Seed balls are fun for all ages. (Photo: Emily Adam)
Balloons, gift bags, presents, and cake.
Tired of the same old kids party routine? Green up your next gathering with some hands-on fun—make seed balls!
Seed-ball making is a simple activity that engages children of all ages. Seed balls are essentially self-contained mini-gardens containing compost, seeds and clay. They are extremely easy to make and satisfying to toss—an ideal kids’ activity.
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Posted by Kim from Common Grounds
New Jersey Tea flowers (Photo: ©Jim Stasz. United States, MD, USDA @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database)
Also known as red root, Ceanothus americanus is a drought-tolerant shrub native to Ontario and Quebec, that can grow on rocky bluffs, woodland edges, savannah and even on urban rooftops.
Attractive to birds and butterflies with creamy white flowers in spring, it makes an excellent tea. It has been used medicinally and to produce dyes. What more could you ask for in a plant?
Learn more about New Jersey tea and other native shrubs in Evergreen’s Native Plant Database.
Hey Toronto! Find this plant at Evergreen Gardens, our new, mission-driven retail garden center at Evergreen Brick Works.
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Posted by Christine from Volunteering
Agnew H. Johnston Public School, Thunder Bay, ON (left); Alex Ferguson School, Calgary, AB (right).
If you’re like me, you have an excess of energy for spring DIY projects. I’m always looking for easy ways to make my space feel fresh and revived after a long winter. One of the easiest things you can do to renew your outdoor space on a budget is to incorporate art.
2 Comments | Art, Gardening, Green Tips, School Ground Greening | Permalink
Posted by Anne from Learning Grounds
Shah Mohamed, Bike Educator, tuning up a staffer's bike. (Photo: Aurelia Dalinda)
Our new Bike Educator, Shah Mohamed, set up a bike clinic outside Evergreen’s offices on Tuesday to encourage all staff members to bike to work as often as possible, but the impetus came because of an upcoming staff off-site meeting at Evergreen Brick Works. “We wanted everyone riding down to the site, and a tuned bike is one that will hit the road.”
The clinic was put on by BAM – Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance Program, run by the Learning Enrichment Foundation. They train bicycle mechanics and get them ready to work at a bicycle shop. Shah completed the course in order to solidify his bicycle mechanics skills and to gain more insight about the bicycling community in Toronto.
A general tune up takes a mechanic about 20 – 30 minutes, and would cost upwards of $50 at a bicycle shop, but for Evergreen staff, the BAM students offered us a deal: the cost of parts plus a donation for labour. We hope to see full bicycle racks outside our offices this spring!
For those considering the bicycle commute, Shah advises:
Safe and happy cycling to everyone this spring!
1 Comment | Events, Green Tips, Staff, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Aurelia from Operations
Come find out how you can green your community! (Photo: Lisa Fisk)
No Plot is Too Small: Community Stewardship 101
In partnership with the Town of Richmond Hill, Evergreen invites you to participate in our upcoming workshop!
Wednesday, March 31 6–9pm
Rouge Woods Community Centre, Aspen Room
110 Shirley Drive, Richmond Hill
This workshop will offer inspiring examples, tips and tricks, and practical strategies to help you get involved in local greening projects—or even start your own! Individuals and community groups will benefit from sharing ideas about community greening initiatives and advice to ensure project success.
Topics include:
Sandwiches and refreshments will be provided and space is limited. Reserve your space by Monday, March 22 by contacting Lisa Fisk via email (lfisk@evergreen.ca) or by phone at 416-596-1495 x226.
Visit Evergreen’s online calendar of events to learn what’s happening in your area.
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Posted by Colin from Common Grounds
Colourful blooms can brighten up your February. (Photos: Erin Elliott)
This week, I asked Evergreen Learning Grounds’ Debby Morton how she is surviving the drab winter months without her garden. She takes her inspiration from colour, colour, colour!
Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Gardening, Green Tips, How to Love Winter | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications
Moving the red wrigglers into the new Worm Condo (Photo: Rebekka Hutton)
There’s nothing like worm-compost troubleshooting to spice up a Monday in the office!
For Aimee Carson, Evergreen’s new Community Food Program Co-ordinator, the highlight of her first day at her new job was stumbling across a bin of worms.
It was lunchtime and I made my way to the staff kitchen where I immediately noticed frozen containers of food scraps thawing on the counter. My eyes soon shifted downwards, to a red bin perforated with holes and conveniently tucked underneath the counter. Curiosity getting the better of me, I investigated further and discovered composting worms!
1 Comment | Green Tips, Staff, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Colin from Common Grounds
It’s cold. It’s grey. It’s slushy. It’s winter in the city.
But if you find some spicy tea and curl up in a big woolen scarf, there is lots to love about this cozy, reflective time of year. There are plenty of ways to connect to nature too.
We’ll help out by posting tips and tricks for surviving winter, starting with some of Evergreen’s most avid gardeners and how they get their fix during these long, cold months.
Leave a comment and share your strategies!
Winter kale. (Photo: Rebekka Hutton)
Tip #1 Keep Gardening
I asked Evergreen’s Rebekka Hutton, an avid urban gardener who runs community gardens around Toronto, how she makes it through. Not surprisingly, she is still gardening. “I’m still eating kale, thyme, sage and oregano from outside,” she says. “If the leaves look good, I just brush off the snow and bring them in.”
She says that these hardy species just pull through on their own, without much help. Just leave them in the fall and let them be. She has even used a pickaxe to liberate carrots from the frozen ground. “They thaw out at room temperature and taste great.”
Tip #2 Read and Learn More
Rebekka also says that winter is a great time to read all the great gardening books she doesn’t have time to read during the growing season. “Right now I’m reading Eliot Coleman’s Winter Harvest Handbook. It’s really inspiring and is giving me lots of ideas for next season.”
Tip #3 Reflect and Plan
Doing a seed inventory in preparation for seed exchanges is another way Rebekka connects to her garden and plans for the season.
And with the new year just beginning, Rebekka says it is the perfect time to start a fresh garden journal. When the season begins she’ll be ready to jot down her thoughts and experiences to review this time next year.
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Posted by Erin from Communications
Don't forget to think about decorations! (Photo: Brad Deller)
The holiday season is upon us. As we dust off our reusable gift bags and set the timers on our strings of energy-efficient LED lights, many of us wonder how we can rise to the next level of holiday greening. Some will hand-make something special or donate to charity in lieu of gifts.
There are many ways to celebrate the season thoughtfully and sustainably, and we suggest that this year you rethink one of the season’s biggest icons: the Christmas tree.
2 Comments | Green Tips | Permalink
Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds
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