‘The Pollinator Garden’ proposes to create an aesthetic, ecological and educational intervention in this small plot of land and subsequently in the landscape.
Pollinators play a vital role in plant reproduction, being fundamental to the functioning of ecosystems. As humans rely on plants as a source of food or medicine, pollinators are paramount for our survival.
While climate change impacts pollinators, altering the growing and flowering seasons of plants and weakening their populations, planting a pollinator garden is one of the best ways to attract and preserve pollinator species whilst also offering food and shelter to other animals and thus stimulating and preserving biodiversity.
Construction
The plot is planted with an explosion of colours and textures. The effect is achieved mainly by the planting of perennial and annual native plants.
A small gravel path invites you to wander around the space, contemplating the plants, the colours, the built structures and if you are a keener observer, some bees or butterflies.
Built structures
The garden is punctuated by cut out silhouettes of some pollinators such as bees, butterflies, weevils or beetles.
The choice of the silhouette as a means of representation is intended to indicate the volatile and fragile nature of pollinator populations that are disappearing over time.
In the centre, hidden in the explosion of colourful flowers, is a single panel with the silhouette of a woman and a man. This panel representing Mankind reminds us that we too are part global ecosystem and that we too are in danger and in risk of disappearing.
Above the garden is a thin structure with 3 misaligned concentric circles. It represents the loss of equilibrium between plants, pollinators and humans, reminding us at the same time that we should preserve the integrity of ecosystems as a whole.
The Pollinator Garden
Location: Ponte de Lima, Portugal
17th Edition of the International Garden Festival of Ponte de Lima | Competition 2022
Designed by: Filipe Mesquita, landscape architect
Client: City Council of Ponte de Lima, International Garden Festival Competition
Photos: Cátia Mesquita
Text: Filipe Mesquita