Niagara Nurseries

09/04/2026

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/providing-nest-material-for-birds-dos-donts/

Rufous Hummingbird by Penny Hall/Birdshare. Most birds build some kind of structure to contain their eggs and nestlings. A bird's nest may be as simple as a nighthawk's or Killdeer's depression on the ground, a hole in a tree excavated by a woodpecker, or an elaborate pouchlike nest woven by an o

08/23/2026

Hear that buzzing in the trees? Summer isn’t over yet… the cicadas are singing!

🌿 A few cool cicada facts

* That loud buzzing you’re hearing in July and August? In southern Ontario, it’s often the Dog-day cicada. Only the males make that loud call, trying to attract females.

* They spend years underground as nymphs, feeding on sap from plant roots. Then they crawl out, climb a tree or plant, and split their old skin right down the back to become adults.

* That creepy-looking empty shell stuck to your tree trunk is actually the cicada’s shed skin. It’s one of the easiest ways to know cicadas have been around.

* Ontario has several different cicada species, including some found specifically around the Niagara region and Hamilton.

* Adult cicadas don’t live very long—roughly a month—so that incredible summer soundtrack doesn’t last forever.

* And here’s a neat gardening fact: cicadas aren’t generally considered a major garden pest. The adults feed on plant fluids, while the bigger concern during heavy populations is the damage females can cause when they lay eggs in small twigs.

08/21/2026

Don’t let those flowers go to waste—August is seed-saving season!” 🌱

For Ontario gardens, look for seeds from flowers such as:

* 🌻 Sunflowers — let the head dry on the plant until the seeds are firm.
* 🌼 Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) — very easy to collect and save.
* 🌸 Coneflowers (Echinacea) — collect from the dried flower heads.
* 💜 Zinnias — allow the flower to dry completely.
* 🌺 Cosmos — the long, skinny seeds are easy to spot.
* 🌿 Marigolds — let the flower heads dry and pull out the seeds.
* 🌸 Calendula — produces lots of easily collected seeds.
* 🌾 Coreopsis — collect the little dry seed heads.
* 🐝 Bee balm (Monarda) — collect once the seed heads turn brown and dry.
* 💙 Morning glory — seed pods dry on the vine and are easy to save.

The trick: don’t collect them while they’re still green. Wait until the flower head or seed pod is brown/dry and the seeds come away easily. Then spread the seeds out indoors for several days to make sure they’re completely dry before storing them in a labeled paper envelope in a cool, dry place.

And one important thing: hybrid flowers don’t always come true from saved seed, so the next year’s flowers may look different from the parent plant. 🪴

08/19/2026

🫑 Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

* 4 bell peppers
* 1 lb ground beef or turkey
* 1 cup cooked rice
* 1 cup tomato sauce
* 1 cup shredded cheese
* Salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix meat, rice, half the tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Fill peppers, top with remaining sauce, cover, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 40 minutes. Add cheese and bake 10 more minutes.

08/18/2026

🌼 Goldenrod — Solidago

Goldenrod is a native North American perennial known for its beautiful clusters of bright yellow flowers. In Ontario, you’ll often see it blooming from late summer into fall, which makes it especially valuable when many other flowers are starting to finish.

A few cool things about it:

* 🐝 Pollinator superstar: Bees, butterflies and many other insects love goldenrod because it provides an important late-season source of nectar and pollen.
* 🦋 Great for wildlife: Goldenrod supports a surprisingly large number of insects, including some species that depend on it specifically.
* 🌱 Comes back every year: Once established, it’s generally quite easy to grow.
* ☀️ Loves sunshine: Most varieties do best in full sun.
* 💧 Not particularly fussy: Depending on the species, it can tolerate everything from average garden soil to fairly dry conditions.
* 🍂 Excellent fall colour: Those golden-yellow blooms are fantastic for keeping a garden looking alive when summer flowers are fading.

🤧 And here’s the big misconception…

Goldenrod is NOT usually the plant making you sneeze in late summer!

Goldenrod gets blamed because it blooms at the same time as ragweed, which is a major source of seasonal allergies. Goldenrod has heavy, sticky pollen that’s primarily carried by insects. Ragweed has lightweight pollen that’s carried by the wind.

So goldenrod is basically standing there looking pretty while ragweed gets away with the crime. 😂

08/14/2026

08/12/2026

🍅 Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

* Fresh tomatoes
* Fresh mozzarella
* Basil leaves
* Olive oil
* Balsamic glaze
* Salt and pepper

Directions:
Layer tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Season with salt and pepper.

08/06/2026

Monarch butterflies are among the world’s most recognizable insects, famous for their bright orange-and-black wings and their remarkable long-distance migrations.

What makes them special?

* The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) has orange wings with black veins and a border dotted with white spots.
* Adults typically have a wingspan of about 3.5–4 inches (9–10 cm).
* Males have two small black spots on their hind wings, while females have thicker black wing veins.

Incredible migration

One of the most amazing features of monarchs is their annual migration.

* In eastern North America, monarchs travel up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to spend the winter in the mountains of central Mexico.
* Western monarchs generally migrate to coastal California.
* No single butterfly completes the entire round trip. Instead, multiple generations are involved, except for the long-lived “super generation” that flies south in the fall and survives the winter before heading north in spring.

Life cycle

Monarchs undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages:

1. Egg – Laid on the underside of milkweed leaves.
2. Larva (caterpillar) – Eats milkweed almost exclusively, growing rapidly through several molts.
3. Chrysalis (pupa) – The caterpillar transforms inside a jade-green chrysalis decorated with tiny gold-colored spots.
4. Adult butterfly – Emerges, expands its wings, and eventually begins feeding and reproducing.

Why milkweed matters

Milkweed plants are essential for monarchs because:

* Female monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed.
* Caterpillars feed on the leaves.
* Chemicals from the plant make both caterpillars and adults distasteful to many predators, and their bright colors serve as a warning.

What do adult monarchs eat?

Adult monarchs drink nectar from many flowering plants, including:

* Goldenrod
* Asters
* Coneflowers
* Liatris
* Zinnias

These flowers provide the energy needed for migration and reproduction.

Threats

Monarch populations face several challenges:

* Loss of milkweed habitat.
* Habitat loss at overwintering sites.
* Climate change and extreme weather.
* Pesticide use that reduces food sources and breeding habitat.

08/05/2026

🥒 Garden Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 2 cups flour
* 2 eggs
* ½ cup vegetable oil
* ¾ cup sugar
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Mix ingredients and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50–60 minutes.

08/05/2026

🥒 Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

* 4 small cucumbers
* 2 cups white vinegar
* 2 cups water
* 2 tbsp pickling salt
* Fresh dill
* 2 garlic cloves

Directions:
Bring vinegar, water, and salt to a boil. Cool slightly, then pour over cucumbers, dill, and garlic in jars. Refrigerate for 24–48 hours before enjoying.