Cottage Wildflower Garden

July 4, 2021August 3, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

We have a large space on our cottage property that acts as a buffer zone between the road (a major highway in those parts) and the cottage. A 2-foot strip of vegetation along the road is cut by the township each year. Adjacent to that the land begins to slope downward for an approximate width of five feet before it levels off. A row of cedar hedges was planted approximately 40 feet from the road many years ago, but the area between the bottom of the slope and the cedars is rarely maintained, left to grow wild. I have always felt this whole area was wasted space. What does a gardener do with wasted space? Turns it into a garden of course, in this case, a cottage wildflower garden.

The first season (2018) we planted several evergreen trees (pine, balsam, and spruce) at the bottom of the slope. Next season we planted more, spaced throughout the flat area to create (eventually) a forest of evergreen trees as a visual and noise barrier between the road and the cottage.

I then whippersnipped the flat area around the evergreens, avoiding all of the frogs (there were tons), then sprinkled seeds (pink and white coneflowers, Queen Anne’s lace, black-eyed Susans, pink and red beebalm to name a few) along the slope and flat strip close to the road. These plants are not exactly wildflowers, more hardy, and tall perennials, but I mixed all the seeds in one large bag as I was collecting them to achieve a wildflower look.

Next Season (2020) Update

The first set of evergreens we planted have grown even though gypsy moths have persistently tried to hamper their survival.

The most recent set are coming along well too; they love the full sun and lots of space to put down roots, literally…

After a few arguments with hubby over what grass to cut (he likes the manicured city lawn look, I prefer a more natural look here) we compromised with some of each. To mark my territory of where I want the cottage wildflower garden, I trampled down the grass to create a “line” he was not to cross with the lawnmower. You can barely see it on the right side of this picture, but he saw it and that’s what counts.

The area is not very garden-friendly, sloped with sandy soil enhanced (not) with salt and bits of gravel from the road.

Unfortunately, many of the seeds I spread over the past few seasons migrated to the designated lawn area at the bottom of the slope. The soil is very sandy in this neck of the woods, so removing the errant plants and transplanting them to wildflower ridge was easy.

2021 Update

Now that I’ve trained my husband to cut the grass properly around it, (or I cut it myself) my wildflower ridge is currently chock full of daisies, black-eyed susans, malva, white and pink achilea, Queen Anne’s lace, viper’s bugloss, and milkweed. My cottage wildflower garden is coming to life!

The milkweed attracts monarch butterflies. They lay eggs on the leaves which hatch into caterpillars (you can see 2 in the picture below) which in turn morph into more monarch butterflies.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Queen Anne’s lace is dominating right now; I may have to selectively remove some of it next season if it takes over the other wildflowers.

I love the white lacey flower heads that ruffle in the breeze. The bees do as well. Queen Anne’s lace was my mom’s favourite wildflower, so they are obviously now one of my favourites as well as a sentimental touch in this garden.

I also have a patch of Queen Anne’s lace closer to the cottage interspersed with black-eyed susans, my mother-in-law’s favourite. I love this random patch as it reminds me that both of these wonderful women are always nearby. In spirit only, unfortunately.

Globe Thistles or Echinops

Thriving within wildflower ridge are the vibrant blue globe thistles, AKA echinops, that I planted from seeds last fall.

Wild Chicory

Slower to thrive in wildflower ridge are the wild chicory plugs I pulled from the roadside on a trek back to the city. It’s a good thing I picked them when I did, this weekend they have all been cropped off.

A member of the daisy family, the pretty cornflower blue blossoms of wild chicory are quite common along the roadsides here in Eastern Ontario.

The chicory roots were only recently transplanted in my wildflower ridge though, so I may have to exercise some patience with them.

Not so Wild Cultivars

Mingling nicely with the wildflowers indigenous to this area (those mentioned above as well as daisies, vipers bugloss, milkweed, pink thistles, and achillea) are some not-so-wild, cultivars. These all love full sun conditions and are hardy to zone 3. Coneflowers, malva/mallow, yellow daisies, monarda, and even the recognizable leaves of a hollyhock have sprouted from the seeds I collected and sewn over the past few seasons…

Wildflower Ridge is Blooming — coneflower

Collecting Wildflowers

I’ve used a combination of seeds collected in the fall and root plugs borrowed from the roadside. For obvious reasons, the root plugs offer quicker rewards, although require more maintenance in the form of supplying them with water. This south-facing strip of property bakes in the sun, the hose doesn’t teach that far and water from the lake is a chore.

To keep our local bees and butterflies content and thriving, it is important to choose native wildflowers (ones that you see growing naturally in your area) for your gardens.

2022 Update

This year I have purple asters, white and pink achillea, and more traditional daisies blooming in addition to the varieties listed last season. The wild chicory did not fare so well, I will have to try it again. Unfortunately, some of the perennials (coneflowers and monarda) that looked so great last season did not return this year. I am discovering that the seeds work better than trying to transplant divided plants from my home gardens. This could be a result of the incredibly sandy soil here or the full sun location. Or a combination of both challenges.

I will keep trying though. Recently I added joe pye weed, and purple creeping bellflower plugs (yes, I’m aware they are invasive, but I like them in this spot), as well as cosmos, zinnia, poppy, flax, and blanket flower seeds from the butterfly garden I created at my local hospice. This process is slow, will have to wait until next spring to see the results of the latest additions.

