Tag: labyrinth

The Butterflyway Project

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June 9, 2022 – Native plants in bloom on labyrinth:

Lupins are in full bloom and buzzing with bees. Blue camas is blooming. 3 tender dwarf native red columbines are near the Butterflyway sign in the labyrinth. Just planted two pearly everlasting plants (native plants).

Thank you, Patti, for weed-whacking and edging the labyrinth. Volunteers needed to pull up the grass that crept into the garden beds. Also, yes, there’s still buttercups.

I’d love to share with you what’s growing and have you help with taking out what’s not supposed to be growing!

We are starting on June 18, with taking out periwinkle. It’ll be a multi-year project. here’s information from the Invasive Species Council of BC. The good thing is that it’s all contained in areas that have borders, so we’re starting with the patch around the big arbutus tree.

Common periwinkle

May 25, 2022 – Shade Garden Native Plants

We have some shade garden native plants including bunchberry and kinnickanick needing a crew to help plant.

Bunchberry

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARUV

If you can help, please contact Mary – we can meet up or I can show you the project and you can do at your own time!

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday June 1 – Pollinator Workshop plus optional potluck/foraging/socializing 5:30pm on

Pollinator Workshop

Saturday June 18 – 12 noon – Join youth from Invasive Species Council of BC to pull out periwinkle and plant native species

Pollinator Pathway and Workshop

Needed: If you have property with native plants that spread, we’d greatly appreciate donations of any of the following: kinnickanick, bleeding heart, heart-leaved arnica, salal, pearly everlasting, trillium. Contact UnitarianMary@gmail.com to arrange.

 

PREVIOUS UPDATES AND EVENTS

Saturday, May 21 – Bee Day at Maplewood Flats/Wild Bird Trust Email if you’d like to meet up. You need to book a ticket

https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/wild-bird-trust-of-british-columbia-15382019658

APRIL 22 – JUNE 6, 2022  Coast Salish Plant Exhibition: Celebrating Indigenous Ecosystems at Maplewood Flats

April 27, 2022 — Thank you to the Enviro team for allocating $100 for 20 native plants grown by Environmental Youth Alliance and to John Boyle and Ron Gibson for arranging reservation of the garden bundles.

May 7 from 10am-12noon, we hope to plant these native plants. All worker bees welcome. Karen Theroux will be coordinating use of tools etc. so just show up. If you like to wear gardening gloves, bring your own.

 

April 9, 2022 — Working with Patti of Buildings and Grounds, two areas (as well as the labyrinth) have been identified as #butterflyway pollinator pathways:

  1. Under the apple trees on northwest side of property. This is fairly sunny and has a watering system for summer. We plan to plant at least 50% native plants that need some sun, as well as some spring bulbs. Cathy will be at the 3rd Saturday grounds crew work party – Come along and lend a hand!
  2. The area between the parking lot and sanctuary where the daffodils are blooming right now has a lot of periwinkle (an invasive species). We’ll be removing the periwinkle and planting native plants that like a shaded or semi-shaded spot.
  3. Some plants will be added to the labyrinth – It’s already pollinator-friendly with lupin, yarrow and many other plants

Want to contribute to this project? Fill out this form, and we’ll contact you. https://forms.gle/EdDehWweb1AUKgNa7

If you’re on facebook, follow this page for news. We want to connect with our neighbours to encourage more butterfly pollinator gardens nearby.

Just search for Butterflyway – South Vancouver or click here: https://www.facebook.com/ButterflywaySouthVancouver

Save the dates

April 16, a couple of us are meeting up at Maplewood Flats/Wild Bird Trust Coast Salish plant nursery in North Vancouver at noon. Bring your bagged lunch.

