So, having sand in your garden is ‘good’ because of water drainage and air spaces, but ’bad’ because it dries out.

Clayey soil contains more than 20% clay. The ultra-small size of these particles means: i) they are so tiny that through the laws of physics, water molecules actually stick to them hindering the soil from drying out; ii) they fit together tight enough to leave little room for air possibly suffocating roots; iii) fitting together so tightly, water cannot easily flow through causing very Poor Drainage, possibly to the point of drowned roots; iv) water will pool on the surface possibly long enough to create a Wetland - see slough and bog; and v) again through the laws of physics, vital nutrients stick to the particles preventing water from washing them away thus leaving them available for roots to absorb. So, clay is ‘good’ because it hinders soil from drying out too quickly, will increase the fertility of your garden, and can create wetland habitats changing the palete of species available to you; but ‘bad’ because it can suffocate or drown your plants.

While poor drainage sounds bad, many species choose it because they seek the additional moisture it provides over excellent drainage which will be dry. So, ’poor’ versus ’excellent’ - it all depends on to what a species has adapted itself.

Silty soil contains more than 40% silt and is often found in floodplains and old lake beds. The soil in a floodplain has been washed up and over the banks of rivers and streams by floods (Alluvium). Silt was once sand that the continuous movement of gritty water has worn down into a much smaller particle, but not yet reaching the smallest size of clay. Given enough time, this action would turn silt into clay and is why the two are often found together. It has much the same properties as clay but to a lesser extent.

Loam contains 40% each of sand and silt and 20% of clay. It is considered by some to be the best for gardens because it is the ‘middle ground’ - not too much and not too little of anything, so you get the benefits but not the drawbacks of excessive sand or clay. Many species with other soil preferences do just fine in it, but there are those that won’t, and I’d bet that most of these are probably the ones designed for sand, such as those that are found on beaches and shores.

Since soil is composed of different particle types, your garden could be described as sandy, loamy, or clayey; or it could be sandy-loam, clayey-loam, loamy-clay, silty-clay, or some other combination depending upon its proportions of the different particles. But again there’s good news. Unless your soil is heavily weighted towards one particle size or the other, you are free to chose any species that doesn’t have a strong preference. Conversely, if your soil is really sandy or really silty/clayey, just choose the species that have adapted to this type.

A very simple test to determine your texture type is called the Sedimentation Test of Soil, https://ucanr.edu/sites/UrbanAg/files/263165.pdf; or you might be able to ask a neighbour.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 31 Explanatory Notes

Sun Exposure

There is an infinite gradient between Full Sun and Full Shade. So, before reading the following, just repeat to yourself: Full Sun, More Sun than Shade, More Shade than Sun, Full Shade. While that’s almost all you need to know, it would be a good idea to know the meaning of Deciduous Shade, High Shade, Deep Shade, and Coniferous Shade because you’ll come across these terms in the sources.

Define for me Full Sun, Sun, Part Sun, Dappled Light, Part Sun/Shade, Part Shade, Part Shade/ Sun, Shade, High Shade, Light Shade, Dappled Shade, Deciduous Shade, Full Shade, and Deep Shade. I have seen all of these terms used, but then not defined. I truly believe that many sources and nurseries are intentionally vague just so no one has to deal with this messiness. Ah, the joys of gardening.

At first it probably won’t come naturally to you, but using the Environments listed in each plant entry as your guide can make it simpler for you to find in the catalogue the species that are right for your light; i.e. first determine the defining characteristics of your garden space (meadow, wet thicket, forest edge, deciduous forest floor, glade, swampy woods, etc.) and then look for the species that grow in your environment and then you don’t have to worry so much about the quality of light. For example, if a species has coniferous forest listed as an environment and it just so happens that your garden is within a coniferous forest (perhaps a really small one), then you know that species is adapted to your garden’s light. So, practice reading through the environments until you can see how some of them correspond to your garden.

It make take some trial and error to see the reactions of purchased plants to your sun conditions. In winter I chose plants for a forest glade and anticipated no supplemental watering only to find that in summer in the late afternoon the Wild Ginger at the edge of the garden would wilt from too much light. There are days when I water them.

Often a species can tolerate more sun if it has access to consistent moisture. Also, note that a plant may wilt during a hot, sunny day just to rejuvenate over night not requiring supplemental watering. In theory, this ‘temporary wilting’ reduces the leaf’s surface area thus reducing water loss through ‘transpiration’ and is thought to be harmless to the plant.

Below is an amalgamation of definitions used by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide, Great Natives for Tough Places, Marie Sperka's Growing Wildflowers, and my own experience with other sources. Because this catalogue uses many sources, I cannot guarantee that the sun/shade terms used strictly abide by these.

Full Sun: 10 or more hours of direct summer sun, such as found in prairies and meadows; shade after 4 pm is acceptable.

Sun: at least 8 hours of sun a day, preferably beginning early in the morning; do not count the time after 4 pm.

Filtered Sun, Dappled Light, Light Shade: such as the light that has passed through the branches and trunks of a deciduous forest before the leaves have come out.

32 Explanatory Notes

Light Shade: 5-10 hours of direct sun, such as at forest edges and in thickets; in my opinion, direct sun for upwards of 10 hours is too much to be considered light shade.

