Tucked inside a corner of Memorial’s Johnson Geo Centre lobby, something is growing quietly.
A lush collection of coleus, begonia rex, lamb’s ear, sweet potato vine, tradescantia, ferns, pilea, ivy and more is tucked into little plastic buckets stacked in rows in a “green wall.”
Adjacent to the plants is another section, mostly herbs, with pungent oregano, basil and mint, some of it planted from seed by summer camp children.
A Climate Collective initiative, the collective’s co-ordinators and Botanical Garden, Geo Centre and Facilities Management staff brought the wall to life.
Climate Collective is a project run by the Johnson Geo Centre with two main goals: to build a collaboration network within the climate innovation sector; and to increase capacity for climate innovation in the youth of our province.
Can you scroll down and help identify the plants captured by Memorial University photographer Rich Blenkinsopp?
1/ Green wall
The Botanical Garden's Todd Walsh and Josh Elyk helped choose the plants for the wall and provided care instructions.
2/ Name this plant
Just one of the numerous plant varieties thriving on the wall in the Geo Centre.
3/ Watering care
A motorized valve sets the watering schedule and duration; a metal trough catches the water.
4/ Pretty pattern
Who can name this one?
5/ Nature's brilliance
And this?
6/ Rich substrate
The wall comes in rectangular sections of nine pots across and nine pots down. The Geo Centre's facilities staff Dennis Keough and Dennis Badcock built the wall, with a hand from Technical Services, who built the water trough, and Facilities Management.
7/ One galaxy
Connecting Earth with the Milky Way.
8/ Some faces behind the project
From left, Deborah Coombs, Botanical Garden, and Andrea Van Nostrand, Johnson Geo Centre, have both played a part in keeping the garden growing. Staff regularly pitch in to prune and plant cuttings to keep the wall in good shape.
