From Karen Landman: The Micro-Climate Pollinator Research Gardens started in 2011. Most of the perennials have survived in spite of deer and rabbit browsing, and the serious drought of 2012. These are 'tough love' gardens, but that's the point! The gardens are a collaborative research project for the School of Environmental Design & Rural Development, the NSERC-Canadian Pollination Initiative (CANPOLIN), and Rodger Tschanz, manager of the University's Trial Gardens. The team established test grids of native perennials that are suited to residential gardens on two sites: one in rich garden soil and the other in an old gravel pit. The plants are monitored for adaptability to their site and the types of pollinators that visit the plants. The goal is to identify native perennials that don't require a great deal of care, provide good ornamental value, and offer good forage for native pollinators, thereby making a contribution to the local ecology. The project has received support from the University's Undergraduate Research Assistantship program, the City of Guelph and Pollination Guelph.

Students weeding the gardens

Garden bed along Arboretum Promenade

Garden bed in old Gravel Pit