EIWD Office Native Prairie Garden
Willow Creek Sub-Distirct
Project Overview
Our new garden, at 15 Jacobson Drive, spans approximately 80 square meters and features a wide variety of native plant species. Planted in 2024, we first began by bringing in topsoil, then the native species were planted, followed by woodchip mulch to help suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. The garden also features a swale, and a pathway winding through.
More than 60 species of native flowers and grasses have been planted here, creating a diverse habitat. In addition to the native species, Virgina creeper, wild grape, and bittersweet vines were planted to climb the nearby fence. Prairie Originals helped us find plants that are ideal for our soil, and ones with a variety of bloom times. Using a large diversity of plants with different bloom times provides habitats for pollinators throughout the summer.
Tall grass prairies are unique ecosystems native to central North America. They are composed of numerous plants and grasses that vary in height and shape, giving the landscape a dynamic edge. Native plant species put on a continually changing display of colour and life throughout the summer; when one flower begins to wilt another is beginning to bloom. This cycle begins in early spring with the blooming of the Prairie Crocus and ends with many vibrant grasses in the late fall.
There are currently less than one percent of the original tall grass Prairie in our Province. In June 2015, The Manitoba Government designated the tall grass prairie as an endangered ecosystem under the Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. The change will protect at risk species that rely on the habitat found within this ecosystem.
Our new garden, at 15 Jacobson Drive, spans approximately 80 square meters and features a wide variety of native plant species. Planted in 2024, we first began by bringing in topsoil, then the native species were planted, followed by woodchip mulch to help suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. The garden also features a swale, and a pathway winding through.
More than 60 species of native flowers and grasses have been planted here, creating a diverse habitat. In addition to the native species, Virgina creeper, wild grape, and bittersweet vines were planted to climb the nearby fence. Prairie Originals helped us find plants that are ideal for our soil, and ones with a variety of bloom times. Using a large diversity of plants with different bloom times provides habitats for pollinators throughout the summer.
Tall grass prairies are unique ecosystems native to central North America. They are composed of numerous plants and grasses that vary in height and shape, giving the landscape a dynamic edge. Native plant species put on a continually changing display of colour and life throughout the summer; when one flower begins to wilt another is beginning to bloom. This cycle begins in early spring with the blooming of the Prairie Crocus and ends with many vibrant grasses in the late fall.
There are currently less than one percent of the original tall grass Prairie in our Province. In June 2015, The Manitoba Government designated the tall grass prairie as an endangered ecosystem under the Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. The change will protect at risk species that rely on the habitat found within this ecosystem.
Species Planted at EIWD 15 Jacobson Drive Garden
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Flowers
Alumroot Bedstraw Bergamot Black eyed susan Blue eyed grass Blue vervain Canada anemone Canada milkvetch Crocus Culvers root Cut leaf anemone Dotted blazing star Downy yellow violet Dwarf milkweed Early blue violet False sunflower Flat top white aster Flattop goldenrod Fringed aster |
Gaillardia
Golden alexander Harebell Heartleaf alexander Hyssop Iris Joe pye Long fruited anemone Low goldenrod Many flowered aster Meadow blazing star New England aster Northern bog violet Pasture sage Pearly everlasting Pink onion Prairie cone flower Prairie sage Purple coneflower Purple prairie clover |
Roses
Saline shooting star Showy goldenrod Smooth aster Smooth camas Solomons seal Stiff goldenrod Swamp milkweed Tall coneflower Three flowered aven Turtle head Upland white aster Western Canada violet Western silvery aster White prairie clover Whorled milkweed Wild flax Yarrow |
Grasses
Big bluestem Blue grama grass Canada wild rye Green needle grass Little bluestem Sheep fescue Side oats gramma Sorghastrum Switch grass Shrubs Haskap Indigo bush Lead Plant Vines Virgina creeper Wild grape Bittersweet |
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