Click to view larger size
Over the past year, the Canyon Meadows Yard & Garden Club has gathered ideas and shaped a shared vision for our community garden and landscape enhancements. Ted Bahr of Prairie Sage Permaculture thoughtfully synthesized this input into a comprehensive Irrigation and Landscape Design. We’re excited to share the plan with the community. Please check back here for updates.Sign up here if you can lend a hand!
New Garden Beds
After carefully considering sunlight, accessibility, and visual impact, the new garden beds will be located in the treed area along the back of the parking lot. By rotating the sea can, the space will receive full sun, creating ideal growing conditions.
We are planning to install wicking garden beds designed for efficient, low-maintenance watering. These systems filter moisture upward from below, preventing overwatering while supporting strong root development. Netted covers will protect young plants from deer. The initial intention is for the Yard + Garden Club to steward these beds, with harvests shared communally for the benefit of the neighbourhood.
Planning for Sustainable Watering
The first phase will involve adjusting the eavestrough system to fill five 1,000-litre water tanks equipped with pumps and timers. Select downspouts will be redirected into a swale system, which is comprised of underground perforated pipes installed within a newly excavated trench, allowing water to irrigate plantings at the root level.
Excavated areas will be backfilled and topped with gravel, creating an accessible walking path through the grounds. At the front of the hall, water basins will be incorporated into the existing flower beds to capture rainwater and nourish surrounding plants before runoff flows downhill.
All plant selections have been chosen for their drought tolerance and native characteristics, supporting long-term sustainability and climate resilience.
Ted Bahr of Prairie Sage Permaculture and General Manager Colleen Griffin
Landscaping Upgrades
The broader landscape plan includes the creation of a Food Forest in the park behind the hall. This will introduce fruit trees, edible shrubs, and native understory plants designed for communal harvest and ecological diversity.
A Kid’s Sensory Garden will also be established in the same park space, featuring plants with varied textures, colours, and forms to spark curiosity and engagement.
The front flower beds will transition into a Rain Garden, designed to manage stormwater while incorporating edible shrubs — including haskaps, a hardy prairie favourite and this year’s trivia answer.
Grants, Fundraising & Spring 2026 Build
This project has been supported through the ClimateReadyYYC and Good Places grants administered by the Federation of Calgary Communities. An additional funding application has been submitted to the City of Calgary’s Inspiring Neighbourhoods Grant.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed time, funding, or expertise. Every contribution strengthens this shared vision.
Our goal is to break ground and begin construction on April 7, 2026.
This is a community-driven project, and your ideas, feedback, and support are always welcome. Sign up here if you can lend a hand!
📬 gm@cmca.ca
🌱 Let’s grow something amazing together!
