Cool Ottawa Initiatives - Central Park and Old Ottawa South

Central Park Garden Club Beautification Project

 From the website:

The Central Park Garden Club began beautifying neighbourhood “Super Mailboxes” in 2011. The aim is to install and maintain low-maintenance perennial plantings around all the mailboxes in the Central Park neighbourhood at the rate of three or four a year.

Sunnyside Bio-retention Project

From the website:

The city plans to put three rain gardens in at various intersections along the stretch of the street that will not only provide a calming aspect for traffic but will also serve as a bio-retention area for excess surface runoff. A big concern with regards to the rain gardens as green stormwater infrastructure, was the question of who would maintain them. The city of Ottawa representatives said that they are working with other sectors with in the city of Ottawa to coordinate the seasonal upkeep, which would be minimal. They encouraged residents to play a role in helping maintain the rain gardens.  Plants include: Aster, Marsh Marigold, Helinium, Camas, Coneflower, Geranium, Blue Flag Iris, Switch Grass and Goldenrod

Ecology Ottawa write up link.

Other Rain Gardens in Ontario


P.S. Check out my latest "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here.
(2017 update)

Transforming Business Campuses into Habitat!

When I was at the ICLEI conference in Montreal in 2011 there was this young woman who presented her master's thesis about creating new habitat for wildlife in business campuses.

All that space, green lawn, large property and typically it's a dead zone or they plant exotics like hostas - so she was proposing to bring back native habitat including ponds and streams and develop these spaces as greenspace corridors.

Such a brilliant idea!  And now I have found The Wildlife Habitat Council which promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education!  Exactly what she was envisioning!

Check them out - they have a white paper for download and on-demand webinars (free of charge).


From their website:

"The opportunity exists to re-examine the way corporate campus lands are managed. New and existing corporate campuses can incorporate nature in their designs, realizing the cost savings of native landscaping, the human benefits of a more natural setting, and the opportunity to restore productive habitat and reconnect a fragmented suburban landscape."

http://www.wildlifehc.org/about-us/vision-and-values/

Landscape Renewal of the Garden of the Provinces and Territories

From the NCC website:

Inspired by the design principles of the New Perennial Movement, the Garden of the Provinces and Territories will receive over 10,000 plants representative of species found across Canada’s provinces and territories. More than ever, it will be a national garden. In keeping with the movement’s principles, the design entails a mixture of long-flowering and strong-stemmed perennials, as well as ornamental grasses. The work taking place this spring will allow for two years of plant growth, resulting in a significant floral display that will mature just in time for Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.

The design will take shape in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories according to the following themes:

• Prairie Garden (1,000 square metres)
• Tundra/Rock Garden (275 square metres)
• Woodland Garden under existing mature trees (450 square metres)
• Canadian Horticultural Pioneers Garden, showcasing early cultivars and hybrids, bred specifically for the harsh Canadian climate by horticulturalists across Canada (190 square metres)

Green Roof in Ottawa

Image from Google Earth

From Metro News:

Ontario Completes Ottawa Courthouse Green Roof (2012)

"A new green roof at the Ottawa Courthouse will reduce energy costs, improve air quality and help Ontario meet its long-term energy conservation goals.  (The roof's green space is bigger than four hockey rinks put together, or one football field.) 

The Ottawa Courthouse's green roof is a living landscape that supports 60 varieties of plants and protects the building's structure from the elements. There are 26 separate green roofs spanning multiple elevations, for a total of 70,000 square feet of green space that will help keep Ottawa's air clean. 

While a conventional roof lasts only 20 to 25 years, green roofs last at least twice as long. The new green roof will save $23,000 a year in energy costs by reducing summer cooling and winter heat loss by 26 per cent."

I found this after reading about Ottawa investing in solar energy on their municipal buildings:

Ottawa gets green with solar energy project (Metro News, September 2016)

"Eight municipal buildings now equipped with solar panels."