Part Shade: less than 5 hours of direct sun or at least half a day of shade.

Deciduous Shade: the shade cast by a deciduous forest that varies through the seasons; in spring before the full canopy comes out, light filtered by trunks and sparsely leaved branches reaches the ground and blesses the first flowers of the season with life; once the canopy is full it may then be Full Shade, High Shade, or Open Shade.

High (Open) Shade: the shade cast by tall deciduous trees with a high canopy that permits dappled light and the slanting rays of the sun to reach the ground; may also refer to the shade cast by a wall or fence where indirect sun still reaches the plants.

Full Shade: 1 hour or less of direct sun but may receive filtered/dappled light for all or part of the day.

Deep Shade: the constant full shade beneath conifers, dense shrubs, or a wall/fence.

Dense Shade: similar to Deep Shade.

Coniferous Shade: the constant shade cast by conifer trees; sometimes referred to as: -dry shade: caused by the shallow, extensive, and thirsty root systems of some conifers; -moist shade: the higher moisture content of the air caused by protection from the drying wind; -cool shade: temperatures may be several degrees lower due to the increased moisture and the complete absence of the burning sun; -mosquito shade: I made this up from personal bites; mosquitoes are often found in the same high moisture habitats as are many species of conifers and in sites protected from the wind.

You may find it interesting to note that short plants or ground-covers growing on a site without shrubs or trees in classic full sun habitats such as a prairie will still experience shade from the taller plants around and over them, especially as the season progresses and everything becomes taller.

Grass

Sod-forming Grass spreads aggressively using long underground runners called rhizomes that propagate offspring both near and far from the mother plant until the ground is thick with them; they are not good for gardens or under shrubs/trees because they are too aggressive to allow many other species to survive and the sod will soak up moisture before it penetrates into the soil; your lawn is composed of sod grass. The ones sold in native plant nurseries tend not to be particularly aggressive and are more likely to form a colony or a more loosely knit sod that are more compatible with other plants.

Bunch-forming Grass has shorter, less aggressive rhizomes that don’t reach very far from the mother plant; it just grows into a bigger bunch (tussock), and not sod. These grasses are perfect for gardens because you can grow your flowers between the tussocks and also for beneath shrubs and trees since they allow rain to pass through to their roots. www.frontyardrestoration.com 33 Explanatory Notes

Cool Season Grass is lush and green early in spring when the temperature is still cool, blooms before just about everything else from late spring to peak summer, retreats at summer’s hottest, and gives a final burst of growth when cooler weather returns in the fall. While your neighbour’s yard is still drab, cool season grass shines.

Warm Season Grass doesn’t green up until late spring and blooms only once peak summer heat has been attained, from midsummer to fall; so if it’s spring and some of your grasses look dead, don’t yet fret until summer is well underway.

Lesson: Choose both warm and cool season grasses so your garden is always lush and green.

Tussock: “a small area of grass that is thicker or longer than the grass growing around it”, Wikipedia.

Grassland Habitats

Prairie For this catalogue principally intended for residential neighbourhoods, a prairie garden is a full sun, nutrient-poor, dry site populated by flowers and grasses where shade-casting shrubs and trees are removed by the home owner. However, a real prairie is “…a grassland of native grasses, sedges, rushes and forbs with woodies affecting less than 10% of the space, maintained by fire, grazers, and drought, or one mowing a year”. Gardening with Prairie Plants.

In truth, some of Canada’s prairies are the most fertile soil that we have; hence, all that wheat.

From driest to the most moist, there are Shortgrass, Dry Mixedgrass, Moist Mixedgrass, Fescue, and Tallgrass Prairies. Canada does not contain any shortgrass prairie and Ontario only has tallgrass.

They can further be described as Hill, Sand, Dry, Mesic, Lowland, or Upland and, thankfully, their names speak for themselves. The italicized names are defined elsewhere.

Tallgrass Prairie: a grassland dominated by grasses that can easily be from 3’ to 6’ when in flower and even up to 12’ when growing in rich, moist sites. Big Bluestem and Yellow Indiangrass fit the bill.

The Prairie section lists species that have adapted to a site that is Full Sun with dry, nutrient- poor soil. So, this definition includes frontyards of sandy soil that you never intend on watering, shores, beaches, alvars, limestone pavements, etc. If it’s full sun, dry, and nutrient poor then it must be a prairie. Case closed. If you’ve got the sun, but not the other two, be sure to check out the Meadow Section.

Meadow: a synonym of prairie that’s used more in the eastern part of the country; a full sun habitat of mostly grasses and sedges interspersed with flowers and infrequent shade-casting shrubs and/or trees. If permitted, these woodies would prosper and prosper and the yard would eventually restore itself back into the forest that once reigned supreme over most of Ontario.

34 Explanatory Notes

For this catalogue, a Meadow garden is a full sun, mesic (average moisture) site populated by flowers and grasses where shade-casting shrubs and trees are removed by the home owner.

Field: a farmer’s cultivated acreage. Often used to indicate abandoned farmland containing a mix of native and non-native plants and that is succeeding (see Succession) in to an open woods; that is, shrubs and trees are multiplying.

