Habitat Acquisition Trust

HAT is a member of the Wild Garden Party, a collaboration of like-minded groups and individuals working to promote ecologically sound landscape practices in the Capital Region. We promote the conservation of wildlife habitat, organic gardening and landscaping, home and local food production, thoughtful use of our water resources, composting, and the inclusion of native plants in our landscapes. We draw inspiration and knowledge from one another to encourage individuals to care for their home places.

The latest initiative of the Wild Garden Party is the Homes and Habitats Project, a partnership with Victoria Habitat for Humanity. The members for this project include Habitat Acquisition Trust, the Greater Victoria Compost Education Centre, Lifecycles Project Society, Naturescape BC, the Native Plant Study Group, the Native Plant Society of BC, and the Victoria Natural History Society. Our goal is to design and create low maintenance, environmentally friendly residential gardens for a six-home subdivision in Sidney. The landscapes will benefit Habitat for Humanity families, the community, and the surrounding natural environment. This project is the first of its kind for Greater Victoria, and it is our hope that it will become a guide for similar collaborations for Habitat for Humanity across Canada.

Download your own Building Homes and Habitats Guide.This is a guide in PDF format for similar projects across Canada.

We are well underway, and are now developing the gardens, which will include such components as organic vegetable plots, fruit trees, native plants, drip irrigation, rain barrels, and compost. Work on the gardens will continue into the fall. Volunteers are crucial to the success of this project, so if you would like to get involved, or have plants or materials to donate to this project please contact HAT or any of the Wild Garden Party groups!

Previous projects of the Wild Garden Party include:

Wild Garden Party Tour

In May 2004, close to 300 people toured through 14 wonderfully wild gardens. The tour showcased gardens that incorporate native plants, water conservation, food production, organic methods and composting, creating beautiful, healthy havens for humans and wildlife alike! A great success! Funds raised have gone towards purchasing materials for our Homes and Habitats Project.

A Demonstration Garden at the 2002 Victoria Flower and Garden Show

On July 7, 2002, after eight months of meetings, ten community groups came together at Royal Roads to transform a dry 35' x 100' grassy site into a lush, water-wise, organic garden in just four days. Under the dappled shade of a large maple emerged a backyard composite of native plants, organic vegetables, fruit trees and herbs, a compost centre, greenhouse, and a rustic conceptual house. All of these were tied together by a chip trail, a dry stream bed and numerous native and water-wise plants including herbaceous perennials and shrubs. Everyone thought the display was permanent! The display won the People's Choice award.