There are few things in life that provide as much satisfaction as watching plants grow. Many of us first experience this as small children, peering down at germinating bean seeds in classrooms scented by washable paint and warm peanut butter sandwiches. The small act of planting can have an impact Read more…
Did you know that we have six native species of flowering members of the onion family here in British Columbia, four of which you might encounter when out on the trails of Mayne Island? The most common is nodding onion (Allium cernuum), and the ones seen less often are Hooker’s Read more…
Oceanspray, also known as cream bush rock spirea, ironwood or arrowwood is a common native flowering shrub found growing in forests on the Southern Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. In logged areas, or forests recovering from wildfire, it may be one of the first plants to appear. In July, we Read more…
This is part one of the “Below Our Feet” series. This series of articles aims to shine a light on the mysterious underground world of plant life beneath our feet. Held together by roots, soil organisms, bacteria, and fungi run this underground world of decomposing plant material. Plants whose aboveground Read more…
We have a limited selection of wonderful native plants available for sale this spring. All of our plants have been lovingly grown from seed or cutting right here on Mayne Island. Click below to see our current availability and pricing. If you have any questions about native plants or would Read more…
Now that the soils have softened, it’s a perfect time for planting. We have a selection of beautiful native plants from our small plant nursery now available for order. Our top picks this year are Oregon gumweed, red columbine, and nodding onion. These perennial wildflowers provide amazing colour and summer Read more…
Please help us keep this vital program growing. The demand for locally-adapted plants for habitat restoration projects in Mayne Island’s public parks has grown in recent years, as has interest from homeowners and other private land stewards using native plants for land restoration and native plant gardening. Our small native Read more…
Spring is here and the plants in our small native plant nursery are starting to wake up! We have limited availability this year due to an increase in demand for native plants in our habitat restoration projects, and an early-bird opportunity that was available only to those that held membership Read more…
As I was making a salad for dinner last night with fresh greens from our small greenhouse (which made a surprisingly amazing bounce back following our late season cold snap), my six-year-old son started talking to me about science. Now, my son tends to be extreme in all things, sometimes Read more…
We’re offering a different format for plant sales this fall. Due to an increase in demand for on-island habitat restoration projects we have a limited selection and supply this fall. However, we still have some amazing plants for sale and will be taking email orders between October 1st and November Read more…