Pasture: a man-made grassland used for grazing animals.

Sedge Meadow: meadows dominated by sedges; are wet to standing water in the spring and then sometimes they dry out completely by the end of summer. This is a type of lowland.

Trees

Conifers: cone-bearing trees and shrubs such as Cedars, Firs, Larch, Pines, Tamarack, and Spruce. Sometimes referred to as Evergreens because, except for Larch, they do not lose their leaves all at once in the fall, but instead lose and replace them throughout the year. Also referred to as Softwoods and Gymnosperms.

Gymnosperms: a group of plants whose seeds are not contained within an ovary or fruit, i.e. are bare (gymno-); conifers are gymnosperms.

Deciduous: trees that lose their leaves all at once in the fall. Also referred to as Hardwoods and Broadleaved. The Larch is our only deciduous conifer, but is neither a hardwood nor a broadleaved.

Angiosperms: flowering plants whose seeds are contained within an ovary or fruit, i.e. are cased (angio-); hardwood and broadleaved trees are angiosperms; coniferous trees and shrubs are not.

Mixed: a term used to describe a wooded habitat containing both coniferous and deciduous trees and/or shrubs.

Wooded Habitats

Forest: “A large area covered by trees”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest. The Website Evergreen, evergreen.ca, before it was updated, defined forest as a habitat with over 65% canopy cover.

Woodland: —Evergreen, evergreen.ca, before it was updated defined woodland as a general term for a habitat with 35-60% canopy cover. — Illinois Wildflowers, https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/: “This is an area that is dominated by canopy trees”.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 35 Explanatory Notes

Open Woods, Parkland, and Savanna are essentially synonymous; I believe that in North America, Open Woods is the more common term. Alberta has Aspen Parklands. Manitoba has Oak Savannas and in Toronto High Park has one.

Open Woods is a general term for a habitat with no more than 25% canopy cover.

Savanna: “The transition from forest to prairie. When 10 to 25% of a prairie is shaded by trees…”; Gardening with Prairie Plants. It is also spelled ‘savannah’.

Forest Floor: a habitat with full shade to filtered light whether created by trees, shrubs, or buildings; note that there are very few plants, if any, that don’t benefit from at least some sunlight, even if only dappled. Forest floor plants often expect full sun in the spring before the canopy forms, i.e. Deciduous Shade. In this catalogue the forest floor includes the Understory.

Understory: “In forestry and ecology, understory (or understorey, underbrush, undergrowth) comprises plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above the forest floor. Only a small percentage of light penetrates the canopy so understory vegetation is generally shade tolerant”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understory.

Bluff: sometimes used as a synonym of copse, but more commonly indicates an elevation such as a hill, promontory, ridge, headland, etc, often thinly wooded and frequently overlooking a river valley or ravine.

Copse: a small group of trees.

Thicket: a group of bushes and/or trees; for the purposes of this catalogue, it casts ‘more sun than shade’ and is the wooded component of an open woods. —“…an area that is dominated by shrubs and vines, rather than trees or low ground vegetation”; Illinois Wildflowers, https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/. —“A loosely defined term for usually small areas (or narrow ones, as along a stream) with ± dense shrubs or small trees”; LSA Herbarium Glossary, University of Michigan, https:// michiganflora.net/home.aspx. —“A variety of shrubs growing together surrounded by prairie or wedged between prairie and woodland”; Gardening with Prairie Plants.

Moist to Wet Habitats

Lowland: a site with one at least one of the following characteristics: perpetually waterlogged, covered by shallow water for part of the year, the water table is just below the surface, or endures periodic flooding. Lowlands frequently exist on the edges of aquatic habitats, such as shores, stream banks, etc..

Aquatic: permanent standing or flowing water. Aquatic species are not covered in this catalogue. The plants within are not for in the water but the soil bordering the water, though the site may be seasonally flooded. Lowland is a terrestrial habitat, not aquatic.

36 Explanatory Notes

Alluvium: “a deposit of clay, silt, and sand left by flowing floodwater in a river valley or delta, typically producing fertile soil”, Wikipedia. Alluvial is the adjective.

Floodplain: a lowland that endures occasional flooding with the resulting sediment deposit (alluvium) from a nearby body of water such as a creek, stream, or river. All plants with floodplain listed as an Environment can endure short term standing water.

Bog: a nutrient-poor, acidic, peat-forming, waterlogged, flat lowland with an impermeable base, often of either bedrock or clay; its water source is solely from precipitation; its water is stagnant; water level rises and sinks with precipitation; plant life is dominated by sphagnum moss and small shrubs. The shrubs die, decompose incompletely, and form peat. This peat can help to build up hummocks. Older bogs become treed with flood-tolerant, acid-preferring conifers such as Tamarack. More common in the Boreal regions.

Bottomland: “…low-lying alluvial land near a river”; Wikipedia.

Fen: lowland with very slowing flowing water fed by ground water upwells and precipitation. Plant life tends to consist of moss, shrubs, grasses, sedges, and rushes. The water that swells up from the ground brings with it minerals, such as calcium, with the result that a fen is more alkaline than a bog. However, as in bogs, hummocks can form and extend above the surface of the water. A hummock is drier and tends to be more acidic than at water level.