On April 24 after the Earth Day worship service, there will be an information display about butterflies and native plants outdoors and then a workshop in Lindsey-Priestley. Native Plant workshop

February 23, 2022 by Cathy Sevcik

UCV has been officially accepted into the David Suzuki Foundation’s program – “The Butterfly Way Project”.  The goal of the program is to establish consistent habitat for our native bees and butterflies.  This program has been active since 2017 and is part of a larger movement of “Rewilding Communities”

Pollinators are essential for keeping our ecosystem healthy.  As part of this program, we are tasked with planting at least 12 pollinator patches.  Some of these will be on the UCV campus and our small group of volunteers will be looking for ways to spread these pollinator patches to neighbouring growing spaces.

Some of our group have already met with the organizer of the Balaclava Pollinator Pathway. We look forward to collaborating with this group in a variety of ways: such as sharing seeds, attending events and learning from each other.  This initiative has the potential to provide our members with means to making a difference in our ecosystem and making connections in our city.  We are aware that some UCV members are already butterfly rangers in different areas of the city and look forward to collaborating with them also.

In addition to sponsoring planting events, we hope to provide educational and social opportunities surrounding this initiative to the wider UCV community and our neighbourhood.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you are interested in being involved in a hands-on manner, please complete a volunteer form on our website here: ucv.im/pollinatorpathway

from Cathy Sevcik and Mary Bennett, new Butterfly Rangers

 

UCV’s Enviro Team voted to support this project at the February 29, 2022, meeting.

Links:

Musqueam Artist Pollinator Plant Map

https://davidsuzuki.org/story/musqueam-artist-helped-create-the-first-indigenous-pollinator-plant-map/

Scroll down on that page to see posters of 8 native plants with the Musqueam names

Attract butterflies with native plants – Western Canada

https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/attract-butterflies-with-native-plants-western-canada/

8 popular butterfly species in Metro Vancouver (from David Suzuki Foundation 2019 Butterfly Ranger tool kit).

Click to access DSF-8-Butterfly-illustrations-Lower-Mainland.pdf

Please pick the herbs – we like to share them!

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Free Herb Garden

There’s a garden near the parking lot that’s looked after by the Earth Spirit/Pagan group. You are welcome to snip some herbs for drying, decoration or tea!  You’ll know it because it’s the one with stakes with labels of the various herbs: sage, lavender, mint, etc.

Herbal teas

There are several different kinds of mint there. And they’re about to die down for the winter, so please harvest:

  • pineapple mint
  • chocolate mint
  • spearmint

If you haven’t tried sage tea or adding rosemary or lavender, those are nice as well.

Culinary herbs

If you’re making something savoury for Thanksgiving, pick some sage, thyme, or rosemary to add. These plants like to be regularly clipped back.

There’s also some chives and arugula for clipping.

Flowers

Please leave the echinacea to go to seed, but pick the rudbeckia (brown-eyed susans).Indeed these cheerful and hardy flowers spread and we’d like to remove most of them from the herb garden so if you have a place to plant something (or willing to help move some to our labyrinth), please contact Mary and make arrangements.

Seasonal decor

Many people like to use herbs for a seasonal wreath or swag. Or even a Hallowe’en broom!

Kale

Not exactly an herb, but there’s kale there for picking as we’re wanting to plant new things. Please take!

Labyrinth picking

There’s lavender, rosemary, thyme and sage around the labyrinth. Feel free to pick. The garden path is adjacent to the Fremlin side – ie east side of the property. Take a walk around it and pick whatever you like. It’s a scent-sation.

Mint Tea

Most people have tried mint tea, and we have a growing selection of mints – in pots! pineapple mint, chocolate mint and “ordinary” mint. Really you can just take some, crush it a bit to release the flavour and scent, and add to hot water. Or you can make a mix and try it out. To dry, just pick and hang upside down in a cool dark place.

Here are some recipes.

Recipes for teas

Ginger syrup recipe – makes 1 litre/ quart

¼ cup cane sugar

3 ¾ cups water

1/3 c. (approx.) thin sliced fresh ginger root, unpeeled

Put all ingredients into a pot and heat for 3-5 minutes or until it is steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat, stir and let cool. If possible leave overnight to cool and then remove ginger pieces.