I am hoping the bees and butterflies like my cottage wildflower gardens as much as I do! Shortly after I captured a picture of this yellow butterfly feasting on asters, a fat bumblebee buzzed in, shooing the butterfly to the next blossom.

Cottage Wildflower Garden at the Water’s Edge

The next spot I plan to transform is the shadier slope at the water’s edge. Stay tuned for more details on that project!

This is a much shadier site, so will require some research to find suitable new occupants.

Please let me know if you can think of any other plants I can add to either site. I prefer natural looking (no city slickers allowed) perennials.

2023 Update

Gypsy Moths and Caterpillars

May 24, 2021April 30, 2023 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

This story was posted last August (2020)…please visit the update at the end.

Gypsy Moth & Caterpillar Damage

Gypsy moths, at least the caterpillars that morph into the moths, have completely defoliated many deciduous trees and devoured the tops of evergreens in Eastern Ontario.

The trees at our cottage on Palmerston Lake in Ompah, Ontario have not been spared.

What do Gypsy Moths Look Like?

First, we noticed lots (more than usual) of these brown moths flying around our property…

Curious, I googled them to see if they could be responsible for the defoliation of our trees.

Sure enough, the brown moths pictured above are the male gypsy moths.

The males fly around looking for the white, non-flying female versions to impregnate. The females crawl on the ground, attracting the males with a sex hormone, after which the females crawl onto a tree trunk or any other vertical surface (including our garage wall) to lay their eggs.

The eggs are enclosed in an oval-shaped, soft sac. Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars crawl further up the trees to continue the destructive cycle.

Once we discovered what they were, my hubby went around the property scraping (the ones he could reach) the egg sacs off, letting the eggs fall to the ground for the birds and other insects to enjoy.

Perhaps we are tampering with nature, but the damage these caterpillars inflict on our trees is incredible.

Here’s hoping the trees will recover!

Update

Fast forward to spring 2021…the deciduous trees have leaves and bright green, new growth is visible on the evergreens. Sounds good, except for the webs at the tops of many of the trees housing thousands of tiny caterpillars. Yuk!

Plan of Action

Apparently, simply knocking the egg capsules to the ground last season was ineffective. We should have destroyed them by putting them in a bucket of soapy water…

To try to break the destructive cycle of these gypsy moths, we spent the long weekend spraying the webs with soapy water.

Fortunately, I have several of these sprayers for my landscaping business

I purchased this brand at Princess Auto in Ottawa, but you can purchase a similar one on Amazon.

Stay tuned to see how successful we were with the soap treatment!

Cottage Season is Coming

April 6, 2021September 15, 2022 ~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

Cottage season is coming, fast. With increased COVID numbers and resulting restrictions, it cannot come too soon. Isolating at the lake is something we were grateful for last summer, although spending time there is always a relaxing, “unplugged” experience, regardless of what is happening around the world.

Ice on the Lake

A few weeks ago we visited Palmerston Lake to check on our cottage. We took our four year old uber-adventurous grandson with us to show him what the place looks like in winter. He was thrilled to walk on the ice and climb on the frozen pile of leaves. He was disappointed however, that the snakes and frogs were still sleeping…

This Easter weekend, less than three weeks later, we visited again to begin the annual spring cleanup. The grandson stayed home to enjoy Easter festivities, but I couldn’t help reflecting on how much he would love to see the ice breaking up.

It always amazes me how quickly the ice leaves the lake every spring. The property is now snow-free even though we had to park on the road and wade through the snow last visit. By next week the ice will be totally gone!

Spring Cottage Chores

Even though we rake up most leaves in the fall at the end of each season, there are always some that are still clinging to the trees as we are closing up. That means there are still lots to rake up in the spring too.

That’s the downside of a heavily treed lot. The advantage of course, is the natural beauty and shade these trees provide in the summer months.

We use plastic bags saved from new mattresses to collect and transport the leaves to the huge leaf pile. These bags make the chore much easier, and fold up for storage between uses. Over the season the leaves break down, providing soil amendment for garden areas.

Unfortunately, a cold north wind was blowing off the lake during this visit, much to the annoyance of my arthritic hips. I paid for that in pain on return to the city. Once the cold gets in my bones, the ache is hard to dispel.

Gypsy Moth Damage

Last year I told you about the infestation of gypsy moths at the lake. Apparently it was a record year for them in Eastern Ontario, affecting not only deciduous trees but evergreens too.

We have been praying that our trees will survive this onslaught. While the deciduous trees don’t appear to suffer long term, (their leaves return each year) the growth of the evergreens (spruce and pines) is much slower. The needles take much longer to regrow, if they do at all.

I hesitate to cut the damaged tops off these pines and spruce as that would alter the natural shape of the trees, making them bushier and rounder at the bottom. Instead we will wait to see how much regrowth they put out this season.

COVID Affecting Cottage and Campsite Rentals

Last summer Canadians stayed close to home, visiting local cottages and campgrounds more than ever before. We were no exception. With the heat wave we experienced it was a no brainer to isolate at our family cottage. While visitors outside our immediate family were not invited, we managed to get our sons’ families to join us, albeit separately.

Conclusion

This season promises to be even busier for cottage and campsite rentals as we head into a (possible) second summer of isolation restrictions. I’ve heard that campsites are booking up fast as families know to expect availability shortages this summer. If you haven’t already, you might want to get on it soon!

As spring weather warms us up, we relish the fact that cottage season is coming!