Get Growing

This garden features native, pollinator‑friendly plants with a variety of flower shapes and bloom times, providing food from early spring through late fall. It also includes host plants, like milkweed, which give pollinators a place to lay eggs and support their full life cycle.

This space is intentionally less manicured to create a healthier habitat for pollinators. Native plants are adapted to our local climate, and growing without pesticides or herbicides helps keep the environment safe for insects, birds, and other wildlife.

The flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other insects – including our beehives. The garden also offers habitat for native species, including ground‑nesting and solitary bees, and supports a food chain that benefits birds and other wildlife.

We leave plant stems and seed heads in place to support wildlife year‑round. Seeds provide food for birds, and hollow stems offer safe nesting spaces for bees. Many of the plants are perennials, meaning they’ll return each year.

Take a closer look – you might spot bees, butterflies, birds, or caterpillars. You can log what you see using the iNaturalist app and contribute to community science.

Interested in learning more about local pollinator protection efforts in Waterloo? Visit the City of Waterloo’s Pollinator Working Group webpage and attend one of their pollinator habitat planting days or community events.

We will grow a variety of plants on a rotational basis. Once plants are harvested we will plant new seeds to grow. Signage will accompany the grow towers to let customers know what is currently growing.

Some of the plants we grow will come from seeds in our Seed Library.