SNAP details

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

The Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP)

The Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP) is an innovative pilot program led by Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) in collaboration with many municipal and community partners. The SNAP program aims to accelerate the implementation of environmental improvements and urban renewal at the neighbourhood scale. It takes an integrated approach to overcome urban retrofit challenges and address a broad range of objectives with locally tailored solutions. Each SNAP neighbourhood features unique initiatives to inspire residents, businesses and governments to take action.

Depave Mississauaga:  http://sustainableneighbourhoods.ca/wp/depave-paradise/

Brampton’s Bio-Filter Swale (County Court SNAP): http://sustainableneighbourhoods.ca/wp/step-monitors-bramptons-bio-filter-swale-county-court-snap/

Fruit Tree Care On Site and Off

The Beginner Fruit Tree Care Certificate Program consists of 9 two-hour classes. The students learned theory in the classroom but spent at least half of the 18-hour program out of doors, using their new skills in hands-on fruit tree pruning and care.

We visited neighbourhood gardens to work on privately owned fruit trees of all ages. Often local homeowners, like Wilson Mosquera, had been encountering problems with their trees like fruit tree pest and disease problems and poor fruit production. Wilson and his family had apple, cherry and pear trees in their lovely garden. But his fruit trees trees were not thriving.

The students came, sterilized their tools and got to work. They removed larger diseased branches with a handsaw. They improved the air circulation on the trees and promoted growth by removing smaller branches with hand pruners, loppers and pole pruners. Over two hours the fruit trees looked very different. Wilson and his family were impressed.

“It was a surprise there was such help available for people (with fruit trees). The students talked to me and clarified all the things I didn’t know about how to care for my trees. It was a beautiful experience. Before I had a few issues with my trees, now (after the student’s work) they are doing well. Now one of my apple trees has produced so much fruit that the branches are starting to be heavy,” Wilson says.

James Hackman uses a handsaw to remove a large diseased branch off a mature fruit tree in a local backyard. Students faced all sorts of challenges during the course, including challenges in their own newly planted orchard.

Drought, Hail and Other Fruit Tree Challenges

But this year’s course came with many challenges. For instance, planting day was scheduled for May 15 and our goal was to plant 14 bare root fruit trees in the San Romanoway Orchard. But that morning there was an unseasonal wind and hailstorm! The students showed up ready to go to work anyway, but due to the terrible conditions we rescheduled the planting for the following day.

The next challenge was drought. This year we had the driest spring that we’ve had here in Ontario for years. This, coupled with delays in setting up the orchard’s irrigation system, made it challenging for the group to irrigate the orchard’s young trees. But even that didn’t stop the San Romanoway Dream Team, who met in the orchard multiple times a week to water the trees using water from the site’s rain barrels or carrying heavy buckets of water from the nearby community vegetable plots.

The students faced a fireblight breakout in their orchard as this nasty bacterial disease has been spreading in various locations in Toronto. And in another experience they found that an apricot tree planted years ago on the site was covered with a fruit tree pest called scale. That tree was removed to protect San Romanoways newly planted orchard. All this gave the students a glimpse of the challenges fruit tree growers can face and how important it is that you know how to protect your orchard with proper care.

And yet, despite the challenges the San Romanoway Dream Team was amazing. They worked together. They came up with solutions. And the fact that the young trees on the site are growing well today is completely the result of their knowledge, teamwork and dedication.

About Caledon SNAP

The Caledon SNAP is located in a mature neighbourhood in Bolton, Caledon’s major urban centre, within the Humber River watershed. Located in west Bolton, the neighbourhood is west of the historic core and is comprised mostly of residential properties, with pockets of commercial and institutional development. The neighbourhood is also comprised of parks, schools, green spaces and trails, and is transversed by Jaffrey’s Creek, a tributary of the Humber River. The local demographic is a mix of young to middle-aged families and older couples ranging in cultural diversity.

This is one of six SNAPs happening across the GTA, and will focus on working with the community to achieve measurable environmental and neighbourhood improvement. Critical municipal priorities, neighbourhood-specific issues and multiple watershed and regional objectives will be addressed across a range of theme areas including:

•    Long-standing drainage and erosion issues in Jaffrey’s Creek and surrounding catchment;
•    Improved water balance and Low Impact Development (LID);
•    Watershed regeneration;
•    Regional urban forest and public health priorities;
•    Energy consumption ‘hot spots’; and,
•    Increase active transportation.