Put one slice of lemon into the bottom of the jar or container for ginger syrup. *

Mint tea – for 6 litre / large container

Cut garden mint the day before. About 6 – 8 cups before washing, sorting and trimming. Choose stems with the largest leaves.

Cut stems to remove roots, discard any damaged or yellowed or too small leaves or stems. Cut stems short enough to fit into the salad spinner or the large glass container that will hold the tea.

Place bunches of stems into a salad spinner after all the stems have been soaked in a large container completely covered in water for 20 – 30 minutes.

When the bunches of mint have been processed lay them in the bottom of the large tea jar until the container is ¼ to 1/3 full. Boil water and pour over  leaves until the container is more than half full or double the depth of the layers of mint. Can be up to 2/3 full of water. Leave overnight to cool with the mint in place.

Remove all the stems of mint once it has completely cooled in the morning. Add ice to the container before serving if you wish to have the tea chilled.

Other teas and herbs:

Black Tea – Just add other herbs if you wish.

Cut some lemon balm stems as well. Wash and place them in a jar. *

To serve tea:

Place lemon balm leaf into bottom of the cup, pour in a tsp or so of the ginger syrup and then fill up with the mint tea.

* Refrigerate these overnight

What’s in the garden labyrinth?

Pick some fresh herbs to make or add to tea as you walk. A pinch of this; a pinch of that.

The following are available.

  • sage
  • lavender
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • calendula
  • mints and lemon balm (in pots on west side of labyrinth)

To find suggestions and health benefits, just google “sage tea benefits” etc.

 

Gardening at UCV – if you like to dig, there are many opportunities

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There are many opportunities to garden at UCV. Some of our members have home gardens and more than enough on their plate managing that, but others live in condos or apartments and enjoy the chance to beautify our grounds and enjoy the company of others who love dirt! This year a group that started with a mystery pal connection have collaboratively planted, harvested and learned together.

Work with a crew once a month

Once a month on the 3rd Saturday a crew arrives and Patti Turner helps them find things that work for them and help keep our extensive grounds and gardens looking good. Patti brings home-cooked snacks! There’s a role for you whatever your physical constraints or abilities and interests.

Help with the labyrinths

Bubbles on the Labyrinth October 15, 2018.

Our garden path labyrinth can always use work and a couple of us get together on a spontaneous schedule if it looks like a good day. If you’d like to join us, or know some regular tasks that need doing that you can do on your own time, just drop Mary Bennett a note. Mary’s also been planting drought-resistant plants around the concrete labyrinth to keep the weeds back. Fall is a good time to move a few things around and add some snowdrops and grape hyacinths for the spring.

Vegetable gardens on north side

You may have noticed the vegetable gardens on the north side of the property. These were first put in after digging up lawn (we have a lot of it, and are lessening it over time) in the mid-90s.  At the same time, we put heather on the SW corner and a herb garden on the south side.

Youth Garden

The farthest west gardens are for the Children’s program. Yvonne and Megumi tend to manage it, but welcome ideas and help from kids and youth.

Free Herb Garden

The farthest east has two sections. The upper part was looked after by Mairy Beam and Mary Bennett and is now a Pagan group Free Herb Garden.  We often pick and share the herbs with the earth spirit circle. We’ve been making stakes to label the herbs. You are welcome to pick any time.

More details here: http://vancouverunitarians.ca/herbs/

Mystery Pal (Plus) Garden)

The lower part started as a Mystery Pal project with Cynthia and Gaon and now has a team of 8 involved.

Veggie Plots in the Middle Area

The largest area in the middle is divided into a number of smaller plots from 3′ square to about 4′ x 6′.

