GoNative
Building Landscapes for Future Sustainability
Paul O'Hara
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture Landscape and Design, University of Toronto 230 College Street, Toronto, Room 103, 6:30 pm, Wednesday February 29th
More public and private owners are demanding buildings and landscapes to meet the current market need for sustainability, to reduce maintenance and promote biodiversity. Traditional plant materials, methods and design are being questioned by more sophisticated clients as LEED gains greater acceptance in today’s design and construction market. Paul O’Hara has been practicing sustainable landscape design and construction for ten years. He will illustrate how to achieve beautiful sustainable landscapes with economy using indigenous native plants and trees.
Welcome to NANPS website
We've attempted to add more information about native plants and the Society and to make that information easier to find.
Your
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are gratefully accepted, as are photographs, artwork, and article submissions.
Please join us in celebrating the
Study, Cultivation, Conservation and Restoration of North America's native flora.
NANPS special 48 page, colour 25th Anniversary edition of NANPS newsletter: The Blazing Star is still available.
See our online membership form for details.
NANPS is a volunteer-operated Society. Your assistance in pursuing these goals is always appreciated
NANPS Annual Spring Native Plant Sale
Reserve the date!
Saturday May 12, 2012
10 am - 3 pm
Markham Civic Centre
101 Town Centre Boulevard
(hwy 7 at Warden)
Help restore your local ecology and support a great cause. Members Advance Ordering available in February. Join NANPS today to beat the crowds.
2011 AGM
The NANPS 2011 AGM took place on October 22nd in Markham.
The activities of the society over the previous year were reviewed, and awards were given out, There was a plant sale and a silent auction. Deb Dale and Harold Smith were thanked for their service on the Board and stepped down as they had completed their maximum terms. Two new directors were appointed and two former directors were reappointed to the Board.
The full Agenda and Minutes are available below:
Announcements
If you'd like to help with conducting bio-surveys of Shining Tree Woods and other activities, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to join one or more excursions.
IN THE NEWS - The Aug 26th edition of the Globe and Mail bemoaned the damage that a recent storm had done to Norway Maples in Toronto. NANPS Board member, John Oyston, replied:
Ban Norway maples
We should be thanking the recent storm for ridding us of some Norway maple trees (Norway Maples Fall Victim To Stormy Weather – Aug 26). The Norway maple is an invasive alien species that is taking over and ruining the natural native vegetation of Toronto’s ravines. This bully tree produces thousands of seedlings that can out-compete native maples and other trees by leafing up earlier in spring and keeping their leaves later in fall. The ground under a Norway maple is dry and densely shaded, as this greedy tree sucks up the water and hogs the sunlight. Native plants cannot grow in the desert underneath them, so other invasive species such as garlic mustard, are encouraged and soil is eroded.
We need to get rid of our existing Norway maples and follow the lead of some New England states by banning further planting of these aggressive invasive foreign trees.
2011: "Nature in the 905: Hope Grows in Markham"
NATURE IN THE 905: HOPE GROWS IN MARKHAM
On September 24th the North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) held an all day tour of sites in Markham, Ontario. The theme of the day was: “How could nature survive and even thrive in a suburban environment?”. Markham was chosen as the site because last year it received NANPS’ Paul McGraw Conservation Award for its work in planting trees and conserving nature in the town.
We were fortunate to have a congenial group, beautiful sunny fall weather, and some interesting hosts who talked knowledgeably and enthusiastically about each of the six sites we visited.
The tour began at Grandview Park, where European buckthorn, garlic mustard and periwinkle, all invasive alien species, were threatening to take over. The Grandview Residents Association adopted the park, and Jane McCulloch showed us what they had achieved after hours of manual labour. Most of the invasive species are gone or in retreat, and native plants have room to thrive in this small piece of preserved forest.
Plant of the Month: Silver Dalea
Silver Dalea Dalea bicolor var. argyraea and var. bicolor
In their native range, Silver Daleas are low-growing evergreen shrubs with fine hairs covering its foliage to create a silver effect, most apparent on var. argyraea. Combined with short purple flower spikes from July to September, this native becomes a popular landscaping choice in Mexico and the southern states (hardy in zones 8-10). As expected from its origin, Silver Dale has a long taproot allowing it to find moisture some distance away. Requires full sun.
In Support of Native Plant Gardens
Native plant gardening is a wonderful way to connect with nature and to improve your piece of the planet, yet such gardens are not always appreciated by neighbours more interested in tending lawn and other Eurasian species. Ecological gardens are, however, on the rise and a new appreciation of their multi-dimensional aesthetic qualities is growing. In addition to being popular, practical and ecologically relevant, there are also legal protections for these important spaces. Please read on to join our petition and to find out what more you can do to support native plant gardening
Bookstore
NEW! NANPS Bookstore
NANPS has established an on-line Bookstore to sell books on native plants and related topics.
Any books purchased here are are handled by Amazon.ca, which will process your order securely and arrange delivery, at their usual price. NANPS will receive a small referral fee from Amazon.
Click here to enter the NANPS Bookstore
Start shopping and support NANPS!
Gardening Tips
If you plant it they will come!
Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida
The plight of our bees, both native and the non-native honey bee, has been in the news a lot lately. Loss of habitat, food sources, pests and diseases and pesticides are all to blame. Even our love for mulch can have a negative impact on ground burrowing native bees. They need bare soil to dig their home in! How can you help? Native bees love native plants, it’s as simple as that!