This project is being led by the Town of Caledon, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Region of Peel, working closely with neighbourhood residents and businesses. The SNAP will be an on-the-ground demonstration of the Town’s Community Climate Change Action Plan.

2016 Burnhamthorpe SNAP Residential Program

March 24, 2016

We’re here to help you improve and renew your neighbourhood – to make it more sustainable, resilient and adapt better to future extreme weather. We provide you with tools and understanding so that you can make the best decisions for your home, property and family.

Residential Program offers (at no cost):

1) Home Consultations:
Call us to arrange for a Program Advisor to visit your home and explain what may help protect your property from stormwater damage. These 20 minute visits will include a walk-around your property to review how your home and property can not only better manage stormwater, but also how you can potentially make use of this free resource! Pertinent information will be provided to you according to your needs.

2) Spring Workshops:
Join us to learn how to disconnect your downspout and more! Learn how to ‘Green your Grounds’ with such things as rain barrels and rain gardens. Representatives from the Region and Municipality will also be there to provide information on rebate programs and answer questions. Click here to reserve a seat.

More about SNAP - Bayview Glen (TRCA - Toronto)

A

From SNAP - Bayview Glen

On September 28 the Markham’s City Council approved the proposed design concept for Glencrest Park and endorsed it for implementation in 2015-2016.

The updated Glencrest Park will include a modern playground and a shade structure near the entrance to the park at Ladyslipper Court and amenities such as a labyrinth, a meditation garden and an open play space. A proposed trail system will connect key features within the park and will provide an off-street pedestrian linkage between Laureleaf Road and Ladyslipper Court.

The re-creation of the valley feature with raingardens will transform the landscape within Glencrest Park from maintained turf to a rich mosaic of ecotones, creating a naturalized landscape and supporting the attenuation of stormwater runoff. A looped trail system of approximately 600 m surrounding the raingardens and the mediation garden will afford opportunities for walking and jogging within a naturalized landscape setting. Tree planting is proposed extensively throughout the park with the intent of expanding the tree canopy and promoting evapotranspiration.

Glencrest Park has received a $60,000 grant from the RBC Blue Water Project. This grant will support the implementation of the raingardens and tree planting and creation of a naturalized landscape that enhances the evapotranspiration and infiltration of stormwater.

Link to Map

More about SNAP - Lake Wilcox (TRCA - Toronto)

Great examples of front yard landscaping that helps with biodiversity, stormwater runoff and xeriscaping.  (Wish they had some estimates of costs - that would be great to know about!)

From SNAP - Lake Wilcox:

Two Front Yard Makeover demonstration projects were installed in July-September 2012.

These projects play an essential role in communicating the objectives of SNAP and profiling many of the key practices of residential eco-landscaping.

Regarding the new gardens - noted comment from a neighbour was ‘Environmentally friendly garden yet artistic and multi-use’.

Both watered, on average, once a week using only water from the rain barrel, no potable water was used. Neither design includes a lawn, thus both time and water were saved.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photos from SNAP website.

Some details:

• Roof leader discharges to a bioswale or soak away underlain with AquaBlox units.
• Discharge of another roof leader into a rain barrel with overflow directed to a dry river bed that leads to a soakaway or rain garden.
• Discharge of a third downspout onto a permeable driveway/walkway.
• Water efficient native plantings of trees, shrubs and plants.

Link to SNAP Lake Wilcox Project Page.

What is SNAP?

SNAP Eco-Landscaping: Program and Information Guide

From their website:

The Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan (SNAP) is an innovative pilot program led by Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) in collaboration with many municipal and community partners. The SNAP program aims to accelerate the implementation of environmental improvements and urban renewal at the neighbourhood scale. It takes an integrated approach to overcome urban retrofit challenges and address a broad range of objectives with locally tailored solutions. Each SNAP neighbourhood features unique initiatives to inspire residents, businesses and governments to take action. 

