Resident advocates for habitat garden
Brenna Lattimore is trying to persuade municipal staff and council that the habitat gardens she has planted on the boulevard at her Creemore home shouldn’t be mowed down.
Her Mary Street yard hosts several native plant gardens that contain pollinator-friendly flowers such as yarrow, bee balm, milkweed,coneflower, and goldenrod, all of which Lattimore knows by name and has planted in an intentional way to create habitat that feeds insects and songbirds.
Lattimore was given notice that the flowers she has planted along the boulevard would be mowed this Friday. It will be the second time the township cut the boulevard, having also done so last August.
Clearview staffers have said that they are responding to complaints about sightline issues at the intersection of Mary Street and Nelson Street and that the mowing is part of annual routine maintenance practices required under Ontario Provincial Standards.
Lattimore was before Clearview Township council on Monday, along with her husband Andrew Lodge, asking for an exemption to the property standards bylaw which states that grass and weeds are required to be maintained at a height of less than 12 inches.
“Your worship, I stand before you this evening not merely as a resident but as an advocate for change – change that celebrates biodiversity, fosters resilience, and nurtures our community,” said Lattimore, an environmental scientist. “The pollinator garden my family and I have lovingly planted and tended on the once neglected boulevard outside of our home is slated to be mowed down by the township again, despite our repeated requests for a mowing exemption… Our garden is free of noxious weeds, poses no safety or health concerns, and is marked with attractive educational signage signifying its intentionality and connecting people with information on pollinator gardens.”
She told council that the gardens have sparked some of the best conversations she has had with people walking by who are curious about their environmental benefits. The dense native plants, says Lattimore, not only support a healthy ecosystem but have helped to control invasive weeds. She said traditional grass lawns can be resource heavy, requiring watering and fertilizer, and do not create habitat.
“I am advocating for our garden and other gardens like it from a carefully considered, fact-based perspective – not just an aesthetic opinion,” she said. “I have been told by council and staff that some people don’t like the look of our garden, as though this might justify mowing it down. But attractiveness is entirely subjective and therefore irrelevant, because for every person who does not like the garden’s more natural look, there are others who find it beautiful and inspiring. One person’s opinion does not trump another’s.”
Lattimore is part of a growing number of residents who have joined a movement advocating for acceptance of naturalized gardening and native plants. She points to other municipalities that are encouraging residents to plant pollinator gardens on public boulevards.
The trend is part of a citizen-led initiative to create corridors for insects and Lattimore is asking Clearview Township to enable those citizens who want to do the work.
“We need urban spaces as well to pick up the torch and make this happen,” she said.
“I don’t feel I have much control over the world in general, seeing what is happening to the planet,” Lattimore told The Echo. “This is the advocacy and action that gives me hope, and something I can show my kids.”
On the same day she made her request to council, an open letter was issued to Canadian municipalities by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Ecological Design Lab located at Toronto Metropolitan University, and renowned author and environmental advocate Lorraine Johnson calling for the reform of municipal bylaws to better support the development of habitat gardens that enrich communities, improve quality of life, and contribute to ecological stewardship: “Through this open letter we aim to bolster the efforts of residents and organizations advocating for municipal bylaw reform and to encourage municipalities to be leaders in ecological stewardship. To make a real difference, we must act decisively and collaboratively. Municipalities must lead by example, support their local champions, and take steps to inform the wider community. Through this approach, municipalities can create a powerful momentum for transforming our landscape practices and policies.”
The authors say habitat gardens increase biodiversity, improve air, water and soil quality, manage stormwater, sequester carbon, enhance health and wellbeing by reducing stress and cuts maintenance costs.
“Conventional mowed lawns (turfgrass) that dominate our communities offer minimal ecological value and come with steep environmental costs, including excessive water use, greenhouse gas emissions from mowing, and chemical reliance. These lawns can also increase vulnerability to local flooding,” states the letter. “Fortunately, there is a cultural shift happening towards habitat gardens. However, most municipal property standards bylaws remain outdated and do not reflect current environmental, social, and economic realities. These municipal bylaws can place barriers, discourage, and/or disallow various naturalization practices, even when a municipality has good intentions and sustainable environmental policies.”
Members of the community present at Monday’s council meeting presented a letter of support bearing 57 signatures that reads, “We ask you to consider avoiding using any mechanical mowing or cutting devices on the pollinator gardens in the front of this house, as the community and the township work together to create policies and initiatives to promote pollinator gardens in the township.”
“Democracy happens when a resolution is brought forward by the elected officials… We are waiting for a councillor to bring forward a recommendation,” said Mayor Doug Measures. “So thank you very much for bringing forward your comments and I look forward to you guys having a resolution to your concerns soon.”
