Ville de Saint-Lazare is proud to support and participate in the Défi pissenlits. Through its participation, Ville de Saint-Lazare is committed to delaying the mowing of grassed areas.

Why take the challenge?

To provide precious nectar and pollen for pollinating insects. Our environment will be better off, and so will our biodiversity and pollinating insects!

With pollinator extinction rates 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal, it's time to take action to help them.

When to mow the lawn?

  

Did you know?

35% of our food supply depends on pollinating insects. Without their precious pollination services, we could say goodbye to an abundance of fruits, vegetables and nuts, as well as our precious morning coffee.

Pollination makes these foods available in abundance:

• Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)
• Nuts (almonds, cashews, kola nuts)
• Beans (soy, coffee, cocoa)
• Fruit trees (apples, apricots, peaches, plums)
• Vegetables (squash, cucumbers, onions)

Here are some plants and trees to plant or let grow to help bees and other pollinating insects:

• Mint
• Feverfew
• Maple
• Cherry
• Dill
• Basil
• Clover
• Dandelion

Join us and many of your neighbors in the Défi pissenlits!

The City of Saint-Lazare , like many cities around the world, has adopted a resolution confirming its commitment to continue and accelerate its actions in favour of the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems by joining the adhering to Engagement Montréal. This commitment was proposed by the City of Montréal in 2022 at COP15.

For more information on the measures to be implemented, click here. (in French only)

Residents can draw inspiration from the existing landscaping arrangements listed below in order to transition from a “traditional non-adapted lawn” to an “adapted and sustainable landscaping arrangement.” These landscaped areas are identified by a sign:

Pollinator

• At the corner of Rue des Monarques / Place des Saturnies
  Created: Fall 2021
  Improvements in progress
  
  
• At the corner of Rue des Monarques / Place des Nacrés
  Created: Fall 2020
  Improvements in progress
  
  
• At the corner of Rue des Monarques / Place des Moires
  Created: Fall 2020
  Improvements in progress
  
  
• At the corner of Rue des Monarques / Place des Argus
  Created: Fall 2020
  Improvements in progress

Pollinator and reforestation

• City Hall (1960 Chemin Sainte-Angélique)
  Created: Fall 2020
  
  
• At the corner of: Rue de la Cité-des-Jeunes / Rue du Parc Industriel
  Created : fall 2020 (hill over 200 m long)

Reforestation and flowering meadow

• At the corner of: Rue des Véroniques / Rue des Gérardies
  Created: Fall 2020
  
  
• At the corner of: Route de la Cité-des-Jeunes / Rue des Monarques pour croissant des Monarques
  Created: Fall 2020
  

Reforestation and ground cover

• At the corner of: Montée Saint-Lazare / Chemin Sainte-Angélique
  Created: Spring 2021 (young)

Feeder

• At the corner of: Chemin Sainte-Angélique / Place Moïse-Therrien
  Created: Fall 2020
  Updated: Spring 2021
  

Wooded areas

Establish different zones:

• For your patio, pool or garden, for example
• For existing ground cover such as leaves and pine needles—these are areas where you need to do as little as possible (it’s eco-friendly, easy and economical)
• Areas you wish to showcase by adding plants adapted to the soil to create the desired look and promote growth

Areas that are left natural help keep trees healthy, notably by avoiding the systematic use of mulch or grass in the portion under the extension of the tree crown.

Non-wooded areas or sections designated for landscaping

• Draw a sketch that incorporates your needs and ideas such as areas for circulating, playing, relaxing, enjoying the pool, etc.
• Start by planting trees:
  • Take the dimension of the tree crown into consideration along with the space the tree will occupy at maturity
  • Use a 10-cm layer of organic matter such as mulch, leaves or pine needles. Mulch is an excellent gardening aid, mainly because it:
    • Improves soil structure
    • Increases soil fertility
    • Protect tree trunks against injuries caused by the lawn mower
    • Reduces weeds
    • Enhances appearance
    • Improves moisture retention
• Choose native species resistant to our conditions
• Include a variety of species to ensure biodiversity
• Instead of traditional grass, plant different types of ground cover including shrub beds, perennials and seedlings that are better suited to the soil and require little effort.

Information

Environment agents (extensions 226 and 227).

• The mulch created from collected branches is available to residents free of charge at Parc Saint-Robert (corner of Montée Saint Robert et Chemin Lotbinière – at the far end of the parking lot)
• The mulch is created from several different species and may sometimes be acidic
• The City uses mulch for its municipal trails, among other things

Re-using cut wood/woodchips

In addition to transforming branches into wood chips to be used on trails and in landscaped areas, the City uses all trees that have been cut down in its landscaping or as a source of heat. Here are just a few of the great ways trees have been put to use by Saint-Lazare employees.

    

Information

1875 Avenue Bédard
Saint-Lazare (Québec) J7T 2E7
450-424-8000, ext. 250
travauxpublics@ville.saint-lazare.qc.ca
Parc Saint-Robert

Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed is not present in Saint-Lazare—at the very least, it has not been seen or reported in many years. This invasive exotic plant, introduced on the American continent in 1990, is famous for its toxicity. Its sap contains toxins that are activated by light and can cause lesions similar to burns, painful and sometimes serious once on the skin and exposed to the sun.