In partnership with local stakeholders including residents, businesses, local groups and institutions, the project seeks to develop action plans to improve the local environment on the neighbourhood scale and build resiliency against climate change by greening local infrastructure and encouraging positive behavior changes among residents. Based on existing conditions of each neighbourhood the project sets neighbourhood-level targets and identifies key actions on private and public property to address environmental objectives in the context of social and economic considerations for each neighbourhood. Each plan builds the business case for implementation by measuring individual and community benefits and cost savings.

http://sustainableneighbourhoods.ca/wp/eco-landscaping-how-to-information-and-garden-designs/

Time to Frog Proof your Yard this Spring (swimming pools and window wells)

From an old 2009 Ottawa Citizen Article worth repeating:

The lives of tens of thousands of frogs, toads and salamanders could be saved each year if homeowners made a few simple changes to their homes and yards, says an Ottawa biologist.  Dan Brunton said backyard swimming pools are particularly deadly, and he has found up to 10 dead amphibians in the filter of his neighbour's pool before.  "The simple thing was they just couldn't get out," Brunton said.  "There's a wonderful commercial opportunity in here. Somebody make a nice little floaty ramp. You just leave it there and the critters climb out of your pool every morning."  A green frog trapped in the filter earlier this week was luckier than most — it was still alive when Brunton visited the pool to demonstrate the problem to a CBC reporter this week. 

While Brunton was renovating his home recently, he discovered another problem for amphibians — window wells. "The day these were put in two toads were found dead the following morning," he said, pointing at his own below-grade basement windows.  Brunton has now built gravel slopes in the wells so toads and other critters can climb out — something he encourages other homeowners to do.  "Since we've put this simple, simple little ramp in there, not one more animal has died in this thing." 

Fraser Veitch, a spokesperson for Benson Pools, a company that sells pool equipment and services, said it's fairly common for frogs to get trapped in pools, but people aren't always sure what to do when it happens.

Someone has now created that device to rescue frogs (and other animals including mice) from pools called the Frog Log. Here is a You Tube video showing the product in action: Frog Log (U.S. Company)

Sustainable Option for Garden Path

Brilliant sustainable landscaping idea by local company Moneca Kaiser Design Build.

An outdoor mosaic pathway using off-cuts from a local granite company.  Close-up below.

All photos by MKDB.

Gardens That Heal

Chicago Botanical Garden is hosting its Annual Seminar on "Gardens that Heal: A Prescription For Wellness" on May 13, 2015.  Even reading just the topics makes me smile:

- History of outdoor space in hospitals. Recent evaluative research on healing gardens. Precedents drawn upon by designers of healing gardens, including medical diagnoses.
- Designing for a Deeper and More Intimate Connection with Nature: Interaction Pattern Design
- Attention Restoration
- The Healing Gardens at the Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital
- The Benefits of Restorative Gardens and Healing

They also have a Horticultural Therapy Certificate program!

ASLA's video on "Designing Neighbourhoods for People and Wildlife"

This is one of the American Society of Landscape Architects' videos in a series called "Sustainable Landscaping".  Other topics include:

• Building a Park Out of Waste
• Designing for Active Living
• The Edible City
• Energy Efficient Home Landscapes
• From Industrial Wasteland to Community Park
• Infrastructure for All
• Revitalizing Communities with Parks
• Leveraging the Landscape to Manage Water
• Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air

The webpage also provides reasons to consider wildlife design and benefits from this type of design for both people and wildlife.

It's great to see this association promoting a different approach to landscaping both public and private yards.  Hopefully more and more graduates of landscape architecture will make Native and Sustainable Landscaping a priority when working with clients!

Check it out here: ASLA: Sustainable Landscaping

10 Native Trees for Ottawa (by Diana Beresford-Kroeger)

List of 10 Native Trees recommended as substitutes for the Ash, Fraxinus species

by Diana Beresford-Kroeger

1. Oak, Quercus 

Q. macrocarpa is called the Bur Oak. It is a native oak, an edible species of the landscape of the City of Ottawa. This oak or the white oak, Q. alba, or the northern red oak, Q. rubra, will grow rapidly and form large canopies. These trees require immense amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide to grow. They are local trees that will reverse climate change, reduce pollution and skin cancers. They have the strength to withstand ice storms and heavy snow. They are also extremely drought resistant. 

2. Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos 

The natural form of honey locust is extremely healthy and hardy in city traffic conditions. It is almost resistant to disease infestations. It is drought resistant and it fixes its own nitrogen from the atmospheric nitrogen dioxide and from the soil. The locust will reverse climate change. The canopy of which produces a high filtered light for city gardens. The tree produces edible beans which can be ground as flour and added to other grains to make flour in various proportions. The flowers of the locust feed beneficial insects which in turn act as predators reducing the need for pesticides. The tree is also an 'Escape tree' for birds from city cats and racoons. 

3. American Basswood, Tilia americana 

This local native tree has flowers in June to July which are immensely fragrant. The lactone chemistry in the aerosols that are produced are beneficial to human health. The tree is the greatest feeding tree in the entire world for beneficial insects. Basswood honey is the best on the continent. This tree helps the bird populations to increase and produce more viable eggs in the spring which in turn reduces the need for pesticides. The Basswood leaves in its canopy combs the city air of its particulate pollution which is a leading cause of heart disease in the asthmatic. 

4. Eastern White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis 

Ottawa is blessed with native populations of an evergreen tree called the cedar Thuja occidentalis that the local native people called "The Tree of Life". There are golden, tall, weeping and fastigate forms. The trees’ leaves have glands on the tips of the leaves that can be easily seen by the naked eye. These glands in hot humid air release an aerosol medicine into the air that regulates the beating heart and is antiviral. The tree is also drought and fire resistant. It feeds birds and protects them in the winter adding 2 degrees centigrade to their body heat within the shelter of this evergreen. 

5. Black Walnut, Juglans nigra 

The walnut tree is a medicinal tree. It produces anticancer bio-chemicals both in the mature foliage and in the nuts themselves. Ottawa has a very high cancer rate. This tree would act as a shield for this, most especially for the children of the city who are most vulnerable because of their high metabolic rate when they are in growth spurts to adulthood. Pound for pound, the flesh of the walnut is equal in protein to the best black Angus t-bone steak. The tree is strong and wind resistant. It also has a wide canopy which reduces summer cooling costs. The wood of this tree is one of the most valuable in the world. A well grown Juglans nigra ‘Thomas’ in the city will pay for a grandchild's university education, quite easily. A full canopy of black walnut generates chemical aerosols which will neutralize toxic benzene from the traffic. 

6. Fir, Abies 

All of the fir are drought resistant. They will withstand heavy snow loads and ice. The conical form of anatomy of the tree helps them to stand straight, also, in high winds. The branches have a special form of buttresses built into them. These trees guard all the waterways, canals, lakes and river systems helping to purify potable water which is increasingly an issue for cities and urban areas across the world. The chemistry from the needles or leaves produces airborne aerosols that are antiseptic and antibiotic. These trees act as air cleansers and as deodorants on a massive scale. This super clean air is a health benefit to the city of Ottawa and to the surrounding area. There are two trees of choice, the Abies balsamea, known as the balsam fir, balsam, Canada balsam or the eastern fir. This tree is native to the city of Ottawa. The other is the Abies concolor known commonly as the white fir or white balsam. This is a Canadian species, the best cultivar for shape, form and drought resistance is A. c. ‘Candicans’. This tree is also a songbird shelter and escape route for predation. 

7. Spruce, Picea 

The white spruce is the workhorse of Canada. It has a long and important history on the landscape especially for Ottawa, where it grew on rocky areas overlooking the Ottawa River. It was one of the trees with long tracheids that made pulp which made paper that made money for the lumber barons. Their names can be found inscribed in Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor General. The tree is famous for its pharmaceuticals, one of which reduces blood pressure the other is anti-anginal and helps the heart itself to beat. This is a medicinal tree. It is evergreen and can withstand snow loads and strong winds. The resin of the tree helps all flying beneficial insects especially the honey bee. This tree helps to stop Honey Bee Colony Collapse. The best spruce for Ottawa is the common, native white spruce, Picea glauca. It is known as the skunk spruce. The latter is a common name given when the science of the aerosol medicine was not appreciated by the pioneers, but was used by the aboriginal medicine men for 40,000 years on this continent as a medicine. 

