Nature Reflects Classroom

April 30, 2022

Here are some interesting facts about the dandelion flower: 

The dandelion is the only flower that represents the 3 celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars.  The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars. 

The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep.   Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring. Up until the 1800s people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva, and chamomile. 

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves.   Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant. Dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind and they travel like tiny parachutes. Seeds are often carried as many as 5 miles from their origin! Animals such as birds, insects and butterflies consume nectar or seed of dandelion.  

Dandelion flowers do not need to be pollinated to form seed. Dandelion can be used in the production of wine and root beer. Root of dandelion can be used as a substitute for coffee.    Dandelions have sunk their roots deep into history. They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders. Tea made of dandelion act as diuretic. If you mow dandelions, they’ll grow shorter stalks to spite you.  Dandelions are, quite possibly, the most successful plants that exist, masters of survival worldwide.   

A not so fun fact: Every year countries spend millions on lawn pesticides to have uniform lawns of non-native grasses, and we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep them green.  

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March 13, 2022

                                        Botanical Gardens in Canada 

Here is a video from Niki Jabbour on prepping your raised beds for spring.  Lee Valley offers great gardening videos, check it out.    

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/discover/the-gardening-journal-with-niki-jabbour/prepping-your-raised-beds?utm_campaign=182859_MAR10-newsletter-PreparingYourRaisedBeds-CA&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Lee%20Valley&dm_i=6EER,3X3F,12VKPS,INFO,1  

This is also the time we see advertisements for various spring flower shows, in particular Tulip Time.

 • Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa from May 13 to 23, 2022

 • Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Washington State from April 1 to 30, 2022

 • Keukenhof Tulip Festival, The Netherlands from March 24 to May 15, 2022 

        (botanical gardens only open during this time.)  

A great draw for many gardeners is the large number of botanical gardens around the world.  Here is a list of the gardens, conservatories, and arboretums in Canada. A surprise to find so many in Canada. 

 Alberta The Muttart Conservatories in Edmonton, AlbertaThe Japanese garden in Edmonton's Devonian Botanic Garden • Alberta Horticultural Research Center, Brooks • Calgary Zoological Gardens, Calgary • Devonian Gardens (Calgary), Calgary • Lee Pavilion located within the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton • Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge • Muttart Conservatory, Edmonton • Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, Lethbridge • Olds College Botanic Garden, Olds[1] • University of Alberta Botanic Garden, Devon, Alberta 

British Columbia • Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver • Butchart Gardens, Victoria • Crown Forest Industries Arboretum and Museum, Ladysmith • Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, Victoria • Park and Tilford Gardens, North Vancouver • Queen Elizabeth Park and Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver • Royal Roads University Botanical Gardens, Victoria • Summerland Research Station, Summerland • UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, Vancouver • Tofino Botanical Gardens, Tofino • VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver • Woodland Gardens Arboretum, Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey 

Manitoba • Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg • Manitoba Horticultural Association Arboretum, Boissevain • Morden Research Station, Morden 

New Brunswick • Fredericton Botanic Garden, Fredericton[2] • Kingsbrae Horticultural Garden, St. Andrews • New Brunswick Botanical Garden, Edmundston 

Newfoundland and Labrador • Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John's 

Nova Scotia • Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, Annapolis Royal[3] • Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro • Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, Wolfville[4] • Halifax Public Gardens, Halifax

Ontario  • Allan Gardens, Toronto[5] • Bruce Botanical Food Gardens, Ripley[6] • Centennial Conservatory, Thunder Bay • Centennial Park Conservatory, Etobicoke • Dominion Arboretum and Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa • Great Lakes Forest Research Centre Arboretum, Sault Ste. Marie[7] • Fanshawe College Arboretum, London • Humber College Arboretum, Toronto • Inglis Falls Arboretum, Owen Sound • Jackson Park, Windsor • Lauber Arboretum, Kakabeka Falls • Metro Toronto Parks Commission, Toronto o Edwards Gardens o James Gardens o Toronto Islands • Niagara Parks Commission, Niagara Falls • Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens, Oshawa[8] • Ottawa Valley Native Plant Botanical Garden, Cobden[9] • Parkwood, The R.S. McLaughlin Estate National Historic Site and Heritage Garden, Oshawa • Plant Paradise Country Gardens, Caledon[10] • Quinte Botanical Garden, Frankford, Ontario • Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington • Sifton Bog, London • Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto • University of Guelph Arboretum, Guelph • University of Toronto Erindale College Conservatory, Mississauga • Toronto Zoo, Toronto • University of Western Ontario Sherwood Fox Arboretum, London • Vineland Research Station, Vineland 

Quebec • Belle Terre Botanic Garden, Otter Lake • Montreal Botanical Garden, Montreal[11] • Jardins de Métis, Grand-Métis[12] • Jardin Van Den Hende, Laval University, Quebec City • Mont Royal Park, Montreal • Man and His World, Montreal • Morgan Arboretum, Macdonald Campus of McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 

Saskatchewan • PFRA Tree Nursery, Indian Head • University of Saskatchewan Gardens, Saskatoon • Wascana Centre Authority, Regina • Regina Floral Conservatory, Regina   

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_botanical_gardens_in_Canada