The International Peace Garden has released their flower bed designs for next summer, and it will be focusing on pollinators, our fuzzy, flying friends who work hard every summer transferring the pollen of flowers which enables the production of seeds and fruit. Little do they know how much we appreciate them!
Horticulturist Michelle Burnett has designed another stunning set of annual flower beds for the Peace Garden.
“We are fortunate as always to have our own Michelle Burnett out of Ninga, Manitoba designing the flower beds year after year,” shares CEO Tim Chapman, “and Michelle and crew have worked on some really fun designs, speaking to butterflies, caterpillars, different stages of that metamorphosis and hummingbirds, bumblebees, you name it!
“We have some really beautiful designs, and we’ll be taking that theme through the storybooks that the Boissevain School grade 10 shops class developed a couple years ago for us.”
The Peace Garden staff will be working with a variety of organizations and associations from Manitoba and North Dakota, such as The Beekeepers Associations. The goal is to make the experience of visiting a pollinators’ garden to be fun and educational, providing lots of information and fun activities for families.
Betty Sawatzky/Discover Westman
When visitors from warmer climates, such as down in the southern states, experience the Peace Garden they’re amazed at the diversity of plants in our cold, weather climate. Many still envision igloos and polar bears, not realizing the hot humid tropical weather we enjoy (and sometimes suffer in) throughout the summer months.
“But then getting to share the significance of pollinators this coming year is going to be another one of those situations where people are like, ‘Oh wow, I never would have thought about that!'” shares Chapman.
“But it’s just a great opportunity to work with different agencies, build out some more materials and programming for our K through 12 partners and keep people excited and engaged year-round,” he adds.
Near the Garden’s Errick Willis Pavillion a flower bed will be designed to honor the late Frank Skinner, a self-taught horticulturalist who led the way to develop flowers, shrubs and trees to withstand our winters.
Skinner, born in Scotland in 1882, and emigrated with his family to a small community between Roblin and Russell, Manitoba. Skinner introduced and marketed more than 300 plant varieties capable of thriving in the harsh Canadian Prairies.
“We’re real excited about that,” says Chapman. “It’s still in the early stages, but really appreciative of Doyle Piwniuk and his outreach to kind of get that discussion going to the point where in early October we did a walk through with a few members of the Skinner family.”
Related article: Peace Garden honours Manitoba horticultural hero with new landscaping project
“When I first got here at the Peace Garden eight years ago, you would often hear in learning about the region and what kind of contributes to horticulture up here. The Skinner name was always being brought up,” explains Chapman. “So really it’s an honor for the staff and I and the Garden as a whole to be partnering with any group that really understands plants and hardy plants in zone 2.”
“But the Skinner garden is kind of that icing on the cake for us to be partner with and to recognize and honor the long history and legacy of the Skinner family when it comes to plants in the northern plains,” he adds.
CJRB / Discover Westman sponsors a flower bed each year. Contact the International Peace Garden to learn more about this program
To sponsor a flower bed, or to support the International Peace Garden as a financial supporter or volunteer, visit their website HERE. And to stay on top of all that’s happening at the Garden, visit their Facebook page HERE!
Tim Chapman and his family pose for a pic during the holidays
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