Local Gardening Events in May 2025
May edition of Garden County newsletter features workshops and presentations on topics such as peonies, ticks and flower shows. Plant sales and giveaways will be included in a second email.
Your free monthly roundup of gardening events, plant sales and green community projects, happening in Prince Edward County and the surrounding areas.
May is such a busy time! With so many plant sales and giveaways happening, plus webinars, presentations and workshops, I’ve decided to send out two emails rather than a single (very long) one. So, expect your guide to the local plant sales and giveaways to land in your inbox right after this email.
🎉 Happy 45th birthday to Trenton Horticultural Society! Join in the celebrations, and learn all about Hydrangeas, at Batawa Community Centre on Thursday May 15 at 7pm. The guest fee is $10.
🕰️ Now’s The Time
…to figure out what’s growing in your garden!
Even the most meticulous gardeners find new plants popping up in their garden. If you’re like me and habitually forget to label anything or note down what’s planted where, then Spring can be even more surprising.
Before you go ripping out unfamiliar plants or allowing the deceptively pretty invasives to run amok, did you know you can use your phone to help you distinguish friend from foe?
The free iNaturalist apps enable you to take a photo of a plant, and share it with a community of clever folks who will help you identify it. The PictureThis! apps work in a similar way, but rely on artificial intelligence to figure out the correct identification. If you have an iPhone, you can also use the free, built-in Visual Look-Up feature while Android users can download the free Google Lens app.
Note: artificial intelligence is not infallible and can sometimes give incorrect results, so it’s always worth doing extra research to confirm the ID.
I’ll be giving a talk on these apps, and other gardening technology, in Picton on Wednesday, April 30 (TONIGHT!). It’s free to attend, there’ll be refreshments and you can get a recording of the event for just $5 (perfect if you can’t attend in-person). Click here to check out the event details.
If you discover that a plant is a foe, check out the awesome Grow Me Instead guidebook by Ontario Invasive Plant Council, to find out what you can replace it with.
📅 What's Happening This Month
Week 1 (May 1-7)
Native Trees and Shrubs for Small Spaces - May 3, 10am [online]
Native trees for small spaces = big benefits for small sizes. Learn which choices are most suitable for southern Ontario and provide important ecological services.
$5 donation
Organised by: Blooming Boulevards
A Personal Journey (as an Environmental Steward) - May 5, 7pm
Karrin’s focus is on creating sustainable urban landscapes that nurture nature starting with her own garden and helping others do the same.
Organised by: Quinte Field Naturalists
Introduction to Air Plants - May 6, 7pm
Christene, of Sunworshipper Succulents, will introduce to us the world of air plants. She will bring samples – so bring your cash.
Organised by Tweed Horticultural Society
Week 2 (May 8-14)
Create a Native Woodland Garden - May 10, 10am [online]
Why not transform your patch of shade into a cool and tranquil garden oasis using native plants? This workshop will get you started. It's a great way to celebrate our natural woodland heritage and provide a refuge for wildlife as well!
$5 donation
Organised by: Blooming Boulevards
Making Windows Bird-Safe workshop - May 11, 1-5pm
Annually about 25 million birds in Canada die from collisions with glass. It’s crucial to make our windows safe for birds, acting against the decline of our amazing bird biodiversity. In this workshop, artist Iris Häussler and landscape architect Victoria Taylor guide you in creating beautiful, effective bird-safe window-decals to take home. Workshop participants will receive a Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory membership for 2025.
$40-$80 sliding scale
Organised by County Arts and PEPtBO
Soft Landings - Working with Native Plants in a Home Landscape - May 11, 10am
Free to attend
Organised by PEPtBO and Dropseed Native Plant Nursery
Gardening for the Birds: Natural Bird Feeders - May 11, 10.30am
Presentation by Kat Burns. Free to attend.