8. Catalpa, Catalpa speciosa 

The catalpa is the most spectacular flowering tree for the city of Ottawa. The bloom clusters are bigger than a man's head. The flowers are white and fluorescent purple. The long beans hang in tassels into the fall and winter. They are the food of the red cardinal birds who love to split open the bean and eat the seeds. This tree is suited to the calcareous soils of the city of Ottawa. The tree can be easily grown, it is disease and drought resistant. The horizontal limbs and main branches in the winter are flexible and will withstand heavy ice and snow. The blooms are like orchids and attract butterflies. The author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger would like to see these trees widely planted in the downtown area as a tourist attraction for a festival of their flowering in June to July. Such a tree allée would also help to maintain clean air as the huge leaf can comb air pollution of 2.5 micron sizes, reducing it for easy breathing. It is a North American tree. Its origins are unknown on this continent. 

9. Hickory, Carya ovata 

The Hickory trees that were cut down for the building of the city of Ottawa were Carya cordiformis. The tree is also known as the Bitternut Hickory, Bitternut, Swamp Hickory and by the farming community as Pignut. It is not known if other members of this family were present at the time. They may have been present because the aboriginal people often planted nuts. These trees would have been Carya ovata, the Shagbark Hickory, the antifamine trees. The Hickory is unique to the continent, except for China. It grew to enormous proportions here. Fingerprint boles account for circumferences of 18 feet on shallow soils. The Hickory is a feeding tree for birds, man and mammals. It is also a butterfly tree, used in a butterfly’s continental migration. This tree can be planted for a public park or a larger garden. In the last ice storm this Ottawa tree species was badly damaged. It needs to be replaced, also. 

10. Cucumber tree, Magnolia acuminate 

The Cucumber tree and all the other species of trees that are endangered in Canada could go on a long list. People who are interested in preserving the native heritage and stories of Canada should grow this magnificent Canadian tree. The tree produces a unique cucumber style fruit. From this fruit the frost opens the seed cases and dangles a red seed by a white thread. Birds love these rich seeds. The flower is like a steel grey tulip which is produced at the end of May. From this tree the aboriginal people made anti-malarial medicine. They made dugout canoes for inland travel on their water highways and they carved death masks from its sacred wood. These masks had an important ceremonial function. The cucumber tree is almost extinct. The City could help in a recovery program for its new World Heritage Site of its canal system. Then these trees could be enjoyed by everyone again. They were a waterway tree.

Found on Ecology Ottawa website (October 2013)


P.S. Check out my latest "urban wild" nature blog: Wild. Here.
(2017 update)

For your Ottawa lanscaping needs (locally grown plants)

Here are two local Ottawa businesses that have started through the Just Food Start Up Farm Program
that sell landscaping plants: flowers, shrubs and trees:

Barefoot Gardens

Products: non-certified organic seedlings, mixed vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

Contact: Randi Townsend & Sarah Lawrance
Website:  www.facebook.com/barefootinthegardens

Twigs Nursery: Native Trees and Edibles

Products:
- potted seedlings from broadleaf trees (sugar maple, mulberry, walnut, oak & hickory)
- conifers
- various shrubs (winterberry, highbush cranberry)
- wild small fruit (raspberry, dewberry)

Field-grown and container-grown seedlings are available in 1-gallon and larger sizes, grown from wild seed using organic practices.

Contact: Catherine Copp
Website: www.twigsnursery.com

From Architecture Design: Patterns of Biophilic Design

Happy to see architects debating the benefits of biophilic design!

From the Architecture Design website:

"American sustainability consulting and strategic planning firm Terrapin Bright Green has released a white paper that promises to guide building designers towards more environmentally connected outcomes...  The Terrapin document goes further than just abstract observations however, and offers 14 building design interventions that can be incorporated to facilitate this human connection to nature through built form."

