Green thumbs patiently waiting for spring weather will want to dig into an upcoming speaker series organized by Stratford’s master gardeners.
Green thumbs patiently waiting for spring weather will want to dig into an upcoming speaker series organized by Stratford’s master gardeners.
The virtual series highlighting the importance of native plants will be hosted by the Stratford Public Library and feature talks from four renowned gardening experts.
First on the schedule Feb. 10 is a session about conserving native trees led by botanist Stefan Weber, an active writer on eco-issues who has worked with the Carolinian Canada Coalition and the Ontario Plant Restoration Alliance, among many others.
Following Weber will be Sean James, Cathy Kavassalis and Victoria MacPhail. Topics for those talks – taking place on the second Tuesday of each month until May – include layered designs for natural gardens, small trees for small spaces, and native plants for pollinators.
“I think we’re in for a treat,” said Nancy Burnett, a member of Stratford & Area Master Gardeners. “These people bring a lot of knowledge and expertise. It’s a great opportunity to learn how each of us can bring nature to our backyards and contribute to a healthy ecosystem.”
Garden enthusiasts can register for the talks by visiting the library’s website. Registration will be open until the Friday before each session. Each presentation will be available on the library’s YouTube channel for two weeks.
The speaker series marks the beginning of what will be a busy 2022 for Stratford’s master gardeners. The group is preparing to celebrate the Year of the Garden by leading a community-wide effort to plant 2022 native trees and shrubs, a project they’re calling ReLeaf Stratford.
“The idea is that each of us have a role to play bringing nature to our backyards,” Burnett said. “We’re seeing more issues with decline in bird populations and also with some of our pollinators and having native plants is one way that all of us can play our part.”