At the beginning of March I moved my 19 of my winter sowing milk jugs to a location that receives full sunlight. Fifteen of those jugs have started to germinate.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

We have a bit of a warm spell here in the Okanagan. That gave me a chance to start my winter sowing project. This is my fourth winter all using these 4L milk jugs.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

It was an unseasonably warm day today so I thought I would get ahead on my winter sowing.

I have saved 16 X 4L milk jugs. Today I started by adding drainage holes in the bottom of each jug. Previous years I drilled a set of 1/2” holes in the bottom, this year I used I used my old soldering iron. I think I prefer the soldering iron, just a little bit easier.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

The Pollinator Partnership has published a series of guidebooks regarding native plants for most ecoregions in Canada. This is a great free resource for anyone interested in planting or encouraging local native species.

I have been using the Okanagan-Thompson Plateau guidebook for the past 3 years. Mid autumn is when I start to plan for more conversion of lawn to pollinator habitat and this document is a key reference in my decision making process.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

https://pollinatorpartnership.ca/en/ecoregional-planting-guides

While doing some fall maintenance in the yard I came across this item “glued” on to an irrigation stake. INaturalist has identified it as a Mantis egg sac. I am going to leave it insitu and follow through the winter and into the spring.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

Today I collected bee tubes from my 4 bee boxes. I probably had 20% success rate with these stand alone tubes. The unused tubes are now in storage and will be used again this year.

Based on their “end caps” I have three categories of tenants: smooth mud, rough mud, cellophane. Smooth mud may be wasps. Rough mud is probably mason bees. Cellophane might be masked bees.

I also have a bunch of tubes that are partially filled. Only opening them will give me an idea of what we have.

Later this week I will open up the tubes and store the cocoons until spring.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

Spring 2025:

Year 4 of our conversion of lawn to pollinator garden. In January 22 X 4L milk jugs were prepared for winter sowing. Al but one with North American native species primarily perrenials. Another 500 sq ft of lawn will be converted. This will bring us to approximately 3,200 sq ft of conversion over 4 years.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan

A bit more guerilla gardening this afternoon.

A section of our road was upgraded this year with new water lines, sewer line and a multi use path. The final phase of this project was laying down some topsoil followed by hydro seeding of unknown grasses.

I decided to sow a blend of native wildflower seeds to this strip. Some of these species require cold/ moist stratification which means late fall sowing is ideal. Due to the amount of traffic on this road seed loss to birds should be minimal.

Species included yarrow, brown-eyed Susan, golden aster, black-eyed Susan and blanket flower.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan
#guerrillaGardening

In late September I was eying a section of my pollinator garden and pondering the over crowding of common yarrow. Should I leave it be or thin out the yarrow? I decided thinning was a good idea.

I transplanted 6 yarrow to a new patch developed in 2025. I also noted that my blue flax and Rocky Mt. Penstemon were also over crowded.

Solution: Guerilla Gardening.

I have now transplanted 42 individuals onto municipal property cross from our house along the edge of the roadway. This road edge currently supports nothing but Eurasian invasive for which I have been dead heading before the weed flowers mature.

These plantings are within 30cm of the fence line which protects them from cars and trucks which temporarily stop along this section of road ( no one wants to lose a side mirror). For my reference each plant has been marked with a white tag.

#wildflowers #rewilding #nativeplants #bees #pollinators #butterflies #WinterSowing #zone6 #biodiversity #Okanagan
#guerrillaGardening