Cobourg Ecology Garden

Happy Holidays from your friends at Cobourg Ecology Garden.

An all natural feast for the Ecology Garden's feathered friends ... and those agile squirrels!

Our friend, Woody, looking cute in front of the soon to be replaced arbor at CEG’s Hibernia Street entrance. In preparation for the removal and new installation, the Trumpet Vine has been pruned. It is a very resilient plant and will grow back to its full glory. The new arbor will be installed in Spring or early Summer 2024.

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Marie. 100 years old and still active in Cobourg Ecology Garden. On behalf of all of us, thank you for all you do, Marie.

Fall in all its glory in the Cobourg Ecology Garden!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Cobourg Ecology Garden. Ever grateful for our beautiful corner of the world.

Oscar Peterson roses are still in bloom and the pollinators are busily taking advantage before nature goes to sleep for winter. Reminder to please keep some stems, seeds, and leaf litter in your gardens for hibernating insects.

Welcome September and please remember to leave the leaves to help the bees.
As summer’s end approaches, consider leaving some leaves in your garden beds or in a corner of your yard. This will provide a safe and warm habitat for bees and other beneficial insects over the winter. Your garden will thank you come Spring!

Tales from the Garden: Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). This striking orb weaver is also known as a Writing Spider because of the unique zigzag pattern of its large web. No one knows the specific purpose for the zigzag, though it’s speculated that the pattern alerts birds, so they don’t fly through and damage the complex web. You want these beauties in your garden as they prey on annoying insects such as mosquitoes, flies, gnats, and aphids. They prefer to weave their webs near large, sunny fields. No surprise then, that this lovely lady has decided to build her home in the Cobourg Ecology Garden.

The goldenrod is starting to bloom in my area. This does say it does NOT cause allergies. It may, if you stick your face right in it. The pollen is so heavy it isn’t carried in the air. However, it is an amazing food for pollinators as the last major bloom of the season (where I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada). This is going to be food for their babies through winter! Leave it if you can, please 🐝 ❤️ 🌻

Rose of Sharon in the early morning light. What's your favourite time to stroll through the Garden?

The spirit of the season was in full bloom at the Cobourg Ecology Garden for Christmas in July. Snacks, scavenger hunt, Santa, and a gift basket draw courtesy of our partners at the Cobourg Public Library . Thank you to everyone who participated!

Registration is now open for the Christmas in July Scavenger Hunt in the Ecology Garden on Wednesday, July 12 at 10:00. Games, treats, and lots of fun. Please register at https://calendar.cobourg.ca/Library/Detail/2023-07-12-1000-Christmas-in-July-Scavenger-Hunt-at-the-Cobourg-Ec

For those of you who wondered why Santa wasn't at the Canada Day Parade...he's been getting ready for something else.

Happy Canada Day from Cobourg Ecology Garden!

Soon!

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/guinness-world-record-poison-ivy-1.6885541?fbclid=IwAR2YUckw661JttWYF0VDxueu02APtOs3kD2eqJbf4rwyYIU3OzqRUHrzSTY

The tallest poison ivy in the world is in Ontario, says Guinness | CBC Radio "The vine is so big that, at eye level, it really just looks like a hairy creature from Stranger Things," says Robert Fedrock of Paris, Ont.

Ah, the scent of freshly cut grass on the first day of summer! Many thanks to Ecology Garden volunteer, Councillor Adam Bureau for his weekly assistance in maintaining our beautiful space.

Happy Pollinator Week! June 19-26, we celebrate our wonderful pollinators and the indispensable roles they play in the health of our ecosystems and food supply.

Happy Father's Day from all of us in the Cobourg Ecology Garden

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's almost time ...

A big thank you to everyone who participated!

