Caroline Collier is trying to protect natural spaces in Creston, and she needs your help.
Collier is planning on starting a project for native plants and pollinators in Crawford Hill and is looking for interested volunteers.
A reclamation project is being undertaken at Crawford Hill to build a community park. Collier was invited to add a wildflower garden in the area. She said this project has been in the work since last year. Collier is hoping to share her learnings from a recent project at Spectrum Farms to those interested, and apply the knowledge to Crawford Hill.
Last year, Collier planted a wildflower garden at Spectrum Farms with the help of some students from the Wildflower Creston school. She said the garden has had moderate success from last year, and she has learned more about wildflower gardening from the experience.
“I’m thinking another year, it will look much better, since it’s its first year really.”
Collier explained that the Spectrum Farms garden underwent two plantings, one in the spring and another in the fall, each using different methods.
The spring planting used sheet mulching, or “lasagna gardening”.
In the fall, Collier used a method which covered the plantings with plastic for the winter. She said she was advised by the Xerces Society to do this with clear poly. She ended up using black poly, which caused weeds to grow even more than the plants did, resulting in more work.
Collier had a small crew of volunteers assisting her with the Spectrum Farms project, but this spring, she is managing the garden by herself.
Now, Collier is looking towards the future. She hopes to plant a wildflower garden for bees and other pollinators at Crawford Hill.
Right now, Collier is in the phase of collecting seeds. She had some volunteers involved in this, but will not be able to continue with the Crawford Hill gardening project unless she gets more volunteers.
“The idea is to get more wildflowers, especially in the community, where everything has been pushed out that’s native. I want to bring back native plants to help biodiversity, help these plants continue to survive.”
There are a number of ecosystems in the Crawford Hill area, which provides plenty of opportunity for a variety of plants to thrive. Goldenrod, sneezeweed, and other plants could grow alongside the Queen’s cup and silky lupine that are growing in the meadows.
Collier’s Crawford Hill project will have two main initiatives: to incorporate native plants into the natural ecological space, and a specific area for a pollinator garden with wildflowers.
She said she has spoken with Creston municipal services coordinator and planner Natasha Ewashen and other local experts, who supported the idea.
Collier’s interest in wildflower gardening was inspired by David Suzuki’s Butterflyway project. She has a successful pollinator garden at home. Collier has used the seeds from her own personal garden at the Spectrum Farm project and other yards within the community.
“My idea when I retired was to give back. I’m involved with the Climate Action Society and that’s dear to my heart, and the pollinator thing comes out of that.”
To anyone who may be interested in starting their own pollinator-friendly space at home, Collier advises that people buy seeds from native plants, though stores such as KinSeed, a part of the Kootenay Native Plant Society.
“It should be heavily native plants, to the Kootenays.”
Collier’s goal is to protect natural spaces in the community.
“It’s really important because the natural spaces on our planet are disappearing. And along with the natural spaces, the wildlife that’s there, the insects, the butterflies, the birds, everything that goes with it. The wild places are being lost.”
If you are interested in helping Collier bring native plants and pollinators to Crawford Hill, please email her at collier.caroline@gmail.com.
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