As part of an initiative by the Ladner Business Association (LBA), a blend of cosmos seedlings from the Dr. Bonnie Henry Pollinator Blend were planted under glorious sunny skies in Ladner Village Tuesday morning.
On hand for the June 22 planting were Mayor George Harvie, LBA president Jill McKnight, West Coast Seeds president Aaron Saks, and City of Delta gardening team member Shelby Brubacher.
The “pollinator patch,” which is just across the street from South Coast Casuals, will hopefully bring more awareness to the importance of supporting the different pollinators in Delta’s declared Bee City, said McKnight.
McKnight added that she also wants the patch to highlight the work of West Coast Seeds and their special collaborative project with Henry, B.C.’s Medical Health Officer.
“It’s a way of us all coming together in our community,” says McKnight. “We see the efforts that one of our [LBA] members has taken, and we want to help tell our whole greater community about that.”
The pollinator patch now holds the growing, green cosmos seedlings, among other eye-catching greenery and flowers. They will grow to be a colourful mix of pink, yellow, orange, and white cosmos to represent Henry’s cheerful, eye-catching style.
A little sign indicating that the patch is pollinator-friendly sits among the soon-to-be flowers.
The LBA gave the special seed blend to the City of Delta’s gardening team (Gordon Klammer and Brubacher) ahead of time so that they could be germinated to seedlings before the planting.
“As mayor, these are the things that I really like to do – be out in the community and show that Delta is interested in doing everything possible in [addressing] climate change and bee pollination. They’re very important subjects that local government has a role in,” said Harvie.
With the Dr. Bonnie Henry Pollinator Blend, 100 per cent of the proceeds are being donated to Food Banks Canada, which was her charity of choice, and specifically within the region that the packet was purchased in.
So far, West Coast Seeds has raised around $225,000 for Food Banks Canada, says Saks.
“Being able to do something at such an important time, given COVID-19 and some of the challenges around money and food security, it’s amazing,” he said. “And being able to support pollinators at the same time, it was just a combination of so many different great things happening into one seed packet, and I think maybe that’s why it had the success that it did.”
Saks said Henry regularly reaches out to West Coast Seeds to express her excitement with how successful the project has been.
