In partnership with the Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) and Edmonton Native Plant Group, we created a new pollinator friendly garden downtown at the ECF. Our Protecting Pollinators project began here, with the installation of our first bee hotel, so it was only fitting that we would install a garden of native plants here too.
Back in May, we rescued plants with the Edmonton Native Plant Group and planted some at our Pipestone Creek site. This fall's plant rescue came just in the nick of time, as the expansion of Highway 28 continued on. We dug up plants from the sandy highway site, such as three flowered avens, sage, harebell, goldenrod and prairie crocus, and planted them at their new home next to the Edmonton Community Foundation. Donations of additional plants from the Edmonton Native Plant Group filled out the garden site, with many species that attract bees and butterflies.
Thank you to the Edmonton Community Foundation for their support, and to the Edmonton Native Plant Group for advice on designing and planting the garden, and for donating many more plants as well. And a huge thank you to the volunteers who came out to dig up the grass and plant the garden - we couldn't have done it without you!
This project was funded by a grant from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
