I have to confess, I wished away the summer.

I’m a cool weather kind of person, and the summer’s unrelenting heat is just not for me. It didn’t go down well in my (mostly full sun) garden either. Unfortunately, extreme heat and drought are something to be expected in the summertime now. Which leaves us all with the question: how can we help our gardens to cope?

Early last month, Quinte Conservation declared the most severe low water level, indicating “a failure of the water supply to meet the demand” and triggering an alert which is still in place. Since PEC already records especially low rainfall amounts in comparison to other areas, it’s clear that adaptations will need to be made if we are to keep our gardens going.

However, with a few small changes, we can see a big difference in our gardens. For instance, letting the leaves decompose where they fall contributes to your soil’s health and moisture retention. Choosing drought-tolerant native plants over thirsty tropical ones means less watering for you.

I hope that this time next year we’ll be talking about how we “beat the heat”, instead of listing all the plants we lost to it.

🕰️ Now’s The Time

…to let your garden sleep!

Fall clean-up is boring, time-consuming and physically demanding. Why bother when you could be doing literally anything else with your day?

Birds, bees and good soil are crucial components of a healthy garden, and it’s the fallen leaves, hollow plant stems, and dried seedheads which help to create that.

Here’s something I recorded earlier this year: [watch video]. Amongst the leaves sits a moth, and there’s plenty more life hidden away in there. When leaf piles and plant stems are chopped up in the mulching process, so are the small creatures that are sleeping in them. Because they’re hibernating, many can’t just run away when disturbed - so they go through the shredder too. Pretty grim, eh?

Save your time and energy, and do your garden a favour by letting it rest until Spring.

(Can’t avoid the Fall clean-up? If you’re in the Bay of Quinte area please reply to this email and I will take your bags of unmulched leaves for my own garden.)

📅 What's Happening This Month

Here’s a list of things you could be doing instead of Fall clean-up:

All month long - BIG sale at Sun Worshipper Succulents

• at 191 Dundas St E, Belleville

• Great selection of Hoyas, Air Plants, and Succulents available

• Plants will also be available at the County Garden Club event on October 29

Wednesdays at 10am - Walking in the Woods

• FREE guided forest walks, at various locations

• Please bring everything you will need on the walk including water, sunscreen, bugspray, weather appropriate clothing, etc.

• Organised by Quinte Conservation

Thursdays at 1pm - Ask A Master Gardener [online]

• Zoom presentation followed by a Q&A. Regular themes include edible gardening, garden fundamentals, and bird friendly gardening. A different topic covered every Thursday.

• Sign up to the free newsletter to get the topic and Zoom link.

• Organised by: 1000 Islands Master Gardeners

October 2 - Learn About Little Forests - 7pm

• at Mariners Park Museum, CR 13, PEC

• Little Forests (aka Miyawaki Forests) are dense, fast-growing native mini-forests. By mimicking natural forest layers with a variety of native species, they achieve plant diversity and can grow ten times faster than conventional forests. They have gained popularity around the world for their ecological benefits and as a mitigation to a changing climate.

• FREE presentation by Lise Bois of the County Garden Club and Gerry Jenkison of the PEC Field Naturalists will include a tour of the Little Forest site, a description of Saturday (October 4) planting process, and a visual presentation in the Museum.

• Organised by The County Museums

October 4 - Community Forest Planting - 10am

• at Mariners Park Museum, CR 13, PEC

• Around 190 native trees and shrubs will be planted on the prepared site - come along and lend a hand to make this little forest happen!

• Please RSVP to the Facebook event here or email the club

• Refreshments will be provided.

• Organised by Trees for PEC (a coalition of County Garden Club, PEC Field Naturalists, Master Gardeners and Ameliasburgh Garden Club)

October 3 and 4 - Community Tree Planting - 10am

• at Clifford ‘Sonny’ Belch Park, 69 Center St, Belleville

• We will be planting a few hundred berry producing native shrubs on 3 sides of the hill

• Please read, print off and bring this waiver with you

• Organised by Quinte Field Naturalists

October 4 - Wild Inks Workshop - 3-5pm

• at Centennial Park Pavilion, Trenton

• Learn how to make wild inks and paint with local plants. From acorns to sumac, wild grape to goldenrod, join us for a FREE painting with plants workshop.