Hummock: a low raised mound. When found in fens and bogs they are formed by an accumulation of peat, moss, sedges and grasses. Their surfaces provide homes for non- aquatic lowland plants. They can also be found in drier habitats such as prairies, meadows, and open woods. The growth of the roots of plants create them over several seasons.

Marsh: an open, treeless wetland with aquatic plants (emergents) growing at its edges and in its shallow areas; will expand or shrink during the season according to rainfall.

Meadow Marsh: the transition zone (Ecotone) between marsh and dry land; tends to be slightly alkaline. Its plants can endure both wet and dryer conditions.

Mesic: not too wet and not too dry. In the Plant Entries, Average is used instead of ‘mesic’ to indicate the moisture level of typical loamy Ontario soil. I have seen mesic defined as ‘a satisfactory amount of moisture’.

Rain Garden: a man-made lowland often at the end of an eavestrough downspout.

Sedge Meadow: meadows dominated by sedges; they are wet to standing water in the spring and then sometimes they dry out completely by the end of summer.

Slough: low land or land composed of silt and/or clay that holds water for long periods of time after snow melt and heavy rains, but then eventually dries up. Many plants have specialized themselves to these conditions (wet then dry). Can be used to describe more specific habitats, for example Slough Meadow and Slough Forest.

Swale: a low site between ridges or mounds of soil where moisture/water collects. A ditch is a man-made swale. Interdunal Swale: the swale created between dunes on a shore. Water www.frontyardrestoration.com 37 Explanatory Notes sometimes remains there after storms and high water creating a micro-habitat; often found along the shores of the Great Lakes.

Swamp: a nutrient rich wetland with deciduous or coniferous trees/shrubs and slow moving water; will expand, shrink or dry up during the season according to the rainfall and the amount of sun. Coniferous Swamps tend to be neutral to alkaline, but can be acidic.

Habitats on Bedrock

Alvar For this catalogue it is considered to be a prairie: full sun, nutrient-poor, and dry; in Ontario they are principally found on the Niagara Escarpment, Manitoulin Island, and the northern mainland, but also in the deep extreme southwest of the province.

-The ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario: “flat areas of limestone with patchy vegetation where sparse soil has accumulated in the cracks”.

-LSA Herbarium Glossary, University of Michigan, https://michiganflora.net/glossary.aspx: “Flat glaciated limestone rock ("pavement") with thin (if any) soil and usually graminoid vegetation with trees few and often dwarfed”.

-Ontario Parks Blog, https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/carden-alvar-provincial-park-and-iba/ - photographs: “…a type of grassland habitat — is only found in a few spots in Ontario (and around the world). Alvar is characterized by thin soils and sparse vegetation, on top of limestone bedrock, and poor drainage. All this makes it a harsh environment that supports unique assemblages of species, many of which are identified as provincially and/or nationally rare”.

-Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers, http://www.ontariowildflower.com/manitoulin_alvar_pavement.htm#top - photographs; http://www.ontariowildflower.com/habitat.htm#beach - photographs: “Open alvar pavement areas have less than 10% tree and shrub cover, the vegetation cover is patchy, and exposed bare bedrock exceeds 50%. Soil is very thin - it is not uncommon for soil to be limited to 2 cm in thickness”. “Alvar is a limestone plain that is covered with scattered vegetation. The alvar experiences extreme wet and dry conditions. Alvars have their own unique flowering plants that tolerate or require the extreme variations in moisture, the cracks in the limestone bedrock, and soil that is rich in calcium, derived from the limestone rock”.

-Conservation 101: Alvars, Nature Conservancy of Canada, https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/documents/on/Alvars_101_Factsheet_FINAL.pdf - photographs: “Alvars are globally rare, naturally open habitats with either a thin covering of soil or no soil over a base of limestone or dolostone. Their unique features are the result of seasonal extremes from spring and fall flooding to summer drought”. “While at first glance alvars may appear barren, at a small scale they can be among the most species-rich communities in the world”.

38 Explanatory Notes

Calcareous Glade: “A calcareous glade is an ecological community…where bedrock such as limestone occurs near or at the surface, and have very shallow and little soil development. Because of the shallow soil and the extreme conditions created by it, trees are often unable to grow in the glades. This creates a habitat that is usually sunny, dry, and hot. Calcareous glade vegetation is more similar to that of a desert habitat than a grassland…”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcareous_glade - photographs.

Limestone Glade: “…an herb- and graminoid-dominated plant community with scattered clumps of stunted trees and shrubs growing on thin soil over limestone or dolomite. Tree cover is typically 10 to 25%, but occasionally as high as 60%”. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Michigan State University, https://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/communities/description/15983 -photographs.

Limestone Pavement: “…a natural karst [a water-soluble bedrock habitat] landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limestone_pavement - photographs.

