The Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens have held an annual Native Plant Sale at Acadia University on the first Saturday in June for over 20 years. This well-loved and anticipated community event is primarily volunteer run by the Friends of the Forest. Funds raised at the sale support student research and conservation projects at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre. This year, students at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) have been enlisted to give the event a fresh new face.

On a cold day in January, 12 students from the NSCAD Bachelor of Design program listened and learned as Acadia University’s Conservation Horticulturist Melanie Priesnitz shared with them the importance of protecting and cultivating native plant species. They learned how individuals can make a difference towards improving biodiversity on the planet by gardening with native plants.

Home for 4^th year NSCAD student Kaur Prabhsimrat is India so learning about Nova Scotia native species was a new and valuable opportunity for her. She shared a few reflections on her experience working on this project. “Learning about native plants and their role in the ecosystem made me appreciate them in a whole new way. It also made me realize how much thought and effort goes into preserving plant species and how even something as simple as choosing the right plants for your garden can have a big impact”.

Kaur weighed in on the importance of partnering with Acadia on this design project. “Working on a real-world project like this pushed me to think about the audience, meet real deadlines, and make sure the design served a purpose beyond just looking good. It also gave me a glimpse into how conservation efforts rely on public engagement, and how designers can play a role in making those efforts successful”.

Students were tasked with creating a new design package for the Native Plant Sale that would be more accessible to a wide range of audiences. Each student developed a publicity poster, social media postings, a suite of plant species posters, as well as vendor and cash table signs for the day of the event.

Rachel Ladd is studying Interdisciplinary Design at NSCAD and appreciated the opportunity for practical hands-on learning through this project. Rachel mused, “university helps us learn how to be a designer, but it can’t teach us how to work with clients. Doing projects like this help us gain real world experience that will better prepare us for the future”.

NSCAD Faculty Member May Chung, who has been co-teaching this experiential learning class with Steve Ross, says “Seeing the work in progress at Acadia in the K.C. Irving Centre provided an impetus for NSCAD students and faculty to innovate ways to disseminate and support native plant reintegration for all our futures”. NSCAD Typography Instructor Steve Ross appreciated having the opportunity to give the students real-world design tasks. He echoed May’s sentiments by saying “this kind of real-life project gives students a strong understanding of the realities of design work they’ll be facing after they graduate”.

Staff and volunteers at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens have been impressed with the professionalism and commitment that NSCAD students have shown throughout this project and are excited to roll-out the new design for the Annual Native Plant Sale soon.

Follow the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens social media in the coming months to view the student’s publicity posters. To learn more about native plant gardening, purchase plants and witness the fresh new student-designed plant posters, mark your calendars for Saturday June 7^th from 9am – 1pm for our annual Native Plant Sale at Acadia University in Wolfville.

NSCAD students took a field trip to Acadia to tour the facilities at the K.C. Irving Centre, learn more about the Native Plant Sale and plant conservation in general. They also stopped in to visit the Acadia printshop to learn more about the equipment used to print their design elements.