Our Canada 150 initiative resulted in the creation of a beautiful pollinator garden beside Peterborough’s Talwood Towers, a high-density apartment complex that is home to many new Canadians.
This area was identified because it presented the opportunity to build upon the highly successful development of an adjacent community garden, which had engaged many Syrian families who had recently moved to Canada.
During late 2016 and early 2017, much planning and relationship building took place. This project was initially a partnership between GreenUP and the Peterborough Pollinators, but because of the proximity to the new community garden, the Nourish Project became a core partner. Early meetings focused on scoping and defining the project, determining roles, and identifying a location. Upon Nourish’s suggestion, a meeting was held with the Talwood Community Garden group – with translation services provided for Arabic-speaking participants – to determine whether this group would be interested in developing and caring for the garden. There was much excitement to participate, and we acted collaboratively to move the process forward.
Garden designs, which included more than 40 species of perennial and drought-tolerant native species, as well as two fruit trees, were created and shared with the Community Garden group for input and approval. Once a design was confirmed and an exact location selected, Nourish and GreenUP sought all necessary approvals from both the City of Peterborough and the adjacent building owner. A presentation was made to the City’s Arenas, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Committee, and approval was received.
All plants and materials were sourced from GreenUP Ecology Park, and in fall 2017, the site preparation and planting got underway. The site required significant work to remove overgrown brush and invasive species that had grown along the fence line. We also tilled the land and added compost and soil to enrich the ground. The plants and trees were then planted over the course of one day, and the area was mulched to support water conservation and to manage weeds.
After the planting was complete, we shared a celebration meal with all of the community gardeners and volunteers who had helped us with the project. In total, 25 people were directly involved in the project implementation. The 40 gardeners who have plots in the neighbouring community garden will benefit from a healthier and more robust pollinator habitat – attracting more bees and butterflies to their veggie plants. More than 400 people live within 200 meters of this site and they will also benefit from the beauty and ecosystem services provided by this garden.
A creation of a large metal sign was also supported through this project. This sign recognizes the project and our funders, and also provides useful information for people who are visiting the community garden.
We are grateful for the Canada 150 funding that made this project possible, and are thrilled with the results!