The gardeners there include:

  • Megumi/Amy Anderson (Love Soup)
  • Mary Bennett
  • Sandy Riecken
  • Gerda Schulz
  • Patti Turner
  • Cayla, Jill and Sebastian (garlic collective)
  • UCV Staff

Southern 3 boxes

The southern three boxes are prioritized for our families or mystery pal pairs/groups. They’re about 3′ (one meter) square, so you could plant just a few items–low maintenance–and others would likely help you if you need it!

Karl Perrin digging in children’s garden. 2017

Would you like to have a vegetable garden area at UCV — or work with others on their plots?

Would you like to have a small plot of your own either for yourself or to support a program at UCV? You could do it as part of a pair or group or on your own.

Mary’s been working on helping new gardeners find a plot of a size that works for them and over time building up the very clay-y soil with compost and dried leaves.

There’s some space available for another plot or two, including a raised bed near the sidewalk that wouldn’t require much bending. It might work for someone in a wheel chair even. Contact Mary if you’d like to take on a plot.

Rhubarb

Coming this fall: a rhubarb patch. In the spring we’ll harvest and share with a congregational group. Maybe Messy Church if it starts up again.  Bakers will be needed to harvest rhubarb and put into something like muffins!

Adopt a little area

Once people start gardening at UCV they quickly begin to notice the expanse of the property and the need for many hands to make light work. Some years ago, there was a suggestion that individuals might “adopt an area” – perhaps even a very, very small area and take it on to weed, water and perhaps even plant.

Is there a spot you’ve noticed needs some pruning or weeding?

Talk to Patti if you are ready to adopt a section of the grounds. She’d love to hear from you.

Victory Garden opportunities and labyrinth help needed

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Victory Gardens at UCV?

Some of us who have gardened at UCV in the past are taking a year off. If you live close to UCV or drive and would like to have regular visits to our beautiful grounds, here are some opportunities:
Mairy Beam & Mary Bennett hope to get back to gardening next year, but if you’d like to plant and harvest this year, we’d love you to take advantage of the veggie and herb garden we’ve been building up. It’s a bit shady but great for greens. There are some herbs (sage, lavender, thyme) and lots of kale and garlic and undoubtedly a few other things there too. Contact Mary to discuss.

Labyrinth – oh my!

From spring to summer, Mary has often spent 2 or more visits or an hour or more joyfully weeding and planting and tending the garden path labyrinth. We have a soaker hose once it’s needed and many plants are established, but it needs regular trimming and weeding. I’ve wished for some time that we had a labyrinth team–so now it’s really needed.

Family veggie plots

There are three 38″ square plots that have been used by families. If you are able to plant and harvest one or more of these, contact Mary Bennett.

Health and Safety measures:

If you are using UCV tools (including the combination lock) please disinfect before and after use. Patti is putting disinfectant into the shed for you.
If you’re there during the day, office staff and caretakers know the combination or ask Mary or Patti in advance.
Use gloves. Keep at least 6′ away from others.

Patti says: garden but stay safe.

Hope someone volunteers to care for the labyrinth. Outdoors is a safe place to be if you need to get out of the house especially that big empty space at the church. Perhaps there are those that will welcome this opportunity.
Warmest and bestest from Patti

Indoor Labyrinth Walking in Meditation Room

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We now have custody of an indoor labyrinth that fits perfectly in our meditation room. The plan is to have it out in the meditation room every 1st Tuesday for walking before circle dance and at the break.

Seven women who were part of the Women’s Spirituality Celebration and, along with a dozen or more others, met and walked it together in January. A discussion ensued that people would like the chance to walk it more often and share it with others as well..

The 10′ x 12′ canvas labyrinth was created by Barbara Bickel while on an artist residency on Toronto Island.

Barbara was, with Mary Bennett, and others part of a planning team for an annual Women’s Spirituality Celebration held at UBC Vancouver School of Theology.While the group hasn’t hosted an event in recent years, there are “circles of circles” of women who continue to connect in various ways, often around a labyrinth walk, shared food and conversation.