Plant Hardiness Zones in Canada

A plant hardiness zone is a geographical region the Canadian government has defined using a formula based on seven climatic variables that influence a plant’s survival. For example, you might read that species XYZ is hardy from Hardiness Zone 7a (Essex County) to 0b (south shore of Hudsons Bay). Sometimes these zones are erroneously used to imply that a species is native to a region; because a plant can survive doesn’t make it native. http://planthardiness.gc.ca/images/PHZ_2014_CFS_Map.pdf - plant hardiness zones map; http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/climate/hardiness/index.html - plant hardiness zones Index;

Do not confuse these zones with Extreme Minimum Temperature Zones which are based on the average extreme minimum temperatures of a geographical area for the period 1981 to 2010. This is the method used by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Open Woods

The garden types defined specifically for this catalogue are: Lowland, Prairie, Meadow, Open Woods, Forest Glade, Forest Floor. Each type is given its own section where more information is available. Open Woods is more complicated than the others.

Open Woods really consists of two habitats. First, it’s either a full sun meadow or prairie. Use the Prairie or Meadow sections to find plants for here. But as a bonus, within the meadow or prairie is a second habitat, the thicket. This is a small collection of full sun tree(s) and/or shrub(s) that shelter more shade-tolerant plants. They often occur in a site more moist than the surrounding drier environment. This shade constitutes the “More Sun than Shade” garden type. The plants that either cause or grow in this shade are listed in the Open Woods section. A model for a thicket is an accent garden in a frontyard which has a tree or shrub as its prime

www.frontyardrestoration.com 39 Explanatory Notes focus, but is surrounded by a small flower garden within its part sun/shade.

Upland

Upland is higher in elevation than lowland. Water flows downhill so an upland habitat is drier. When reading sources this term might confuse you. Is your garden upland? It’s not at the top of a hill and it’s not at the bottom of a hill. The bottom line is that when a source refers to upland they are referring to a site that has dry to average (mesic) moisture. A lowland garden is prone to dampness, while an upland one is not.

Disturbed Habitats

Man-made: fields, pastures, fencerows, ditches, logging (clearings), power-line clearances, trailsides, road/railroad sides/embankments, mown lawn, pruned shrubs/trees, raked soil, cemeteries, vacant lots, waste areas, gravel pits, borrow pits, abandoned industrial sites, etc..

Natural: forest/grass fires, the digging of animals, flooding streams, rising/falling bodies of water, torrential rain, flowing water, pestilence, a tree falls/dies, etc..

These disturbances change the environment’s characteristics in ways that are important to plants, but it isn’t always easy for us to understand how. (Why are some species often found along roadsides. Do they have some neurotic need for asphalt?) In the plant entries, when reading through the Environments looking for ones that correspond to your garden’s, try to understand the benefits each environment is offering the plant; e.g. increased sunlight, reduced competition, improved drainage, improved soil fertility, exposed soil, the simple opportunity to exist unmolested and then you know the qualities that are really important in making it happy.

Here are some reasons why a species may choose an altered habitat: -a farmer’s fencerow and a country roadside offer an opportunity to persist to the plants that were growing in the original habitat before the disturbance occurred, e.g. forest plants along a farmer’s fencerow were there before the land was cleared. -burnt-out areas, over-grazed pastures, sites of reduced soil fertility, borrow pits, abandoned work sites, compacted soil, and forest cuts all removed the pre-existing vegetation thus reducing the competition giving new species the space and resources to thrive. Species unable to tolerate competition won’t thrive in a busy garden. -power-line clearings and roadsides through forests draw the sun lovers out of the woods; -a fence line, farmland corners, cemetery corners, open lots, or an unmown lawn go unweeded so plants survive through neglect. Why always a formal garden bed? Choose to fill out of the way corners of your yard with these plants. -forest and grass fires improve soil fertility by taking the nutrition out of the vegetation and returning it to the soil. -abandoned work sites and vacant lots simply allow seeds to be blown in from, perhaps, considerable distances; e.g. dandelion and milkweed seeds. -a roadside ditch offers increased moisture. -road and railroad embankments offer improved drainage.

40 Explanatory Notes

-soil disturbed by flowing water, digging animals, upturned trees, weeding, raking, or mechanical means may expose to the sun seeds that require light to germinate or bury seeds seeds that need to be covered by soil to germinate.

A plant growing in a disturbed site may indicate that it is a Pioneer Species.

Pioneer vs Conservative Species

Pioneer Species have adapted themselves to live in harsh environments intolerable to others or to move into recently disturbed habitats from which other species have been removed. It is the lack of competition, exposed soil, and increased sunlight that attracts them. While they are opportunists, they give back by improving the site for the next species that succeeds them. They improve soil fertility by the repeated decomposition of their roots during their life and death cycles and sometimes their roots take the vital nutrient nitrogen out of the air and stabilize it in the ground (nitrogen-fixers), in order to survive nutrient-poor soil. Also they provide shelter from the unfiltered rays of the sun and their roots can prevent the soil from being blown or washed away.

They have a relatively short term presence in the site because eventually they will either be out competed by more conservative species or themselves removed by the next disturbance of the habitat; they are often described as short lived. Because of this they tend to be fast growing and aggressive, expending their energy on copious seed production instead of extensive roots and body mass with the aim of quickly propagating their species before the plant’s disappearance. They may have developed efficient seed dispersal mechanisms in order to spread themselves into other habitats - think of the milkweed’s seeds blowing in the wind.

