#metisclimatemix
Year: 2019
Location: Grand-Métis, Québec, Canada
Competition Entry: Jardins de Métis
Team: Conor O’Shea
#metisclimatemix is a proposal for a rich botanical display of resilient climate change plants crowdsourced through Twitter.
As the climate changes, so too must garden design. Part of this requires bringing diverse viewpoints and bodies of research to bear on the design process. In keeping with the competition theme of Métissages, #metisclimatemix proposes nine mounds of varying elevations and soil composition that create a multitude of conditions to showcase a variety of crowdsourced plant species.
Using the garden’s own Twitter account (@metisclimatemix), the designer will contact research institutions, municipalities, scientists, and citizens, requesting that they share planting recommendations for Zone 4b (where Grand-Métis currently is) and Zone 5 (where Grand-Métis could be as the climate warms). The account will target plants that can: live in poor urban soils; withstand extreme hot and cold temperatures; survive both drought and flooded conditions; withstand pests; attract pollinators; and disperse easily.
Six mounds will display plants from each of these categories, with three others reserved for categories that emerge through the outreach process. Inexpensive, standard stools provide flexible seating for conversation and contemplation. Signage intermittently placed throughout the site will highlight specific plants and the Twitter accounts that recommended them. Afterwards, the full plant list will continue living online virtually as part of the Twitter account, while physical soil and planting can be reused and composted throughout the The Jardins de Métis.