Don’t mistake it for other similar species

Being able to properly identify Giant Hogweed is the best way to avoid confusing it with other species native to Québec, specifically cow parsnip, common parsnip, angelica and valerian, which look very similar but do not pose any health risks. Giant Hogweed can be 2 to 5 metres high. It has rough, white hairs that are scattered along its stem but are mostly concentrated at the base of the leaf stalk. Its leaves are divided into 2 or 3 deeply cut pointed leaflets.

For information on the criteria that differentiates these plants, consult the fact sheets available on the Web site of the Ministère de l'Environnement
et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MELCCC).

Think you spotted Giant Hogweed in a public area of the City?

• Fill out the online form
• Enter “Hogweed” in the “type of request” field
• Select “Ragweed/Poison Ivy/Giant Hogweed (public property)”
• Specify the location and nearest address

Ragweed

Every year, around mid-July, the City sprays ragweed plants to limit the harmful effects of its pollen, which affects 1 in 5 Quebecers. The product, which is harmless to animals and humans, is more effective when sprayed during the day when the plant is open. Residents may notice the presence of a truck if their sector is targeted by the intervention.

To report the presence of ragweed in a public area of the City:

• Fill out the online form
• Enter “Ragweed” in the “type of request” field
• Select “Ragweed/Poison Ivy/Giant Hogweed (public property) (Trees, Parks and Green Spaces)
• Specify the location and nearest address

One (1) single ragweed plant:

• Can produce up to 3,000 seeds
• These seeds can survive in the soil up to 40 years
• The majority of these seeds are located within a 2-metre radius of the plant

How to help eradicate it?

Every year:

• Visually inspect your property
• Pull out each plant by hand, including the root (the plant’s root system is quite weak)—this requires a little more work the first year, but subsequent years will be easier
• Throw the plants away in the trash (to avoid contaminating your household compost)
• Prevent ragweed from growing back by using mulch or ground cover in areas where there is no grass
• Improve the quality of the soil using compost or fertilizer
• Spread seed on your lawn or add other plants to it
• If you have a large property:
  • Mow the ragweed twice a year, in mid-July and mid-August, to minimize the amount of pollen released.
  • Encourage your neighbours to do the same.
    

Poison Ivy

If you’ve ever had a reaction to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), you have no doubt learned to identify it. The painful inflammation caused by poison ivy is not something anyone wants to experience a second time. Urushiol, the oily compound found in every part of the plant, triggers an allergic reaction in 85% of the population.

Even if you are not currently allergic to urushiol, it is possible to develop the allergy later in life. In other words, it is best to stay away from this plant as much as possible.

In order to avoid the plant, you must first and foremost be able to identify it. The most prominent feature of the plant is its foliage. Each leaf is made up of three leaflets. The borders of the leaflets are generally smooth with a few coarse teeth. It has small green flowers that grow at the base of the leaf stems and produces fruit that is whitish in colour.
The most frustrating characteristic of this plant is, without a doubt, the fact that it creeps and can therefore easily spread and cover large areas of land. Poison ivy generally prefers open or disturbed forest. It can often be found at the edge of a forest or small wooded area.

You can get poison ivy without directly touching the plant. You can develop a reaction simply by petting an animal that was in contact with the plant. Urushiol can also be transferred from your clothing to your skin. Any clothing that has come into contact with poison ivy should immediately be washed.

Wash any and all parts of your skin that have come into contact with poison ivy. Make sure you use an oil-free soap, or take a shower!

If you think you have poison ivy on your property, contact the Green Line :

Dial 450-424-8000, ext. 248 or email at : enviro@ville.saint-lazare.qc.ca

With a view to promoting sustainable landscaping, the City has swapped out the decorative baskets of annual flowers that usually hang on its streetlamps for educational banners featuring Québec perennial flowers that are perfect for planting in your yard!

Although the baskets of annuals were very colourful and gave the City’s streets and instant lift, the flowers they contain are not well adapted to our climate, require lots of water and maintenance, and only end up dying after countless efforts to keep them healthy.

Québec’s perennial flowers, however—whether they are native or introduced—are perfectly adapted to our soil, require little water, help promote biodiversity and provide pollen to pollinators whose population is declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. The best part is they return every year, with no effort at all!

Because occupied areas largely consist of pavement, buildings, lawns and trees, leaving little room for nature, why not add Québec perennial flowers to your property?

The diversity of our flora helps fight climate change, destructive insects and diseases suffered by our plants, resulting in a greater balance and the preservation of plant cover.

Check out the fact sheets of 28 Québec perennial flowers and choose the type of foliage, flowers, colour, habitat and exposure that suits your space!

The City designs edible landscaping arrangements—an initiative aimed at enhancing public spaces, reducing watering requirements and making the spaces functional, nutritional as well as attractive to both the members of the community and our pollinating insect friends! Residents are invited to take advantage of these public spaces by planting, weeding, harvesting mature plants and herbs (and savouring them!)—and doing the same in their own gardens!

In the fall, the City harvests any remaining plants and herbs to donate to community organizations, which help feed families here at home.

The plants included as part of these edible arrangements are:

• Tuscan cabbage
• Squash
• Swiss chard
• Pumpkins
• And herbs such as:
  • chives
  • oregano
  • mint
  • thyme