The time span from the arrival and disappearance of these species may be a matter of a few seasons for wildflowers such as Cardinal Flower to decades for shrubs and trees such as Hawthorn and Ash.

It is important to be aware that a pioneer in your garden will disappear eventually if you don’t continually recreate a disturbance. This can be done by thinning out other species as required, maintaining sunlight by trimming the canopy of taller plants/shrubs, or by raking the ground around them to create a suitable site for seed germination.

If your garden has harsh conditions such as nutrient-poor soil, compacted soil, or rocky ground a suitable pioneer may be just what you need.

Sometimes these species are planted as a ‘nurse crop’. Wildrye planted in a newly seeded garden will spread quickly to inhibit invading weeds and then disappear in a few years when your more conservative plants have matured and are flourishing.

Conservative Species are in for the long haul and to outlast the rest. Before they expend any energy producing seed, to help ensure its long-term survival they will spend time, perhaps two, three to 10 years or more in the case of trees, sending down an extensive root system to both both stabilize the plant and to reach hard-to-find moisture during dry spells and they will also build thick, sturdy, tall stems or trunks that can withstand the onslaught of diseases, pests, and www.frontyardrestoration.com 41 Explanatory Notes strong winds and extend above its competitors to steal the sunlight. Having ensured a relative permanence, it can spend many seasons producing relatively few seeds each year, but at its leisure. Unlike pioneer species that compensate for their shorter duration by focusing on propagation, conservatives build themselves to have many productive years.

A garden populated with conservatives should be a stable garden with few disappearances of species.

Succession: the process by which pioneer species in an environment are replaced by more conservative species. When an environment is populated by only the most conservative of species it is said to have reached climax, as in a climax forest, and is in a state of equilibrium and will not undergo further changes until a habitat disturbance occurs.

If you leave your garden untouched without thinning out the more aggressive or conservative species, then eventually the ‘weaker’ species will disappear and the stronger will inherit the earth and your labour will be greatly simplified at the expense of variety and benefit to wildlife.

Roots and Modified Stems

Caudex: a root mass that is firm and hardened at the top; usually has fibrous roots running from it. Caudices is the plural.

Corm: a modified stem that is underground; swollen and squashed-looking; used to store energy reserves.

Rhizome: a modified stem that runs underground to periodically send down new roots and new shoots up (suckers) to produce a new plant vegetatively. Long Rhizomes: some species have long ones; they can spread the mother plant aggressively to create colonies or, in the case of grasses, sod. Short Rhizomes: species with short ones are less aggressive, so that the plant tends to form large clumps as do bunch-forming grasses. Rhizomatous: describes a root system of many rhizomes.

Stolon: modified stems that run from the base of the plant along the surface of the ground to periodically put down roots to vegetatively begin a new plant; stolons can be aggressive and colony or thicket forming. Commonly referred to as Runners.

Taproot: the principle root of a plant that is thick and plunges straight down; usually has side roots, often fibrous, running from it. Carrots are taproots, but so are radishes and turnips despite their differences in shape. As demonstrated by these three species, it may be a storage organ for energy reserves. Species with this kind of root system are usually not aggressive except by self-sowing; can be difficult to transplant because to be successful, you need to obtain the complete root right to its very end which can be quite deep, especially with trees. They also do not do well in shallow soil because the root needs to extend down for its full length. A tree with a taproot is usually wind-firm.

Tuber: a modified root that is swollen and used to store energy reserves. Potatoes are tubers.

42 Explanatory Notes

Miscellaneous

Aggressive: describes a species that can spread very rapidly either through rhizomes or the copious production of seeds that germinate easily. Excellent for large areas and fas a ground cover. May not be the best choice for a small garden where you don’t want less aggressive plants out competed. You can also grow more than one aggressive in a garden to let them fight it out. Plants that spread aggressively by seed can be controlled by Dead-heading, cutting the dead blossom off before it goes to seed.

Annual: a species that lives for one year from seed germination to flowering to seed production to death; usually these plants are copious seed producers and, if the conditions are favourable, will self-sow and, in fact, be aggressive. Still, it’s best to plant more than one to help guarantee their persistence in your garden. The trick is to not weed out the newbies in their first year because they’re growing where you can’t remember ever having planting them and you haven’t recognized them yet as desirables.

Anther: the tip of the stamen (male flower part) where pollen is held.

Biennial: a species that does not bloom its first year, but only in its second, and then dies. If the conditions are favourable they do not need to be continually re-planted because they are copious seed coproducers and will self-sow. The trick is to not pull out the newbies their first year because they don’t look like the mature plant.

Bract: a leaf-like appendage, large to very small, within or beneath the bloom. On a rose, bracts prominently embrace the blossom from below.

Carolinian Canada: “… a unique ecosystem zone found in southern Ontario. The term 'Carolinian' refers to its similarity to the forests found in North and South Carolina in the southern United States. The Carolinian zone in Canada is extremely rich in both plant and animal species. Even though this region includes examples of sand dunes, marshes, and tall- grass prairies, it is the southern-type deciduous forests which characterize this unique Canadian ecosystem.” Carolinian Canada. Corresponds to Region 1. https://beesweetnature.ca/knowledge-base/carolinian-canada/?v=e4b09f3f8402; https://caroliniancanada.ca/legacy/site_map.htm; https://caroliniancanada.ca/legacy/FactSheets_IndSpecies.htm https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer? ll=42.83444033990235%2C-80.92321400000003&spn=2.294474%2C4.45296&t=m&msa=0&source=e mbed&ie=UTF8&mid=1JRvaiUIQcvqYm2UZNRE6Bu5aW-E&z=9.