Tales from the Garden: Syringa Vulgaris
Syringa vulgaris, what a seemingly unpleasant name for one of the most fragrant stars of the late spring/early summer blooming season. The name is rooted in Greek mythology. According to legend, Syringa was a woodland nymph who transformed into a lilac shrub to escape the unwanted romantic advances of Pan, the god of field and forest. Pan found the ‘love shrub’ and used a bough to create the first panpipe. Syringa is derived from the Greek word for pipe, “syrinks,” referring to the shrub’s hollow branches. Vulgaris is Botanical Latin for common. The English common name, ‘Lilac’ is a derivative of the Arabic ‘lilak’ meaning purple.
In the language of flowers, lilac blooms symbolize youthful innocence, spirituality, happiness, first love or passion, depending where they fall on the colour wheel. With over 1,000 varieties of lilac bushes, there are a vast array of colours and hues. A member of the olive family, lilacs aren’t native to North America, though they have adapted well to our various climate conditions. Left to their devices they will soar as high as 6 metres (20 feet).
Lilac flowers are an important early nectar source for feeding butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Lilac wood is used for engraving, knife handles, and fabricating musical instruments. The lilac’s distinctive fragrance is strongest on a sunny, warm day. So, don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Mark Your Calendars for Family Storytime in the Ecology Garden with Cobourg Public Library

Happy Pride Month!

It's always a great day when the Ecology Gardeners can get their hands and knees dirty! Some of us joined with other volunteers and our Town Arborist, Eddie Cork, to plant a variety of trees and shrubs on the headlands.

Tree Planting at Cobourg West Beach Spit - Today's Northumberland - Your Source For What's Happening Locally and Beyond Students and volunteers under the direction of Cobourg arborist Eddie Cork, dug in for planting nine native trees and 18 shrubs at the north end of Cobourg West beach spit on May 27 and 30, 2023. These native trees will need much less watering then non-native and will weather the elements well. Tree...

Jonathon wants everyone to know about the beautiful blooms in the Ecology Garden. Come on down for a stroll, it is scent-sational!

Thank You Cobourg! We sold out of sunflowers. We appreciate all of you who stopped by to buy a plant or for a chat. We’ve planted High Hopes, American Giants, and Copper Queens in the Ecology Garden for your Sunflower Selfies. Gentle reminder to be gentle with the plants. Thanks again and we’ll see you in the Garden!

It was a great day for a Sunflower Sale! Thank you to everyone who came by and picked up a pot or two. We hope you enjoy your blooms. Our Sunflower Sale will continue on Saturday. May 27 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., while supplies last. $5 per pot, cash only please.

Some of CEG’s wonderful volunteers from Community Living & Respite Northumberland are inviting you to join them in celebrating Community Living Month and the start of ice cream season! Free Build-Your-Own Sundae Bar, Monday May 29 from 11am to 1pm. 275 Cottesmore Avenue, Cobourg.

May 20th is World Bee Day—time to think about and thank these essential pollinators. 20,000 known species of bees worldwide, 800 native to Canada, 400 in Ontario. They all play a vital role in our food security, ecosystem health, and human health. We can give bees a helping hand by planting a native pollinator garden. Lucky for us, our hardy native plants come in a wide variety of colours, sizes, and blooming seasons. Plant a flower, protect a pollinator. Sounds like a Win-Win.

Mark Your Calendars for the Cobourg Ecology Garden’s Sunflower Sale! Thursday, May 25 and Saturday, May 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (while supplies last). We have 7 stunning varieties this year:
► porch-friendly 2-foot Junior & 2-3 foot Firecracker
► medium size 4’-5’ Vincent’s Choice, 4’-5’ Ring of Fire, 6’-8’ Copper Queen
► the showstoppers 16’ American Giant & 15’-19’ High Hopes
$5 per pot. Cash only, please. We look forward to seeing you in the garden.

Happy Mother's Day from Cobourg Ecology Garden. Kids of all ages turned out for CEG and Cobourg Public Library's Paint-a-Pot event, . Thank you to everyone who participated. It was a terrific day!

Ever wonder why we leave the leaves in the Fall? This little Woolly Bear caterpillar is one of the reasons. Leaf litter provides safe habitat and insulation for beneficial insects and pollinators over the winter.
The Ecology Gardeners will begin spring clean-up when daytime temperatures stay above 10°C for at least 7 consecutive days. Consistent warm temperatures allow larvae to thaw, thrive, and begin their contribution to the health of the garden.
This Woolly Bear caterpillar will transform into an Isabella Tiger Moth, a busy “night shift” pollinator. Legend has it that Woolly Bear caterpillars can predict weather. Wide or multiple rusty brown sections mean a mild winter. Lots of black, time to break out your warmest woollies, a severe winter is on the way! Interestingly, these fuzzy meteorologists have an 87% accuracy rate.