Each fall, millions of geese, ducks, hawks, and cranes start a long migration from northern North America, heading for warmer locations in the South. A few months later, large numbers of human migrants from Canada and from the northern tier of American states prepare for their escape from the rigors of snow shoveling, sub-zero temperatures, and dark winter nights. Packing their golf clubs, swimming trunks, and suntan oil, they travel by car, recreational vehicle, and airplane to the southern United States and Mexico. These seasonal migrants are often called “snowbirds.” (“Tracking the Snowbirds: Seasonal Migration from Canada to the U.S.A. and Mexico.” American Review of Canadian
Studies, Vol. 32.)
During each Canadian winter, the houseplants of Canadian Snowbirds sit alone in snow-covered windows. Snowbirds – or elders who roost in more southerly, warmer climates during the winter months – will be invited to leave their plants in the Snowbird Garden. The garden will act as a halfway home, providing foster care for the wayward plants left behind as their warmth-seeking owners travel south for the winter. The garden will be cared for by those who stay to brave the cold winter, providing a warm, inviting and green social space for the winter months.
An unrealized proposal by Heather Ring and Amy Seek for the Canadian Centre of Architecture in Montreal.