Palermo Gardens
Spring-Fall 2023
2023 Garden Features
Kindie
Pen
Sunflower Garden
Door 8
Stock Tank 4
Stock Tank 1
Stock Tank 5
Stock Tank 2
Stock Tank 6
Stock Tank 3
Water Access
Garden Layout
Outdoor Ed Cabinet
Stock Tank 1
Summer Peek-a-Boo Allium
Flowers in June
Butterfly and other pollinator attractor.
Deer and rabbit resistant.
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia Canadenisis
Flowers in May-June
Butterfly, Bee, Bird attractor.
Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit
Flowers from mid-Summer to Fall
Attracts butterflies.
Culver’s Root (Black Root)
Veronicastrum Virginicum
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows up to 2 metres tall.
Double-Scoop Cranberry Coneflower
Echinacea Purpurea Balscanery
Flowers in Summer
Attracts song birds, butterflies, and other pollinators
Stock Tank 1
Stock Tank 2
Unknown Perennial Plant
Planted 2022
Wild Bee Balm (Bergamot)
Monarda Fistulosa
Pollinator attractor.
Has medicinal benefits.
Soulmate Milkweed
Aselepias Incarnata
Important food for Monarch Butterflies.
Blooms in Summer-Fall
Unknown Perennial Plant
Planted 2022
Common Yarrow
Achillea Millefolium (White)
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows to 1 metre tall.
Hosta
Planted 2022
Non-Native Species
Stock Tank 2
Stock Tank 3
Summer Peek-a-Boo Allium
Flowers in June
Butterfly and other pollinator attractor.
Deer and rabbit resistant.
Coral Craze Echinacea
Flowers in midsummer.
Good source of food for songbirds.
Northern Sea Oats
Chasmanthium Iatifolium
Grows up to 1 metre in height. Can resemble small bamboo shoots.
Wild Bee Balm (Bergamot)
Monarda Fistulosa
Pollinator attractor.
Has medicinal benefits.
Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit
Flowers from mid-Summer to Fall
Attracts butterflies.
Culver’s Root (Black Root)
Veronicastrum Virginicum
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows up to 2 metres tall.
Stock Tank 3
Stock Tank 4
Corn
One of the three grasses most consumed by humans. Corn stalks will provide structure for beans to grow up.
Beans
Will use corn to climb upwards. Beans are nitrogen fixers and help maintain soil health and quality.
“3 Sisters” Garden
Corn - Planted May 9
Beans - Add week of May 29 (depending on Corn height)
Squash / Pumpkin - Add week of June 5 (depending on Bean height)
The term “3 Sisters” has it’s roots in Haudenosaunee culture. Read the story here about how the sisters provide for our needs.
Squash / Pumpkin
The leaves from the creeping vines cover the soil to retain moisture and protect the roots of the other plants.
Stock Tank 5
Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia Fulgida Goldsturm
Flowers from mid-summer to fall.
Hot Papaya Coneflower
Echinacea Hot Papaya
Blooms from June to August
Flowers do not fade.
Anise Hyssop
Agastache Foeniculum
Highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Coral Craze Echinacea
Flowers in midsummer.
Good source of food for songbirds.
Common Yarrow
Achillea Millefolium (White)
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows to 1 metre tall.
Stock Tank 5
Stock Tank 6
Culver’s Root (Black Root)
Veronicastrum Virginicum
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows up to 2 metres tall.
Hot Papaya Coneflower
Echinacea Hot Papaya
Blooms from June to August
Flowers do not fade.
Anise Hyssop
Agastache Foeniculum
Highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Bee and butterfly attractor.
Grows to 1 metre tall.
Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia Fulgida Goldsturm
Flowers from mid-summer to fall.
Double-Scoop Cranberry Coneflower
Echinacea Purpurea Balscanery
Flowers in Summer
Attracts song birds, butterflies, and other pollinators
Stock Tank 6
Kindergarten Pen
Ginger Wine Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolium
Attractive to pollinators.
Bright orange to red leaves with white flowers.
Highly drought tolerant.
Blacktop and Field
South Parking Lot / Kiss and Ride Lot
Fence
The Sunflower Garden
The Sunflower Garden is intended to be an annual project that gives students the opportunity to grow sunflowers from seed and see how tall they get by the next Fall.
