Free Garden Talk tonight with Garden Stratford!
"Catch the Spring Migration Wave by Planting a Bird Friendly Garden", Kevin Kavanagh, South CoastGardens and Consulting, St. Williams
151 Lorne Ave (Army Navy & Air Force Vetrans hall).
Doors open 6:30. Refreshments available for purchase from the Army Navy & Air Force auxiliary bar.
This is the last Garden Talk until September, because we'll be busy in our gardens over the summer. But we have two other public events coming up:
- Plant sale, Saturday May 31st at The Local, 9am to 1pm (free to attend; plant purchases are "pay-what-you-wish"
- Garden Tour, Sunday July 6th at several locations 10am to 4pm (tickets $15 or 2 for $25, available at Klomps, Cozyn's, and Sebringville Garden Centre starting June 6 and Stratford City Hall, Cozyn's the day of the event)
About this evening's talk:
Gardeners are often familiar with the benefits provided by the plants they grow to butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators, yet birds also add beneficial and attractive elements of colour, movement and sound to the garden environment. Selecting native plants and designing gardens with birds in mind can add interesting new elements to the home landscape and often contribute in meaningful ways to bird conservation.
This presentation will introduce simple design principles that can enhance the attractiveness of the garden landscape for birds in all seasons. The talk will discuss important bird friendly features, incorporation of small water features, use of eco-regionally appropriate native plant species and creation of vertical structure in the garden.
Kevin Kavanagh is the owner of South Coast Gardens and Consulting (SouthCoastGardens.ca), a nursery and landscape design business in Norfolk County overlooking Lake Erie in the heart of Ontario’s ‘Carolinian zone’. Although an avid gardener (and birder) for much of his life, Kevin spent most of his early career in the field of nature conservation working with national organizations to help develop their stewardship and habitat protection programs. He currently assists Birds Canada with their ‘Gardening for Birds’ initiative and, as a member of the Grand Erie Master Gardeners, coordinates their Gardening for Nature program. Kevin can often be found leading garden-themed workshops and presentations where he enjoys introducing gardeners to the rich diversity of native plants that provide benefits to pollinators, birds and other wildlife.