A local church is inviting the community to have some fun amidst the beauty of its native pollinator rain garden.
St. Alban’s Anglican Church in Acton will host its Spring in the Garden event on Saturday (June 3) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Festivities will include rock painting, live music, a bake sale, face painting, take-home sunflower planting, sale of very gently used gardening books, and refreshments. Some activities cost $2 or less.
There will also be a table where visitors can stop by and chat with master gardener Anne Ironside, and a raffle to win either a garden gift basket or a large hanging flower basket.
Among those organizing the event is Pam Sheldon, a former master gardener and steward of the church’s garden that was completed last year. She noted the weekend gathering is open to everyone.
When speaking about the native pollinator space that was carefully created on the church property with the help of master gardener and friend Sean James, Sheldon’s passion for the project shines through.
“We’ve built an absolutely beautiful garden,” she said.
Even more exciting for the local woman is the fact the garden was recently selected to receive a Friends of the Credit conservation award from Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) in the environmental awareness category.
Sheldon said CVC supported the church throughout the project with its Greening Corporate Grounds initiative, which helps businesses and institutions develop an action plan customized to site conditions and budgets.
Taking things one step further, CVC was also able to help secure a grant for the local garden undertaking.
“We got a call saying they (CVC) have a donor with a grant. They asked permission to put our project in with three or four others for the donor to choose from,” Sheldon explained. “Wouldn’t you know it, they chose ours. It was absolutely wonderful.”
For further details on Spring in the Garden, visit St. Alban’s Facebook page.