Barbara created it for the WSC and has wanted it to be available for borrowing by women who wish to use it for an event.

If you have a connection to Women’s Spirituality Celebration or a Unitarian congregation, you can arrange to borrow it from Mary Bennett.

We plan to have an open labyrinth walk every 1st Tuesday from 6 to 7 pm prior to circle dancing in the hall. Mary will book space and ensure the meditation room is open by ten to 6. Women involved with WSC will take turns laying out the labyrinth, welcoming new people and putting the labyrinth back after the walk.

We have a labyrinth facebook group. 

There are also two outdoor labyrinths on the Unitarian Centre site.

Go to http://vancouverunitarians.ca/labyrinth to learn more.

Contact Mary through unitarianlabyrinth@gmail.com if you wish to arrange to borrow the indoor labyrinth.

 

Join some Unitarians walking the labyrinth at St. Paul’s Anglican

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Several Unitarians traditionally go to St. Paul’s Anglican church on New Year’s Eve to walk the labyrinth with live music. They offer a very welcoming atmosphere including snacks around 10:30pm.

Here’s the information from their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/855819938167446/

Come and walk the labyrinth in meditation on New Year’s Eve or Day with live music! There will also be food and a place to chat in the lower hall (we keep silence in the labyirnth walking spaces except for the music). Free or suggested donation $5-20 to help cover performer costs. See discussion for links to performer bios.

PERFORMERS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE AND NEW YEAR’S DAY
NEW YEAR’S EVE:

Music Schedule
• 6-8 pm Harpist Rebecca Blair
• 8-10 pm Harpist Clarity
• 10:15-12:15 Quiet Hearts Ensemble – Peaceful Piano and other instruments

WHERE ARE WE?
In the large ‘hall’ building attached to St Paul’s Anglican Church on 1130 Jervis Street (parking is available on Davie).

More about the labyrinth and other times to walk it here:
https://www.stpaulsanglican.bc.ca/programs/labyrinth-at-st-pauls

Walk the labyrinth as the longest night approaches

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During the Yule celebration, we’ll have lanterns for you to make (or simply hold) as you walk — possibly in the rain — our labyrinth. As you wend your way to the centre you might think about 2019 and all you are leaving behind. Then, after turning in the centre, consider the coming days with growing light and what they will bring to you.

The courtyard labyrinth is easily accessed directly from Hewett Hall.

Hardier labyrinth walkers might want to make their way over to our garden path labyrinth on the east side of the property.

November Labyrinth

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Thanks to D. Rainbow for these photos taken on the Garden Path labyrinth in mid-November. And thanks to John Voth for the new markers. Carex ice dance is a perennial grass which stays green all year and is very hardy.

 

Fall on the Labyrinth – Please help yourself to mint, chives etc.

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Calendula in various stages: full bloom to full seed. Planted judiciously it will grow year round.
Apple mint in pot on west pathway near hedge. Cranesbill geranium (pale pink flowers) in ground in front.
Pineapple mint (left) and peppermint (right)
Golden Lemon thyme. Along with red creeping thyme, these were two of the plants we purchased that correspond to the west thanks to funding from Vancouver Foundation
Echinacea gone to seed. The birds are enjoying it! We may wait till spring to divide and spread seed around now. https://www.wikihow.com/Divide-Coneflowers

Some of our plants are dying down and going to seed.

Soon the mint, chives and various other herbs will die down to rest over the winter.

You are invited to pick as much as you can possibly take–there are several kinds of mint go dry for tea or enjoy fresh.

Some like the echinacea will be ready to divide and transplant. Lots of calendula seedlings and seeds still doing well.

We’d like to share our rudbeckia, strawberry plants, lambs’ ears and chives. Let us know if you’d like some so we can dig enough up for you.

We have for sharing (but not as desperate to give away!) garlic chives, grape hyacinth bulbs, sage cuttings and mint.

See more photos of the labyrinth through the seasons here.