The 14 interventions are:

Nature in the Space

1. Visual Connection to Nature
2. Non-Visual Connection to Nature
3. Non-Rhythmic Sensory Stimuli
4. Thermal & Airflow Variability
5. Presence of Water
6. Dynamic & Diffuse Light
7. Connection to Natural Systems

Natural Analogues

8. Biomorphic Forms & Patterns
9. Material Connection to Nature
10. Complexity & Order

Nature of the Space

11. Prospect
12. Refuge
13. Mystery
14. Risk/Peril

Read more here: Architecture Design.

Photos from Architecture Design

Propagation Project Exhibition (Windsor)

How brilliant is this?  I love the impact this has - seeing trees growing from discarded disposable drinking cups. From Broken City Labs.

TRIAGE: A PROPAGATION PROJECT BY PATRICIA COATES
Exhibition Runs September 16th – 26th 2013  (Windsor)

"Triage: A Propagation Project by Patricia Coates is an ecological intervention and a commitment to acquiring a personal knowledge of the land where she lives... During Triage, a search to acquire a personal knowledge of how the land, trees, soil, and the ecosystem as a whole function has revealed her own complicated relationship, in which good intentions and ‘saving nature’ are questioned." 

Also from the website: "The seedlings are grown from acorns gathered from Pin and Chinquapin Oaks, two Carolinian species indigenous to Essex County. The ‘pots’ were gleaned from city streets, rural roads, dumpsters and contributed to by family, friends and her own consumption. The trees will be planted on the restoration site and the Essex County landfill: enthalpy and entropy–growth and decay–playing out simultaneously." 

*Patricia Coates Image (from Broken City Lab website)

front yard gardens (Ottawa)

1 . 2 . 3

4 . 5 . 6

7.  8 . 9

A friend wants to convert her front yard to a native wildflower meadow.  Would be great as a xeriscaped yard that also requires less mowing and it would provide beneficial flowers for pollinators.

There is precedent in terms of navigating the city by-laws in Ontario.  Hank and Vera Jones were asked to mow their pollinator garden in Constance Bay (Ottawa) being told it was violating code.  But they managed to overturn this requirement:

After weeks of calmly delivered, persuasive statements where the couple stood firm, citing their Charter rights and explaining their environmental goals, the City of Ottawa ultimately withdrew the bylaw violation. Their case attracted Will Amos, director of the University of Ottawa’s Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic, who offered his legal services pro bono. Former councillor Clive Doucet lent support—as did roughly a hundred organizations and individuals.

A gentleman in Toronto also had similar issues:

Toronto’s Douglas Counter created a tall-grass-prairie habitat garden featuring more than 80 native species. It evolved into a storm-water infiltration garden on the adjacent city boulevard. When neighbours complained, he took his case to court—and won. 

Counter recalls, “It was the first time in Canada that a provincial court of appeal recognized that expressing environmental beliefs is a form of expression protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the first time anywhere in Canada that a court ruled that citizens have a Charter-protected right to express those beliefs on public land.”

Toronto has a "Natural Garden Exemption" bylaw but it sounds like it may be more of a pain than a saving grace for those who want to naturalize their lawn.  (If anyone lives in Toronto and knows of the current status - please share in the comments below.)

For those in Ottawa, they should take note that the Property Standard by-law is still in force and it might help if you enlist neighbors support before you convert.  These property standards can also be used to ban front yard food gardens.

CITY OF OTTAWA BY-LAWS 

PART II - RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY STANDARDS - SECTION 6 - YARDS 
(3) Heavy undergrowth shall be eliminated from the yard so as to be consistent with the surrounding environment.  

(4) A yard shall be cultivated or protected by ground cover, which prevents the erosion of the soil.  

(5) A tree or other plant, or limb or branch of it, that is dead, diseased, decayed or damaged shall be removed from the property or otherwise pruned to remove the dead, diseased, dying or dangerous portions of the tree or plant so as to prevent an unsafe condition or damage to any building subject to the provisions of By-law No. 2009-200, the Urban Tree Conservation By-law.  

(6) Lawns shall be kept trimmed and not be overgrown or in an unsightly condition out of character with the surrounding environment.  