Catkins: a soft, dense, usually short spike, drooping or erect, either composed of male or female blossoms lacking petals. Those dangling things on birch and willows are catkins. Immature male catkins dangling from a branch straight through winter make an interesting sight that makes you a promise of spring. May you be there to see it.

www.frontyardrestoration.com 43 Explanatory Notes

Clearing: often refers to a man-made glade or small meadow within a forest such as those created by logging or power-line clearances. Sometimes refers to the full sun grassland between thickets in an open woods.

Competition: plants are waging a continuous war amongst themselves for space, water, light, and nutrition in order to survive. It is a slow motion battle to the death. A more aggressive species or ones better adapted to a habitat will survive and the others will perish. To avoid competition, some species have adapted to inhospitable sites, such as nutrient-poor, within which others will perish.

Deer Resistant: I once overheard at a convention that there is no such thing as a truly deer resistant plant. For what it’s worth, if a source claims “not eaten”, “occasionally eaten”, or “rarely eaten”, the plant is stated to be “Deer Resistant”. Sometimes deer will only eat the leaves while the plant is young and tender. Sometimes a plant is left alone until the munchers preferred foods are gone and they’re really hungry - common in winter.

Ditch: a man-made swale; moisture collects at its bottom. Often found along road/railroad sides.

Dunes: sand dunes, but not limited to beaches; they may be found in a prairie, meadow, or forest where ever there is lots of sand.

Ephemeral: a species that blooms in the spring, then dies to the ground at summer to re- emerge again the next spring; e.g. crocus, tulip, daffodil, Virginia Bluebells, Trillium. For these the waking life is brief and they are all the more precious to us for it.

Extirpated: a plant locally extinct from a region where it once grew natively.

Fencerow: see Disturbed Habitats.

Fresh Soil: damp.

Goldenrod: an important feeder of bees and butterflies at the critical end of season before the onset of frost. They do not cause hay-fever because its pollen is much too heavy to be carried by the wind. They are pollenated by bees. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the hay-fever causing culprit. The goldenrod genera, Solidago and Symphyotrichum, are tolerant of juglone.

Good-drainage: usually sandy, rocky, or gravelly soil, or a site that is on a slope. Does not hold puddles. Clay provides poor-drainage. Slopes provide excellent drainage. Species that require good-drainage are often good candidates for rock gardens.

Humus: the organic portion of soil formed by the decomposition of plant and animal litter.

Juglone: a chemical toxic to many plants and that is found in the leaves, nuts, and roots of members of the Juglan genus; e.g. Black Walnut and Butternut. Black Walnut produces the most of all. The chemical accumulates directly beneath the canopy and this is the danger zone. Interestingly enough, the nuts and saplings of neither the Walnut nor Butternuts are juglone tolerant.

44 Explanatory Notes

Larvae: another word for butterfly and moth caterpillars. If the word makes you squeamish, just say to yourself instead, ‘baby butterflies’.

Measurement Conversion: 1 ft = 30.5 cm 15 cm = 5.9 in 1 m = 3.2 ft However, in writing this catalogue when converting metric to imperial units for sources that used metric I have actually used: 1 m = 3 ft 15 cm - 6 in This means that if a source states that a tree may attain 40m, I give the maximum height as 120’, an error of 11’. However, trees usually don’t reach their possible maximum height. I have also used an approximation for centimetres (15cm = 6 inches), but the resulting error is much less.

Mesic: soil that is not too wet and not too dry. In the plant entries, Average has been used instead of ‘mesic’ to indicate the average moisture of average Ontario soil.

Naturalizing, as in ‘this plant is good for naturalizing an area’: the effect of common, native species when re-introduced to a site that is its natural habitat and that will prosper and fulfill its ecological roles.

Nitrogen-fixing: A nitrogen-fixing species has adapted to nutrient-poor soil by the ability of its roots to take nitrogen, a critical nutrient, out of the air and ‘fix it’ in the soil for its own use and in doing so, make it biologically available to other plants as well; plants in the Legume/Pea/Bean family are capable of fixing nitrogen.

Nutrient-poor: species that can tolerate nutrient-poor soil are often accustomed to growing in a site that is sparsely populated; if planted in nutrient-rich, they may be out-competed by their robust neighbours. Pioneer species and species capable of nitrogen-fixing often prefer nutrient- poor.

Orchids: orchid blossoms mature into pods containing thousands of dust-like seeds capable of being distributed over great distances by wind and water. Because each tiny seed contains little of its own energy reserve, for it to successfully germinate it must land in soil containing the correct fungi with which it can form a symbiotic relationship. The fungus first supplies the roots from the germinating seed its required nutrition; then, in return, the adult plant will feed the fungus. So, orchids can be difficult to cultivate in a garden because the soil is lacking the correct fungus and, in addition, they’re notoriously difficult to get to survive transplanting. You should ask your supplier for advice about these matters.

