Re-Wilding the Land
As you walk around the church grounds, especially during the growing season, you’ll notice clumps of cheery black-eyed Susan, lavender, cone flower, and sunflowers, as well as shaded expanses of purple tansy, California poppies, and sweet alyssum. Perhaps while resting on one of our benches and enjoying the sight, your eyes will quickly notice the plethora of insects happily at work in the flowers, including a variety of native bees.
This colourful and bountiful sight began in 2023 when we began asking ourselves how we can tread more lightly upon the land. When we looked out at our grounds, we saw lots of grass, and little else. So, starting with a small experimental plot next to our parking lot, we ripped out the grass and began planting some of the cheerful flowers you see today, focusing especially on pollinator-friendly and native species.
With the success of that first experiment, a year later we undertook a much larger conversion as we turned a plot of land on the west side of the grounds into the St. Hildegard’s Contemplative Garden. This project was made possible by the Anglican Foundation and is an embodiment of our work in reconciliation, with the garden featuring a large collection of native medicinal and food species, planted alongside a selection of settler medicinal and food species. A winding path entices visitors to explore this garden, and benches invite folks to take a moment for contemplative reflection and prayer.
In addition to being a source of beauty in our midst, our work to re-wild the land has a number of positive environmental outcomes, including:
- Increasing the biodiversity of the land, both through the number of plant species and in the increased presence of insects living in and around the gardens.
- Supporting pollinator species, which are threatened by the ecologically monotonous landscaping that so frequently dominates our homes and parks.
- Creating more drought-tolerant landscaping with native species that are adapted to our dry summers and wet winters. The deep roots of native species help the plants to reach water when it is dry and help channel excess water into the ground instead of the storm drains during the rainy season. Not only does this look better during dry spells, it also reduces the demand we put on our public water system.
- Reducing our gas consumption, because every metre of grass re-wilded is a metre less of grass that needs mowing, which helps lower the carbon emissions associated with maintaining our grounds.
But we’re not done yet! We’re already eyeing other sections of lawn on our grounds that we could convert into gardens in future years. So keep your eyes open for signs of more re-wilding at St. Faith’s, and if you are interested in getting your hands dirty, then let us know!
