You are warmly invited to our next plant giveaway!
Join us this Saturday, July 19, at Springhurst Park to pick up free native perennials!
If you missed the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library’s plant giveaway in June - or you’ve found some empty spots in your garden and need some more plants or seedlings - you’re in luck! We’ve got another plant giveaway event this Saturday, July 19, at Springhurst Park. Our fantastic team of volunteers will be set up at the corner of Brunswick St. and Springhurst Ave. from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Our June plant giveaway was our most successful event yet. More than 160 of you showed up to give hundreds of native plants and seedlings a home in your gardens and to make a positive impact on our local ecosystem. We’re hoping for as good of a turnout at this Saturday’s event! More details for what to expect at the event are below, on our website, or on the Facebook event page.
And if you can’t make it to this Saturday’s event, fear not! We’ve still go one more plant giveaway this summer. We’ll be at Britannia Beach and Park on Saturday, August 16, for our last plant giveaway of the season. More info is on our website and the Facebook event page.
What to expect
Will this be your first plant giveaway event? Here are a few helpful tips:
What to bring:
Bring some containers, boxes, or bags to transport the plants or seedlings that you pick up. Containers with holes in the bottom can work, but so can closed bottom containers with some water in the bottom; plants and seedlings that have spent a bit of time in water will transplant better once you get home.
Bring some labels to label the plants and seedlings that you take home so that you can remember what you picked up.
We’ll have a reserved area where you can place the plants that you have picked up while continuing to browse. Of course, we ask that you don’t pick up plants (other than yours!) from the reserved area.
Please be considerate of others who may arrive later. Take only enough plants that you know you will be able to manage. There will be other opportunities to get free plants and seeds.
For donors
If you plan on donating plants or seedlings at Saturday’s event, a few reminders:
Please arrive at 12:00 and check in at the registration table. If you are donating plants, you can choose plants in priority starting at 12:30.
Please only donate plants that are considered native to Ontario or Québec by VASCAN. You can contact Mélanie (wildflowerseedlibrary@gmail.com) ahead of time to confirm whether or not to bring your plants.
Please do not donate non-native species, nor plants that are growing intertwined with non-native species.
Please do not donate very tiny seedlings -- they should be at least a few centimetres tall.
Please fill in this donation form prior to your arrival. Our volunteers will be reviewing them with you on site.
You can either bring your pots full of seedlings or plants in water. No need to repot; plants that have been in water will handle transplanting better if they are fully hydrated.
This video provides an overview of all the container options available to donate plants and seedlings during our exchange events.
*This event is held in a public park and will be crowded. If you require accomodation, please contact us at wildflowerseedlibrary@gmail.com ahead of time.