St. Marys Sparling Bush Pollinator Garden (UTRCA weekly, August 27, 2021)
Thanks to funding from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, hundreds of pollinator plants are now growing next to the Sparling Bush in St. Marys.
Staff from the Town of St. Marys prepared the site, which included stripping the sod, bringing in topsoil, tilling, and providing mulch. Originally, the plan was for local students to participate and get hands on planting experience. When the pandemic made that plan impossible, staff from the municipality and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) planted the pollinators in early June.
Morgan Dykstra, Public Works and Planning Coordinator for the Town of St. Marys, applied for the funding and was very pleased to work with the UTRCA to establish this garden.
The activity last spring generated a lot of interest from passers-by, including Mr. Sparling, the original landowner and farmer who just happened to be visiting the area from out of town. The planting site was once land that Mr. Sparling drove his cattle through, past the bush.
Feedback from the community has been positive. Morgan shared that, “The Town of St. Marys is happy to see that the Pollinator Garden is blossoming and attracting bees, butterflies, and St. Marys residents, and we look forward to continuing to enhance this area.” The plants were grown at Heeman’s Greenhouses and include species such as purple and white coneflower, bergamot, black eyed Susan, butterfly milkweed, coreopsis, and sedum.