Organised by PEPtBO
Ticks - May 12, 7pm
at St. Andrews Church, 110 Mill St, Stirling
Speaker: Aptie Sookoo, Public Health Inspector. Tick identification, habitats and control methods, Symptoms of Lyme Disease and more.
Organised by Stirling & District Horticultural Society
Week 3 (May 15-21)
Hydrangeas & 45th Anniversary Celebration - May 15, 7pm
at Batawa Community Center, 81 Plant St, Batawa
Blue, pink or white or multi-color Hydrangeas come in all colors and shapes and our guest speaker will be happy to answer all of your questions. Attend as guest for $10.
Organised by Trenton Horticultural Society & Garden Club
Spring Garden Tune-Up workshop - May 18, 10am
Want a bountiful, ecologically responsible, sustainable vegetable garden, but just don’t know where to start? Looking for practical tips to improve your garden and get the most out of your seedlings? Come hear about soil care, planting, garden maintenance, companion planting and much more. Attend for $30.
Organised by Thyme Again
Week 4/5 (May 22 to end of month)
Straw Bale Gardening - May 21, 6.30pm
Guest Speaker will be Nancy McCarten. She will be speaking to us on Straw Bale Gardening.
Organised by Lennox & Addington Horticultural Society
Peonies: Stars of the June garden - May 27, 7pm
at: King Edward Park Arena, Community Centre, 81 Elizabeth St, Brighton
Talk by June Janssen. Attend as guest for $5.
Organised by Brighton Garden Club
How to Design with Native Plants - May 27, 7pm
at Eastside Community Baptist Church, 68 Rollins Drive, Belleville
Karina Lapierre McIntosh, owner and creative director at Lavish Gardens will be with us to help with design questions and the installation of ecological landscapes with a focus on regenerative, biodiverse gardens.
Organised by Belleville Garden Club
How To Prepare For Flower Shows - May 28, 7pm
at Rotary Hall, Picton Fairgrounds
Learn all the tips and tricks you need to prepare, enter and win flower shows. If you’ve ever looked at the flowers in your garden and wondered whether there’s more you could do with them, then this is the talk for you. We’ll also have a vase exchange at this talk, so if you have vases, or flower arranging equipment (including frogs and wires) that you’re happy to donate, then please bring it along. New to floral competitions? This is a great opportunity to pick up ideas and equipment for your first displays.
Free to attend, no guest fee. A recording of this presentation can be pre-ordered for $5 (free for members) for download later (follow Facebook page for updates). Tickets also available for the June 8 Native Orchid bus tour
Organised by County Garden Club
Succulent Social - May 28, 6.30pm
Meetup of the Succulent Social Club. $25 monthly subscription includes monthly meeting with guest speakers, in-store discount, free plant-related monthly gift and a great community of succulent fans.
Visit the shop to buy a membership, or message the Sun Worshipper Succulents Facebook page
Bunting Party - May 31, 1-6pm (picnic at 4.30)
Picton Community Gardens in Delhi Park will be have a Bunting Party in conjunction with the Department of Illumination. All are welcome to come and enjoy the Park and the Gardens as we build bunting flags to decorate the picnic area.
Organised by Picton Community Gardens and Dept of Illumination
Guest fees may apply and events sometimes change or get cancelled, so do check the details prior to making plans.
Got a suggestion for the next newsletter?
(or reply to this email)
😍 Cool find of the month
The Right Stuff Bird Food at The Birdhouse, Brighton.
Want to attract a huge range of birds to your garden? The Birdhouse has the best mix I’ve found yet! Since switching to this I’ve had regular visits from Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, Eastern Meadowlarks, American Redstarts - to name but a few.
(Bonus: the refill program saves on unnecessary packaging too!)
This time of year there are plenty of migrating birds who could use a snack, so it’s a great time to try this bird seed in your feeders and see who stops by. I recommend using the free Merlin app to get a quick ID on unfamiliar birds.
Thanks for reading!
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💎 made in Prince Edward County, ON