Sunflowers attract pollinators and birds, and help to remediate soil.
The garden is situated outside the Kindergarten Pen at the south-east corner of the school by the Kiss and Ride area.
Each fall we will cut back the previous year’s sunflowers and collect seeds for the next year’s crop.
Watering Schedule
All gardens will need to be watered daily from May through June to promote the early stages of plants grown from seed, and the rooting of transplants. Watering should be done either 1st or 6th period to avoid excessive evaporation.
Watering every 1-3 days through the summer months will be sufficient. Watering during the summer months will be done on a volunteer basis.
To sign up for a watering shift click here (link removed for sharing purposes)
How to Water
Fall 2023 Plans
Plant Info Sheets
Summer Peek-a-Boo Allium
Allium MGsmmpkb13
Summer Peek-A-Boo Allium is a type of onion selected for it’s looks. The plant has a clump of grass-like narrow foliage with lavender-purple florets that appear at the top of the stalks in mid-summer. It has a pleasant, mild fragrance.
The leaves and flowers are edible as the plant is part of the “allium” family which includes shallots, leeks, green onion, and garlic.
This plant is a pollinator attractor. Bees and other insects love it. It is also deer and rabbit resistant which means it won’t be eaten by our local herbivores.
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia Canadensis
Wild Columbine flowers between March and July, bears fruit from June to August and releases its seeds in early to mid Autumn. Most of the plant will die back in the late-Fall before returning in the Spring. This plant is grows all over North America.
The plant family name Aquilegia comes from the Latin word aquila, which means "an eagle". This is a reference to the shape of the petals which sort of look like an eagle's claw.
Indigenous peoples prepare infusions from various parts of plants of columbine to treat heart trouble, kidney problems, headaches, bladder problems, and fever, and as a wash for poison ivy.
Culver’s Root / Black Root
Veronicastrum Virginicum
Culver’s root is a tall, durable, adaptable and easily grown. It’s beautiful (usually white, purple to pink) flowers occur at a time of year (July - September) when most other plants are not flowering.
Indigenous peoples make medicine from this plant. It is used for pain, digestion issues, and the treatment for coughs and fevers.
The most common critters to visit the flowers are long and short tongued bees, which collect pollen and nectar. Other pollinators include honeybees, bumblebees, mason bees, green metallic bees and masked bees. Other insect visitors include sphecid wasps, butterflies, moths and syrphid flies. The seeds are too small to be of interest to birds.
Soulmate Milkweed
Aselepias Incarnata
Swamp or Soulmate milkweed is a tall plant with fragrant, showy clusters of pink and light purple flowers. It is a more decorative alternative to common milkweed and is attractive to egg-laying Monarch Butterflies.
The Haudenosaunee have used an infusion of the roots to strengthen the body and heal babies’ belly buttons after birth. Parts of the plant can also be processed to create medicines that help with digestion and removal of intestinal parasites. Milkweed was once commonly used to treat lung problems. Some varieties of milkweed are toxic when taken in large doses.
The tough stringy stem fibers have been used to make twine, rope and rough textiles. The downy parachutes that are attached to each seed are six times more buoyant that cork and five times warmer than wool. Large quantities of milkweed were grown for use as stuffing in pillows and lifejackets during World War II.
Wild Bee Balm (Bergamot)
Monarda Fistulosa
Wild Bee Balm is found throughout Eastern Canada. It is part of the mint family (Lamiaceae). It grows be sending rhizomes through the soil that pop up as another plant. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love the plant for its nectar.
Bee Balm has been used to flavour foods and beverages like Earl Grey Tea. The plant has a wide variety of medicinal uses as well. The Ojibwe put a wad of chewed leaves of this plant into their nostrils to relieve headache. The tops of the plant can be dried and used to relieve colds. The leaves can be placed in warm water baths for babies. Bronchitis, headaches, abdominal pain, acne, and many other ailments have all been treated with different Indigenous medicines derived from Bee Balm. Early European settlers used the plant to help with digestion, and for relaxation.
Common Yarrow
Achillea Millefolium (White)
Common yarrow is a perennial herb that produces one to several tall stems from a fibrous underground horizontal rootstock (rhizome). The flower heads have a flattened dome shape with clusters of 10-20 flowers. The flowers are whitish to yellowish-white. It is highly adaptable and often shows up in areas that have been cleared or disturbed.
