What’s better than a flower-filled, colorful garden? How about one that attracts pollinators AND uses native plants that promote conservation and require little or no chemicals? Such a garden is right here on campus.
TCU’s Pollinator Garden, located in the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Community, was certified by Texan by Nature, which recognizes meaningful conservation efforts involving and benefitting people, prosperity and natural resources.
“This pollinator garden is a unique concept that helps diversify our plantings on campus,” Erik Trevino, director of landscaping and grounds, said. “TCU grounds are already well-appreciated for their beauty, but this butterfly garden showcases the beauty of native plants that serve a purpose as a pollinator habitat.”
In 2021, TCU’s Pollinator Garden – a landscape bed planted with native perennials to attract year-round pollinators – was established. The idea for the project came from a single student and was supported by members of the TCU Sustainability Committee and the groundskeeping staff.
“The best part of this project is that it was student-initiated,” Trevino said. “Camilla Price worked hard for years to get support for a campus pollinator garden. Then she helped design and install the garden. Without her passion and diligence, this project might have never happened.”
Price graduated this spring with a degree in biology and minors in sustainability and journalism.
Besides beautification, the goal for the Pollinator Garden is to plant only native plants without any chemical usage. Currently, the bed is almost completely native and no chemicals have been used. Native perennial plants allow for less irrigation watering. In addition to pollinators, rabbits and other native wildlife have been found using the landscape.
According to Texan by Nature, TCU’s Pollinator Garden also serves as a model for other larger-scale landscaping projects, providing an alternative landscape vision for native plantings. Texan by Nature is a nonprofit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush to unite business and conservation leaders who believe Texas’ prosperity is dependent on the conservation of its natural resources.
The award-winning TCU grounds team has also been recognized by the Professional Grounds Management Society and, for seven straight years, by the Arbor Day Foundation.