• Over 30 garden volunteers and many Master Gardeners regularly commit their time and talents to the gardens at the Calgary Zoo.
  • Many annuals propagated at the Calgary Zoo are grown in ‘deep root trainers’. These cell packs encourage deep root growth, reducing the risk of drought stress once the annuals are planted in the ground.
 

Annuals

Each summer the Dorothy Harvie Gardens become awash with colour. Much of this colour is due to the over 40,000 annuals that are planted in the beds each year. Many of the annuals are propagated here at the Calgary Zoo in two small greenhouses. Zoo staff and a team of faithful volunteers nurture the plants from seed to planting. Without our hard working garden volunteers this program would not be possible.

Spring Display

The spring display is often planted as early as mid-April. Pansies and violas are the backbone of this display, as these plants are able to tolerate temperatures down to -7° Celsius.  Year after year, our pansies and violas are subjected to a snowfall and inevitably the blooms emerge from the snow unscathed.  Dianthus and English daisies are also great choices for early season colour.

In the spring of 2009, the Zoo brought back its famous tulip display! Over 20,000 tulips fill the gardens with colour from late April to June.  Look for classic triumph tulips, multiflowered bouquet tulips, large flowered Darwin hybrids, green striated viridifloras and elegant lily flowered cultivars.

Summer Display

By the beginning of June, planting of our summer annual display is well underway.  The beds are freshly tilled so that the soil is light and offers little resistance to the roots of the establishing annuals. Organic matter such as compost may be incorporated in to the beds at this time to improve the quality of the soil. 

By August, the display is at its zenith. This display has that definite ‘wow’ factor, as we plan for broad brushstrokes of colour in graduating heights.  Zinnia, rudbeckia, petunia, salvia, nicotiana, marigolds, dahlias, cannas, geraniums, verbena, ornamental cabbages/kales and tender grasses are just a few of the selections featured in this display.