18th annual catalogue from Annapolis Seeds now available 11Jan2026

Posted on January 11, 2026 by admin

Annapolis Seeds, based in the Annapolis Valley, NS are…

…growers and stewards of heirloom and open pollinated seed. Our goal is to cultivate the greatest possible diversity of seeds for our region. Our collection acts as a living seed bank for the Maritimes and Eastern Canada. All our seeds are open-pollinated, untreated, regionally adapted and grown with love. Although organic in both spirit and practice, we’re not currently certified as such.

They have just announced that their 18th annual catalogue, and their “biggest yet with 850+ varieties” is now available, and it’s online.

A few excerpts from their Jan message to gardening friends:

“For much of Nova Scotia the 2025 growing season was a challenging one. The Annapolis Valley saw the driest summer on record, with almost no rain from June to October. Here at the farm, we have four garden spaces where we grow our seeds, and only our main one is set up for irrigation. Thankfully our water supply held up, and those plants we could irrigate did really well. In fact the dry conditions were perfect for seeds to ripen. But our other three gardens had to fend for themselves, with mixed results. You’ll notice some old favourite varieties missing from the collection this year, we’ll try to have them back next season.” Continue reading →

Posted in Alternatives, food gardens, nurseries | Comments Off on 18th annual catalogue from Annapolis Seeds now available 11Jan2026

What’s goin on with Urban Landscapes NS? 11Jan2026

Posted on January 11, 2026 by admin

Joe-Pye weed in full bloom in a sidewalk setting in Halifax, Sep 10, 2018. The species is native to NS, “forming colonies along streams, banks, meadows and swamps” – Source: Nova Scotia Plants)

This website was set up a few years back by an economist and a ecologist (retired) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia as an exploratory venture to help us coordinate and develop our interests in urban landscapes.

We had a domain name – urbanlandscapesns.ca until recently which we gave up but the contents are retained under the URL www.versicolor.ca/urbanlandscapesns.

The website never –  at least never to date – got to the point of formally presenting it simply because we have both been preoccupied with other interests, but our passion for the topic remains.

So the website will continue to serve as a place for us to post bits and pieces that we want to keep track of, and at some point we may pick it up again with more focus. Or not.

Of course we are happy if others find materials of interest here.

~ dp & ti

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What’s goin on with Urban Landscapes NS? 11Jan2026

Lawn Weed Tolerance Survey, Halifax, 25 May 2023

Posted on May 25, 2023 by admin

Click on image for larger version

I conducted my sometimes annual lawn ecology survey yesterday (May 25), results shown in the image at right.

The Ratio of Weed Intolerant to Weed Tolerant (& pollinator-friendly) front lawns is similar to that I have found in past years (going back to circa 2010) when surveys were were conducted on older neighbourhoods on peninsular Halifax. This was the first off-peninsula/newer neighbourhood survey. Continue reading →

Posted in lawn | Comments Off on Lawn Weed Tolerance Survey, Halifax, 25 May 2023

Dal Prof Paul Manning: Beware of greenwashing in the pursuit of wildlife‑friendly gardens

Posted on May 4, 2023 by admin

Bill Freedman in his all native plant front yard garden some years back
Click on image to go to YouTube Video

So advises Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture Prof. Paul Manning in an article entitled “How greenwashing can lead us astray in the pursuit of wildlife-friendly gardens” published in The Conversation, a kind of academic blog whose byline is “Academic rigour, Journalistic flare” on May 1, 2023.

From the Intro: Continue reading →

Posted in Alternatives, Urban Spaces | Comments Off on Dal Prof Paul Manning: Beware of greenwashing in the pursuit of wildlife‑friendly gardens

When converting a lawn to a meadow is illegal

Posted on July 23, 2020 by admin

Couple battling municipality over ‘nuisance’ wildflower garden
Stu Mills · CBC News · Posted: Jul 20, 2020 “La Pêche, Que., couple says their vegetation is a habitat for bees and butterflies”

Posted in lawn, Pollinators | Leave a comment

There are “guerilla gardeners” and now “guerilla plant namers”

Posted on May 2, 2020 by admin

View ‘Not just weeds’: how rebel botanists are using graffiti to name forgotten flora
In the Guardian, May 1, 2020.

A rising international force of rebel botanists armed with chalk has taken up street graffiti to highlight the names and importance of the diverse but downtrodden flora growing in the cracks of paths and walls in towns and cities across Europe.

Also view their Wild Cities page.

I guess this is a next step from Guerilla Gardening!

Posted in Urban Spaces | Leave a comment

Early April is ideal time to overseed clover

Posted on April 9, 2020 by admin

Lawn overseeded with clover

There are many benefits to having clover in lawns:

– Combined with mulch-mowing, the clover can supply most or all of the turf’s needs for nitrogen. Clover and other legumes are infected by soil bacteria which form nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots. Nitrogen fixation can contribute the equivalent of 2 lbs of nitrogen per 1000 square feet annually (1 kg N/100m2 ). .

– Providing nitrogen inputs via legumes and recycling of residues (grass clippings) reduces leaching of all nutrients; requirements for lime may be reduced by 75% or more.

– Grass/clover turfs maintain greenness through mid-summer droughty periods when straight bluegrass turfs go into dormancy unless well watered..
Continue reading →

Posted in lawn, Pollinators | Leave a comment

What’s ripping up the lawns?

Posted on May 5, 2019 by admin

‘Saw lots of lawns like this on May 5, 2019

Crows are said to be the culprits. Well really it’s the grubs they are after that are the problem.

I have noticed a lot more crows on peninsular Halifax this spring and am wondering if disruption of the roost at Mt. St Vincent last fall has anything to do with it.

Racoons are also reported to do it as well (at night), and we have lots of those.

One solution – let ’em do it, re-seed it when they are through, and then you shouldn’t have them the next year.
Continue reading →

Posted in lawn | Leave a comment

Spreading clover seed on a Halifax lawn

Posted on April 23, 2019 by admin

Clover Lawn

My front lawn is particularly difficult, but not atypical of front lawns (or sometimes back lawns) in Halifax.

It was established on shallow soil, there are tree roots through it and from late May on it is shaded by Norway Maple.

Every now and then the city digs part of it up for water and sewer stuff or sidewalsk and replaces the old topsoil with sandy “manufactured topsoil” which makes it even more droughty.

I will get around to diversifying the area with garden beds, but in the meantime, if it’s looking particularly ratty in the spring, I spread clover on it in April or early May.

A pound of Dutch white clover seed costs about 13$ at Halifax Seed; that’s enough, they say, for about 1500 sq ft of lawn.

The big challenge is how to spread the very small seed evenly and not too heavily.

Here’s my recipe:
Continue reading →

Posted in lawn | Leave a comment

Recent research shows bees love naturalized yards!

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Talan Iscan

Here is a coverage in the media:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/city-bees-allotments-gardens-help-arrest-decline-study

& Apr 23, 2019:
To Nurture Nature, Neglect Your Lawn
By Margaret Renkl in The New York Times. “Why poison the earth when you can have wildflowers at your feet and songbirds in your trees without even trying?”

Posted in lawn, Pollinators | Leave a comment