Opening our parks to pollinators

In late October 2022, the Friends of Riverview Park Green Spaces and a group of volunteers planted over 370 seedlings of 25+ species of sun-loving, mostly native, perennial flowers and grasses in a 6 by 12-metre oval garden. The Riverview Park Pollinator Garden was funded as part of a 2021 Healthy Communities grant from the federal government. It’s located on City of Ottawa land that our community association stewards near the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Ottawa Hospital – General campus.

Seeds came from the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and some local volunteers, and they mostly started under lights.

We were amazed at how well the plants came through their first winter and how full the garden was, even in its first year. Many pollinators visited flowers blooming from June through October, and birds visited seed heads in the fall.

At this tour, learn about the challenges of planting a garden on City land, the required permissions, and the timeline. Read Wild Pollinator Partners' blog post about the project.

Meet at Knox Crescent just south of the corner of Cluny.

Host or Publisher Wild Pollinator Partners