Eco Swale: A Community initiative for Biodiversity, Climate Action and Stormwater Management in the Milky Way Garden
Background
The Milky Way Community Garden is a 7000 sq ft vacant property in the heart of Parkdale located at the Milky Way Lane, 87 Milky Way, Toronto, behind the Parkdale Public Library.
Our work is focused on collective care of the earth (and each other!) and building resilient communities in response to climate change. Through our main approach Thriving Earth, Thriving People we prioritize co-creating solutions with people who are experiencing the impacts of climate change the most. These impacts are being experienced, in our urban high-rise communities, through rising temperatures, increasing costs of food, and lack of green infrastructure such as green space, bike lanes, and in adequate high rises adapted or built for climate change.
We weave food, plant, and medicine growing and land stewardship, righting relations with the Indigenous people of this land, collective care of each other, art, and food sovereignty, with climate action. These priorities have been determined by the community. As we experience the worsening impacts of climate change – our communities’ strengths and resilience will continue to grow and reshape these priorities.
Project Results
Over the summer season, we worked with two summer students and over 30 volunteers to plan, learn, plant, and maintain pollinator plants in our newly created Eco swale. This project met multiple goals with the 20 pollinator plants planted in the Eco Swale and this included increasing biodiversity and stormwater management, facilitation of learning amongst the community members during the pollinator workshop and planting and engaging community members in hands-on efforts mitigate climate change impacts.
The main activities included:
1) Designing the planting and purchase plants with Mellissa Coiffe, a local facilitator, pollinator plant expert and community engagement specialist. See below for design.
2) Coordinate community event to learn through a workshop and plant pollinators in garden. This event was organized by Sandra Leon and facilitated by Melissa Coiffe from Seeds Library. It focused on planting native pollinator species in the swale—a shallow, sloped channel designed to manage stormwater and support biodiversity. Volunteers were invited to help with planting and learn about native vs. non-native species, pollinator habitats, and urban ecological restoration.
We were able to secure additional funds to support payment for the honorarium, additional plants and soil amendments from TDFEF and Landscape Ontario.
Milky Way Swale Plants
- Smooth wild rose – Rosa Blanda
- Giant yellow hyssop – Agastache nepetoides
- Alternate leaf dogwood – Cornus alternifolia
- Ironweed – Vernonia missurica
- Sweetgrass - Hierochloe odorata
- Spicebush – Lindera benzoin
- Purple joe pye weed – Eutrochium purpureum
- Buttonbush – Cephalanthus occidentalis
- Culvers root – Verunicastrum viriginicum
- Virgins bower – Clematis virginiana
- Red osier dogwood – Cornus sericea
- Zigzag goldenrod - Solidago flexicaulis
- Blazing star liatris – Liatris spicata
- False indigo – Amorpha fruticosa
- Virginia mountain (narrow leaf) – Pycananthemum tenuifolium
- Bayberry – Myrica pensylvanica
- Swamp milkweed – Asclepias incarnata
- New Jersey tea – Ceanothus americanus
- Blue verbena – Verbena hastata
- Kalm’s St John’s wort – Hypericum kalmianum
- Pale purple coneflower – Echinacca pallida
- Fragrant sumach – Rhus aromatica
- Blazing star liatris – Liatris spicata
- Prairie smoke – Geum triflorium
- Bush honeysuckle – Diervilla lonicera
- 26. Virginia water leaf – Hydrophyllum virginianum
- False Solomon’s Seal – Maianthermum stellatum
- Canada anemone – Anemone canadensis
- Sand cherry – Prunus pumila
- Hairy beard tongue – Penstemon hirsutus