Common yarrow is attractive to bees, butterflies, and a whole host of other insect species like beetles and flies.
Indigenous peoples in North America have used the stalk in a treatment for pain relief and the leaves in a steam inhalant for headaches. Tea made of common yarrow has been used by Indigenous peoples to reduce fever and aid in restful sleep.
Common yarrow is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.
Anise Hyssop
Agastache Foeniculum
Anise Hyssop is a pollinator magnet and has been growing since ancient times in Canada and North America. The nectar from this plant is attractive to many species of butterfly and bees. Birds such as Hummingbirds and Goldfinches will also frequently visit this plant.
Anise Hyssop is a member of the mint family and can grow very tall. It contains rich essential oils that have antiviral, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It can also be used to help with digestion. The flavour of anise hyssop can also be found in beverages such as root beer.
Anise Hyssop has been used by indigenous groups for centuries as a medicinal ingredient to soothe symptoms associated with the common cold and act as a digestive aid.
Northern Sea Oats
Chasmanthium Latifolium
A member of the grass family, Northern Sea Oats are resistant to deer and rabbits. The seeds make great food for birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and other small animals. This grass grows to almost 1 meter tall and can be a good shelter or nesting space for little critters.
This plant can attract butterflies who will lay eggs on the plant. The Pepper & Salt Skipper butterfly, Bell's Roadside Skipper butterfly, and Bronzed Roadside Skipper butterfly larvae will all use Northern Sea Oats as a habitat for development.
Northern Sea Oats have a strong root system and can be used to help prevent soil erosion.
Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susans
Rudbeckia Fulgida Goldsturm
Black Eyed Susan is very attractive to bees and butterflies and the seed heads provide winter food for seed-eating songbirds as well. White-tailed deer sometimes graze on the leaves in winter and some bird species will eat the seeds.
Indigenous peoples in North America have used the plant in a wide variety of ways. Yellow and green dyes have been created from the flowers and root. Different parts of the plant have been used to treat colds, and to remove intestinal parasites such as worms.
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Rattlesnake Master flowers start bright white and eventually turn purple. It is a member of the carrot family; something you can tell be smelling the crushed or torn leaves of the plant. It will reach heights of 1-1.5 meters.
The name comes from a historically documented use as a treatment for rattlesnake bites (not something we need to worry about around here).
Monarch butterflies, skippers, and other butterflies visit the flower heads for nectar. Soldier beetles visit the flowers to eat pollen; major pollinators include a diversity of bees, wasps, and flies.
Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Double-Scoop Cranberry Coneflower
Hot Papaya Coneflower
Coral Craze Echinacea
Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea come from Central to Eastern North America and are great at attracting birds, butterflies, and other insects. The flowers have all the different colours of a sunset and stay on the plant after they bloom. Birds such as finches will eat coneflower seeds well into the early winter. Coneflower plants are hardy and can take drought and poor soil conditions.
Echinacea has long been used by Indigenous peoples to treat wounds. It can can also be found in herbal medicines at your local drug store and is said to ward off the common cold and flu by boosting the immune system. Echinacea is also thought to have some antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Cheyenne Spirit
Double-Scoop Cranberry
Hot Papaya
Coral Craze
Sunflowers
Helianthus
Sunflowers have been grown for thousands of years and are native to North America.
They grow best with 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and can grow up to 16 feet tall depending on the specific type of sunflower.
Young sunflowers will track the sun, turning towards the light all day. Once they grow up, the heads will always face east to the sunrise.
The face of the flower is actually made up of thousands of tinier flowers. Take a close look!
Sunflowers are a great source of food and nutrition for humans, but also birds and other animals who will feed on the seeds.
Bees are the most important pollinator for sunflowers, however if needed, sunflowers can pollinate themselves!
Our sunflowers will be cut back and regrown from seed each year.
Ginger Wine Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolium
Ginger Wine Ninebark is a shrub native to North America. It has beautiful leaves that are orange-red in the Spring and Fall, and turn dark burgundy in Summer. It has beautiful pink buds that produce white flowers that then give way to brilliant red seeds. Pollinators are attracted to the flowers while songbirds enjoy the seeds.
The name comes from the peeling mature bark of the plant that makes it look like there are many layers of bark.