Gardening with The Packer Collegiate Institute

Schmul Park Pollinator Garden

In the Spring of 2025, 14 students from the Packer Collegiate Institute visited Schmul Park to take part in an engaging, hands-on environmental lesson. As part of the exercise, students assisted park staff in creating a pollinator garden to aid the local wildlife and promote biodiversity. Students gained experience with planting techniques and were introduced to native plant ecology by the park’s very own environmental specialists.

This project allowed for not only the nurturing of the Freshkills Park’s newfound biodiversity, but also reflected the park’s potential as an immersive learning environment, setting a strong precedent for K-12 initiatives involving hands-on environmental and civic engagement.

In the future, the pollinator garden will continue to serve as an outdoor ecological laboratory for visiting K-12 programs, whose students will help maintain the garden and use it to monitor the park’s native plants and wildlife.

Native Species Planted by Students

Plants used for the pollinator garden were carefully selected species that are native to the park and attract local pollinators. This included various types of grasses, bushes and wildflowers. Below is a compiled list of native species planted by students in the Schmul Park pollinator garden.

For more information on the garden, and ways to get involved, click here.