“Riddell’s goldenrod is tall and has a grasslike stalk and doesn’t over the garden,” Pat adds. Fall is a great time to plant both native perennials and trees. With cooler temperatures and consistent watering, they have a chance to settle their roots. You can plant right up to the first frost.
Fall Gardening: Creating Beauty and Sustainability
For most people, fall means closing pools, pulling spring plants, and preparing yards for the inevitable winter. Some avid gardeners, however, will be diving into their next round of planting and a different kind of harvesting. Native plant gardening is a growing area of interest among gardeners, and fall is a good time to start creating a habitat that can help sustain a natural ecosystem. However, it requires having the proper plants. According to long-time Komoka resident and native plant gardener Pat Fowler, asters and goldenrods are good choices for fall planting. Both plants create a habitat for insects, like bees, to lay their eggs for the following spring. They also provide food for migrating insects such as Monarch butterflies. Native plant gardens can also save you clean-up time by cutting dying stalks in half and leaving them for insects to lay eggs in the hollow stems. Leaf piles are also good places for some moths to cocoon until they emerge in spring. Fall gardening with native plants can also enhance your own habitat. Planting a trio of native plants, such as purple New England aster, white arrow leaf aster, and yellow goldenrod, creates an impactful colour scheme and looks fantastic from the road. Many different types of goldenrod plant species exist that are suitable for an urban garden, including non-aggressive ones. Finding Strength, Balance, Flexibility and Relaxation Strength, balance, flexibility and relaxation are key components to living a healthy life. Amid the stress and speed with which many lead their lives, it’s hard to build these elements into a daily routine. Tai Chi offers one way to find all four while reconnecting your body, mind, and spirit. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise system comprised of moving slowly through a sequence of postures. Practicing Tai Chi will holistically improve health by coordinating the body’s movement and cultivating the mind through meditative focus on the elements of each posture. Taoist monks in China developed Tai Chi centuries ago by observing the movements of animals and incorporating aspects of traditional Chinese medicine, meditation, and martial arts into a series of postures. The Canadian Tai Chi Academy (CTCA) in London teaches a style of Tai Chi developed by Master Moy Lin- shin, a Taoist monk born in 1931 who found that the significant health problems he faced as a child resolved thanks in part to his practice of this Taoist internal art. Master Moy adapted the traditional 108-move set by adding more turning and stretching into each movement to open the joints and massage the internal organs, resulting in a complete, gentle exercise that anyone can do. “Tai Chi relaxes the body and mind, improves concentration, and promotes flexibility and strength,” explains Rob Orton, Kilworth
For Pat, collecting seeds when they are ready is one of her favourite things to do in the fall. It’s an inexpensive way to start plants or trees for next spring.
“Since moving to Komoka over 25 years ago, I have enjoyed gardening,” says Pat. “A lot has changed in my style after I discovered the joy of native plant gardening five years ago.” While creating a natural habitat helps sustain the natural ecosystem, it is also a rewarding pursuit for novice and expert gardeners alike. For more information about native gardening, visit The Middlesex Centre Pollinator Team at www.pollinatorteam. com or find them on Facebook. You can also check out the Ontario Native Plant Gardeners group on Facebook. Photo courtesy of Pat Fowler
resident and Tai Chi instructor at the CTCA. “The gradual stretching and slow, turning motions loosen the joints and tendons, and facilitate the spine’s natural movement by relaxing tension in the body. The movements also allow the body’s internal energies to circulate freely.” From an Eastern perspective, Tai Chi promotes good health by enhancing the body’s Chi, or life force. From a Western point of view, it gently stretches and relaxes the body’s muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments, strengthening the spine and enhancing elasticity and proper alignment.
Rob in the end of Grasp Bird’s Tail pose
To get started with Tai Chi consider enrolling in an introductory session offered throughout the London area, including at the Komoka Community/Wellness Centre. The first class is usually free so people can try it. To find a program near you or to learn more, visit www. londontaichi.ca, call 226-270-8502, email info@londontaichi.ca
or visit middlesexcentre.ca/rec.programs. Source: The Canadian Tai Chi Academy – London Photos courtesy of Rob Orton
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KKD Villager October 2025
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