Carolinian Canada had an in the zone booth at the Designing your native landscape event along with Cootes to Escarpment and Hamilton Conservation Authority who hosted an enthusiastic audience of over 40 people from the Hamilton/Burlington area.
Ben Porchuck spoke along with other ecological and landscaping experts about the mass extinction event we are facing and what us 'great lakes people' living in Southern Ontario can do on our properties to support the recovery of native species. Charlie Briggs, gardener and instructor at RBG spoke about how to assess the soil quality on your property and highlighted how residents living within the Carolinian Zone of Ontario have access to the most native plant resources in Canada because of the diversity that our ecozone supports. Michael Albanese from Avesi outlined ecological solutions with native plants for storm water management. Crystal Bradford and Liam Kijewski highlighted the services offered through their native plant business 'Wildlife Gardening' where they do design, landscaping ecological restoration and native plant nursery. Sean James rounded out the expert speakers with a talk about fusion gardens and how to add texture to your residential or commercial property with innovative native plant and permeable landscape design features.
Participants spent the last hour of the day asking questions to the experts about their properties and yards.
By the end of the workshop over 40 native plant ambassadors, equipped to talk about the benefits of native plants and practical ways private citizens can support healthy landscapes went out to share their new knowledge with their friends and neighbors, many joining the challenge to grow Canada's Biggest Wildlife garden.