GROUNDSKEEPING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG

The University of Winnipeg complex encompasses approximately 5.5 acres of outdoor area, 50 percent of which is green space. The rest is parking. The University is committed to promoting and maintaining an ecologically sound, environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing urban campus.

UWinnipeg's Use and Management policy commits the University to adopt approaches to planning, design and , and grounds maintenance which are consistent with the goals of the University’s Policy, to reduce use of toxic pest management substances, to reduce the energy intensity of grounds maintenance activities, to reduce grounds keeping sent to landfill, and whenever practicable, to reuse materials and products necessary to landscape maintenance. The policy also commits the University to develop or commission landscape designs that employ , , or other organic and sustainable approaches to landscape maintenance. Key overarching commitments and practices with respect to campus grounds are:

 In 2012, the University committed to eliminating the use of cosmetic and in all campus grounds keeping. This commitment is now also a requirement under new Provincial legislation. Maintaining a cosmetic - and - free campus will continue to require judicious watering practices, cleaning, , deadheading, targeted mulching and targeted fertilizing practices;

 The University’s watering system has humidity sensors on it and is automated to reduce unnecessary watering with potable water;

 The campus landscape around ‘main campus’ was designed using xeriscaping practices;

around all new buildings employs native species;

 Ongoing efforts are in place to reduce the use of ice melt products. Ice melt has been replaced with grit in areas near beds that will be negatively affected by ice melt. Snow cleared from walkways that may contain ice melt are piled away from planting beds;

 Grass clippings and other are composted.

Our urban setting presents many unique opportunities and challenges for responsible landscape management.

 Buildings block direct sunlight to most surface areas and create wind effects that are damaging to our . We have overcome these barriers by selecting hardy, low-lying plant species and those species that can flourish in partial to full shade conditions.

 Grounds are subject to a high degree of human activity. Compaction from foot traffic through informal winter walkways contributes to significant winterkill. Ploughing, snow removal and maintenance of formal walkways are all necessary activities to minimize the effects of winterkill. Students and faculty can help do their part by sticking to the formal walkways.

 Vandalism is also a major challenge and in previous years up to 30% of campus flower beds have been damaged. In order to minimize damage from vandalism, sight lines for cameras must be maintained to ensure a safe and beautiful campus that students and all members of the local community can enjoy for generations to come.

 Snow piling from city ploughs contributes to turf salinization and excessive wetness during the spring thaw.

Campus Green Space Inventory

1) Wesley Hall Front Grounds: Redone in 2010, Wesley Hall front grounds were architecturally designed based on the principles of xeriscaping (minimal water use) practices. This large multi-use turf area, open to students, faculty, and the public, is bordered by mature elm trees. Aside from a feature knee wall and bordering the main sidewalk leading to campus, and individual tree planters, Wesley Hall grounds feature three distinct areas: the circle (front west side), the triangular raised bed (off the main sidewalk), and the beds flanking either side of Wesley Hall’s front entranceway steps and extending around the west wall.

 The circle garden is a flower garden featuring red, white and blue petunias annually in honour of Wesley College’s traditional colours. The petunias are chosen because they are a hardy, inexpensive species that offer blooms all summer long. This is the only garden where we do extensive annual planting in the front of Wesley Hall.

 The raised triangle bed features perennial grasses and shrubs. Annual cleaning and pruning are the only landscaping activities done on this bed.

 The garden borders on either side of Wesley Hall’s front entranceway steps boast a variety of shrubs, including junipers, miniature blue spruce and currants, and perennial grasses. Once established, these beds will only require basic maintenance and are not intended for annual plantings.

2) South face Bryce Hall: This garden features a flower bed with shrubs and lilies whose flowers were once used as a teaching tool by the U of W Biology department. A colourful mix of annuals (including the red, white, and blue traditional Wesley College colours) is planted here every year. Additionally, this bed has unique challenges related to drainage and weather conditions that limit its use.

3) West face Bryce Hall: The west face offers a shady space for annually planted impatiens in this flower bed. The long narrow bed and shade conditions limit the planting options available to the University.

4) Quad: This multi-use green space is bordered by Centennial Hall on the east, Graham Hall on the west, and Riddell Hall on the north, and is a favorite outdoor relaxation spot for students, faculty, and staff. There is one raised planter bed along the walkway as an accent area for the space. Typically this bed would be planted with a perennial ground cover.

5) Babs Asper Lilac Garden: This garden was completed in 2013 as part of an official ceremony renaming the Asper Centre for Theatre and Film and dedicated to the memory of Babs Asper. Bordering a walking path, this traditional style garden features benches, a turf area, and a variety of flowering trees and lilac varieties that were preferred by Mrs. Asper. This garden will be self-sustaining and will not require annual plantings once the selected plants fill in and establish themselves.

6) RecPlex: Turf, trees and shrubs have been incorporated into the landscape features, accentuating the Spence Street face of the new United Health & RecPlex . This area was designed to be low maintenance with no annual planting occurring.

7) Green Corridor: This small park area connects U of W Main Campus to the West Campus between Young and Langside Streets. It features benches, shrub beds, and trees, two of which were transplanted from the Health and RecPlex site before construction started on the building. There are no annual flower beds in this area.

8) Richardson Complex for Science and the Environment: The green space accents all around the RCFE were professionally designed as part of the Richardson College for the Environment site plan and based on the principles of xeriscaping. The beds feature either shrubs or natural grasses exclusively and are not intended for annual planting. Trees and shrubs are planted on the dividers around the parking lot and along Furby Street.

9) McFeetors Hall: The green space accents at McFeetors Hall include miniature lilac bushes along the public sidewalk and a small grassed area at the north end of the building. The landscaping is designed to be low maintenance for this high usage traffic area.

10) UWSA Day Care: This play space features carefully chosen landscape materials congruent with the Day Care’s mandate to provide a warm, accepting and stimulating environment for children 12 months to 5 years to learn through play. The UWSA is responsible for maintaining this space.

11) UWSA Community : Recently expanded in 2012, the Community Garden plots are located at the north end of McFeetors Hall and there are a couple of small planter boxes located at the Bike Lab near Sparling Hall. These gardens are maintained by the University of Winnipeg Student’s Association and student volunteers.

12) Planter Boxes: To enhance aesthetic appeal the University uses a variety of planter boxes distributed across campus. A common theme is used throughout the matching boxes using a variety of flowers and plants. The West End and Downtown Biz also supplement these boxes with some of their own which they maintain at the AnX, Buhler Centre and Richardson College for the Environment.