The Daily Dirt Day 8: Garden Gratitude

 Today we started our adventure at Norma Rose Point Elementary School, which has an incredible building full of creative work from students (as well as facilities none of us had access to in our Elementary education!) 

We had the opportunity to investigate the rain garden, correctly identifying some plants while misidentifying others. We discussed the garden as a teacher and a place of learning and got to explore the undergrowth as if we were kids, too!

Afterwards, we took a walk to visit and learn a little bit about the Woodward seed lending library; before this week we had no idea UBC had so many places to get, share and donate seeds! Like the invisible ecosystems at work in any natural space, UBC staff and volunteers have operated this system for enriching local and personal gardens with native and non-invasive plants right under our noses. 

We even passed a community garden to peep at on our way there! Things are growing everywhere!

(Someone had some fun with the names)

We finished our morning by examining the water collection system behind the Beatty biodiversity museum, gawking at the plants that congregate there. We were like our potato plants today, just soaking up the information and storing it for when we need it 🙂

The Daily Dirt: Day 3 - Trees, Bees, and lots of Heat!

UBC Botanical Garden

This morning, Amanda and James took us on a tour around the UBC Botanical Garden. We started our tour by visiting the Physic Garden where we learned about several varieties of medicinal plants and the history of each one. In the centre of the Physic Garden, we also found a sundial that looked really neat and was pretty accurate to the time. After visiting the Physic Garden, we spent some time exploring other areas of the Botanical Garden like the Carolinian Garden, the BC Rainforest Garden, and the Roseline Sturdy Amphitheatre. We all had an amazing time appreciating the nature surrounding us and would definitely visit again!

        

At the botanical garden, one particular medicinal plant that caught our attention was the Viper’s Bugloss (also known as the Echium Vulgare.) This plant is the cure to sadness. It comforts the heart and drives away melancholy. Viper’s Bugloss is native to Europe. It has long leaves, spikes and is covered in rough hairs. They are mostly found in disturbed areas such as roadsides and waste areas. This plant is well known for its ability to attract pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies. It is also used as a remedy for snake bites.

Afternoon Work Party in the Garden

In the afternoon, James taught us how to transplant some sprouted plants into the soil. These sprouted plants included mustard, green onion, beets, and gai lan, and were originally stored in the greenhouse to initially germinate/mature. We transplanted the green onions and learned how to water them properly to prevent them from burning in the sun. As usual, we spent some time removing weeds like stinging nettle and red clovers.