Native and Foreign: LOTS OF BULBS by Straub Thurmayr Landscape Architects

How can non-natives supplement the biodiversity and beauty of a native grassland?

Horticulture ecologies inevitably address the relationship between the native or ‘authentic’ and the ‘foreign’. The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Architecture, turned fifty in 2022. Some people say giving a bouquet to say happy birthday is unimaginative, but we disagree. You cannot go wrong with classics like birthday cakes or flowers!

LOTS OF BULBS is a multifaceted and provocative design experiment, and our contribution to celebrating half a century’s birthday. After a long journey, 18,500 spring-flowering bulbs arrived on the Fort Garry Campus in September 2022. These ‘ephemeral natures’ turned a small piece of land into an eternal memory for the MLA program’s 50th birthday celebration, evoking spectacle, delight, and happiness.

Winters are long in our prairie climate, and springtime always feels too short. LOTS OF BULBS are intended to extend Winnipeg’s ultimate but short spring feeling and supplement the diversity and beauty of a native grassland by attracting insects before the native grasses gradually return to life. After long winters, native prairie grasses need quite some time to regrow fresh and green slowly. This is when early pollinators and the hungry eyes of innumerable beholders are looking for food, and LOTS OF BULBS intend to fill this spring gap.

A horticultural happening took place in October 2022. Many hands volunteered to plant the eighteen thousand five hundred flower bulbs in a precisely mowed circle of 500 square metres within the established prairie grass area south of the John A. Russell Building. Unique planting tools ensured that the prairie grasses’ soil and roots were treated carefully. The custom-made tuLIPstick was designed and manufactured in-house. It consists of a back-friendly wooden stick with a metal tip and holds a bracket to step on. tuLIPstick is available in two sizes to accommodate people of varying heights. The sensitive acupuncture treatment of the prairie grassland aimed to enhance the existing soil-plant system and sustain its future growth. Shortly after planting, a blanket of snow covered the circle, and over a long winter, LOTS OF BULBS had fallen somewhat into oblivion.

With growing impatience, we waited for the snow to melt. Have the bulbs survived the winter, or did the circle become a unique food supply for deer, rabbits, and voles? The breathtaking show of spring flowering bulbs began with the summery temperatures of May. Purple Dream lily-flowered tulips started the festival season, showcasing their vivid purple blossoms. Gradually, the other bulbs joined the ensemble. A mere few days after the initial bloom, the Tulip White Triumphator and the tangerine Tulip Ballerina pirouetted throughout the meadow in a vibrant duet of colour. Eventually, the Allium Purple Sensation took control of the meadow once the tulip colours faded towards the beginning of June. Their deep purple globes towered over the slumbering prairie grasses and sky-blue star-shaped flowers of Camassia quamash. The bees were quite impressed. They hummed and buzzed around the ornamental onions. The pistils of the tulips became preferred landing pads for dragonflies. Before the prairie grasses fully developed, Allium Nigrum, a white-flowering onion known as black garlic, finally completed the sequence of floral growth. The skeletons of the once-blooming tulips and onions remained, whilst the prairie grasses matured throughout the summer. The elegant petals and delicate hearts of the tulips, allium and Camassia proved to be a delight for both people and pollinators. The burst of colour lived for a precious few weeks and was therefore intensely appreciated by passersby as they wondered, took pictures and engaged in the graceful display. The spectacle of colours, shapes, growth, and decay lasted well into the fall and is hoped to return partially next year. Witnessing people and many pollinators enjoying the place, the nectar, colours, textures, pausing for a chat, and taking many pictures was a delight.

Bulbs are not invasive, nor do they have eternal life. Some will hibernate for the next show in spring, while many will slowly disappear, eaten away by rabbits and voles. LOTS OF BULBS acts like a friendly smile to the grassland. This follows an ecological aesthetic where natives and non-natives support each other, increasing biodiversity and providing habitats for various living beings. The anniversary flower bulb mixture was also for sale, benefiting the MLA Program 50th Anniversary Student Recruitment Scholarship. This flamboyant aesthetic promotion of the MLA program’s birthday has fueled vibrant discussions about the nature of urban natures on campus, thus highlighting the significance of landscape architecture and chlorophyll as a driver for ethical ecological restoration through simple care for a fragile wonder.

Project typology: campus landscape and ephemeral natures

• All landscape architecture offices involved in the design of landscape: 
Straub Thurmayr Landscape Architects

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