• Register by October 3

• Organised by City of Quinte West and Maker’s Dozen

October 6, 10 and 14 - Treesgiving Sale [online]

• Plants are $15 each. They come in 1-2 gallon pots and range in size between 1-3 feet tall. 

• Available while supplies last: coniferous & deciduous trees, small shrubs, and wildflowers.

• Place your order online and select from three pickup dates (pickup in Belleville)

• Organised by Quinte Conservation

October 7 - Pumpkin Arrangement Workshop with Linda - 7pm

• at Tweed Public Library, 230 Metcalf St, Tweed

• The club will supply pumpkins and oasis to make fresh flower arrangements. Grab your garden flowers and snips and get ready to create.

• Contact the club to confirm the non-member fee for this event

• Organised by Tweed Horticultural Society

October 16 - Creating Winter Interest - 7pm

• at: Batawa Community Centre

• We are excited to have 3 presenters tonight featuring making your garden look great in all seasons.

• Guests: $10

• Organised by Trenton Garden Club

October 18 and 19 - 4th Annual Buckthorn Blitz - 9:30am-2pm

• at Sandbanks Provincial Park, PEC

• A hearty lunch is provided. Please wear close toed shoes or boots and dress appropriately for walking in the forest and pulling buckthorn branches. Come for one day or for both.

• For more information and to RSVP please contact John Lowry

October 20 - Hallowe'en Themed Centerpiece Design - 7pm

• at: St. Andrews Church, Stirling

• Valerie Sills will lead a demonstration and every participant will create their own Hallowe'en themed centerpiece. Members in good standing must register in advance.

• Contact the club to confirm the non-member fee for this event

• Organised by Stirling & District Horticultural Society

October 25 - Winter Sowing - 10am [online]

• $5 donation for this webinar

• Whether your goal is to grow many or a few plants, starting native plant seeds outdoors in winter is a fun and rewarding activity.

• You will learn how to set up a variety of outdoor propagation systems with detailed information on seed handling, overwintering, spring germination, and seedling care. Handouts are available for download.

• Organised by Blooming Boulevards

October 27 - Natural Trees Throughout the County - 7pm

• at: Ameliasburgh Town Hall, Ameliasburgh

• Speaker Cody Lowe, County Environmental Technician will talk to us about tree pruning, tree care, and best tools to use.

• Guest fee $5/event

• Organised by Ameliasburgh Garden Club

October 28 - Integrated Pest Management - 7pm

• at: King Edward Park Arena Community Centre, Brighton

• Presentation by Margaret Appleby

• Organised by Brighton Garden Club

October 28 - Native Trees and Shrubs - 7pm

• New members are welcome!

• at Eastside Community Baptist Church, 68 Rollins Drive, Belleville

• Lindsay Nash (Quinte Conservation) and Greg Parsons (Ontario Field Naturalists) will be speaking to us about native trees and shrubs that are keystones in our local ecosystem.

• Also: our annual Photo Contest and the Election of the Board of Directors.

• Organised by Belleville Garden Club

October 29 - Amazing Air Plants - 7pm

• at Rotary Hall, Picton Fairgrounds

• Discover a fascinating group of plants that survive without any growing medium.

• Air Plants, or Tillandsias, offer an unusual houseplant option for indoor gardeners who are looking for something that’s easy to care for and also complements their decor. We’ll learn about their care needs, the different shapes and styles, and how they can be displayed.

• Christene from Sun Worshipper Succulents will have plants available for purchase, along with creative display options.

• 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).

• Organised by County Garden Club

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

Did you know you can borrow garden tools from Quinte West Public Library? There’s a great range available - from trowel to rototiller - so it’s worth checking out if you find yourself needing something on a temporary basis.

Go to the library’s website to see the full list of items you can borrow.

Thanks for reading!

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