Perennial: a plant that lives for more than 2 years; unless otherwise indicated plants in this catalogue are perennial.

Plant Spacing Guide: how far apart should you plant your plants? 1) one plant per square foot (especially grasses)? 2) half the height of the plant apart? www.frontyardrestoration.com 45 Explanatory Notes

3) depends on the aggressiveness of the plant? 4) ask your trusted nursery person.

Poisonous: the eating of any plant or part thereof is not encouraged by the author. Be aware that some native plants are toxic to farm and domestic animals, but nurseries are unlikely to be selling truly deadly species.

Pollinator Magnet: all native plants feed and shelter at least one segment of Ontario’s wildlife. Don’t rule out plants from your shopping list that aren’t pollinator magnets. Every single plant in this catalogue provides a benefit to wildlife.

Power-line Clearings: see Disturbed Habitats, page 39.

Restoration Projects: returning a degraded site to a healthy, biodiverse state by planting a wide variety of species that are native to the original habitat that was there before the disturbance occurred. These plants will then attract, feed, and shelter the wildlife that also belongs there. This biodiversity will fill the ecological niches that have been been emptied.

Rich Soil: soil high in organic matter and humus. It is fertile and does a better job of retaining moisture than non-rich soil.

Road/Railroad Sides: see Disturbed Habitats, page 39.

Of Special Concern: indicates that the species is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. https://www.ontario.ca/

Short-lived Species are often Pioneer Species that aren’t so much short-lived as that they can be out competed by plants that are more aggressive or more conservative. The removal of the competition by weeding or soil disturbance can help to perpetuate the species in this location. These are often annuals or biennials.

Slope: a habitat with good drainage. The direction in which the slope faces influences the amount of sun and warmth it receives: north facing slopes are cool and relatively moist; south facing are hot and relatively dry. Some species have their preferences.

Stabilizing: as in ‘this plant is good for stabilizing a slope or water’s edge’; the effect of a plant whose many and entangled roots hold the soil in place.

Stamen: the male flower part. See anther.

Stigma: the female flower part that receives the pollen.

Suckers: many plants spread by sending up new stems at some distance from the mother plant either by stolons or rhizomes. You can allow them to grow creating colonies or thickets, or just cut them off with clippers or your mower. Suckering is a form of vegetative reproduction; see below.

46 Explanatory Notes

Trailside: a plant Environment that can imply that a forest plant benefits from the increased sunlight found where the canopy has been reduced, such as along trails and in glades. It also hints that the plant may be able to tolerate disturbances. Not every plant can.

Stream Edge: as a species Environment, it can imply that a plant benefits from occasional flooding or that a forest plant can benefit from the increased sunlight found under the reduced canopy along a stream.

Vegetatively: describes a means of plant reproduction that is not seeds or spores, but by growing in the surrounding ground exact replicas of itself using stolons, rhizomes, or nodes on the plant’s stem.

Well-drained Soil: soil that does not hold puddles; usually contains an abundance of sand or is on a slope. This requirement implies the plant does not tolerate standing water and nor much clay.

Wildlife Magnet: the average person focuses on joyful butterflies, honeybees, and bumblebees. A plant designated as a Wildlife Magnet will attract much more than that: possibly solitary bees, flies, wasps, moths, larvae, miscellaneous insects, aphids, songbirds, sparrows, game birds, turkeys, deer, field/forest mice, squirrels, ground squirrels, groundhogs, skunks, deer, moose, etc. This should make you very happy.

A man-made pond late in the season with a mix of native and exotic plants. www.frontyardrestoration.com 47 Ontario’s Native Plant Catalogue

For the Love of Nature Frontyard Restoration

Cut-leaved Coneflower with Honeybee. © bill chan photography.

Dedicated to the promotion of Native Plant Gardens around our homes to create the habitats that permit wildlife to live amongst us.

www.frontyardrestoration.com Ontario’s Native Plant Catalogue

One of the greatest challenges gardeners face is finding the right plants for their own garden’s conditions.

Many solve this problem by buying the same annuals year after year or buying the very same plants that all their neighbours have.

But the gardeners who’ve chosen to help Nature by having a Native Plant Garden have even a greater challenge. They talk to their neighbours and nurseries about Native Plants and are often met with blank stares. The solution is right here.

All the plants are organized into 7 Sections according to Garden Type:— Dry, Full Sun — Moist, Full Sun — Part Sun/Shade but more sun than shade — Part Shade/Sun but more shade than sun — Full Shade — Water Saturated for at least part of the year — Tall Trees

One of them is yours.

Focus solely on your garden by pulling out its section. Find the plants that meet your garden’s requirements; that will tolerate drought, flood, sand, clay, nutrient-poor, walnut, and deer. It’s all here. Make a list and go shopping. All the guessing is gone. Written by a gardener for gardeners, not for botanists.

All the Ontario Native Plant nurseries are listed within.

There is not a better Native Plant Catalogue.

Have a Gaden that will florish beautifully and make yor litle cone of planet Eath a Healthie Place.

www.frontyardrestoration.com