(7) Subsection (6) shall not apply to yards which have been landscaped or maintained with materials such as: (a) trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses or flowers; (b) decorative stonework, walkways or screening; (c) any other horticultural or landscape architectural elements. 

Seems like it is still a case-by-case issue in Ottawa as shown by this Facebook post from the Allbirch Pollinator Garden page this summer (2014).

Top Images:

Front Yard Food Gardens (1,3,6,7)
Xeriscaping - Dry Beds (2,4,5)
Native Wildflower Gardens (8,9)

********
Text from Canadian Gardening article "The Politics of Gardening - Bygone By-laws" by Katharine Fletcher

Legal Front Yard Gardens

Other Options: Blog Post on a Small Front Yard Makeover

an urban meadow in Ottawa...

One of the inspirations for my career change was a presentation I saw in 2010 by Mathis Natvik on "urban meadows".  The presentation was for the Ottawa Field Naturalist Club and it was held at Fletcher Gardens.  I was enamored with the idea of urban meadows and attracting more song birds to the downtown areas.  He presented a great case (as part of his Master's thesis) and was hoping to work with the City of the N.C.C. to do a pilot project here.  Unfortunately it never happened.

For the presentation he talked about the decline of wildlife including song birds and other pollinators and how an urban meadow could be located along the parkway or as a replacement for an expanse of lawn as part of an office campus.  Ottawa's a perfect opportunity with Tunney's Pasture, Lebreton Flats and parkways along most of the Ottawa River.  It would just require choosing an area (which could already be a meadow) and then converting it to native meadow species so that more native habitat could be available for wildlife.  He suggests a 90% native species cover as shown below. Ottawa could even consider the Agriculture Farm - convert some of this farm area back to native species.

I've shown the above image of the Prenzlauer Berg District in Berlin (Photo by Westrich/laif/Redux) before as I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful in a city than a field of wildflowers that you could sit in.  Having seen the bobolink near the Aviation Museum, it makes me wonder again, could this be possible?  Wouldn't it be amazing to try out a pilot project and provide some alternative habitat for this endangered species where it wouldn't conflict with the needs of farmers?  We don't know if it is possible but wouldn't it be amazing to see if it was?

*Three bottom images from Mathis Natvik of Natvik Ecological in Guelph.

Slow Spread Sink (Sonoma Valley)

Best land management practices for storm water runoff.

The idea is to slow water runoff down - permeable surfaces work better and this can be applied not only to the ground but also roofs (that have impermeable surfaces).  Spread it around via rain barrels, french drains and other methods such as vegetated slopes and various gardens.  You don't want water to immediately be directed to pipes and culverts off your property.  Finally: let it sink!  Water can erode if there is not enough greenscaping - bare ground can be an issue just like pavement.  Use gravity, include swales and rain gardens and provide some xeriscaping on higher grounds.

This guide by Sonoma Valley on beneficial stormwater management is very comprehensive and provides lots of tips to homeowners and landowners.

Two Depave Projects right here in Ottawa!

I first blogged about a Depaving project in California and the organization in Portland in 2012 - finally Ottawa is implementing its own "depave" projects!

Lansdowne Park is a large scale project (replacing 11,000 square metres of pavement for grass) where they are "putting the park back into Lansdowne Park".

From CTV News:

"The new park includes plenty of pathways and seating areas, places for events, a farmer’s market and other vendors, and plans for features like a children’s play area, a water plaza, skateboard park and outdoor rink. 

Workers have planted over 850 new trees and thousands of shrubs. There’s even an apple orchard in the north-east corner of the park where some trees are already producing fruit. “There’s seven or eight different varieties of apple trees that will be open to the public for picking and there’s a pathway system and a picnic table area in there,” says Doug Clunie of D&G Landscaping – the Ottawa company in charge of building Lansdowne’s urban park. 

Lansdowne’s urban park is slated to open August 15th."

The other Depave project is one by the Depave Paradise organization - working through Ecology Ottawa.  It is being done at Kitchissippi United Church: The Alcove Garden Project (630 Island Park Drive).