Halifax company, Acadia University working together to save native seeds

Limited edition Nova Scotia seeds are about to hit the shelves in Halifax.

A Halifax company and Acadia University are working together to preserve a pair of Maritime plants through a new seed initiative.

Halifax Seed has partnered with the university’s K.C. Irving Environmental Sciences Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens to sell seeds of the Cutleaf Coneflower and the Joe-Pye Weed. Both seeds are known for their ease of growth and ability to pollinate.

“Native plants like the Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) and Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) have evolved to thrive in the Maritimes’ unique climate and soil conditions, making them low-maintenance and resilient choices for your garden,” reads a news release from the university. “Both of these perennial flowers are magnets for butterflies and bees.

“The Cutleaf Coneflower features tall stems and bright yellow petals that typically bloom in late August. The Joe-Pye Weed, known for its clusters of pinkish-purple flowers, also blooms near the end of the summer.”

The seeds are native to the Wabanaki region, which spans the Maritimes, New York and northern New England.

“As our local ecosystem is increasingly affected by development and by global warming and other environmental concerns, the lives of those native species are put at risk,” said Desdemona Shaw, retail operations and marketing manager with Halifax Seed.

Halifax Seed will be selling a limited supply of the future plants at its store at 5860 Kane St. from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday. One dollar from every sale will go directly to student research at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre.

“We encourage home gardeners to recognize that the land they cultivate is a part of the unique and at-risk Wapna’ki Forest Region,” said Melanie Priesnitz, a conservation horticulturist at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens. “Planting local ecotype native species is a great way to create habitat for wildlife, support pollinators, and improve biodiversity across the region and on our planet as a whole.”

Sappho Thompson, an undergrad student at Acadia, worked on the project, helping clean them.

“Knowing that they’ve made it into the industry and made it into people’s home gardens is so cool,” Thompson said. “It feels very meaningful, like I’m truly contributing to the world of science and gardening and, generally, the community.

“It means a lot to know that my work that I’m doing is reaching people and reaching the environment and contributing to the native ecosystem.”

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