The GRAME, through its eco-quartiers, embellishes urban environments with gardens conducive to native biodiversity with the Défi Fleuri!
What is the Défi Fleuri?
The Défi Fleuri encourages you to add native and pollinating plants to your gardens, planters and tree patches. Whether you’re an individual or an organization, you can take part in this contest.
Our workshops, tutorials and newsletters will help you discover ecological gardening techniques and little-known species.
It’s a great way to spruce up your neighbourhood and increase biodiversity in the urban environment!
Get your garden, balcony… or tree patch in bloom for a chance to win prizes!
Gardens
A garden without chemical inputs (organic)
The presence of at least 3 different species
The presence of native species
Plants for pollinators
A delayed flowering garden
Balconies
A garden without chemical inputs (organic)
The presence of at least 2 different species
The presence of native species
Plants for pollinators
Tree squares
A garden without chemical inputs (organic)
The presence of at least 3 different species
The presence of native species
Plants for pollinators
A delayed flowering garden
Organizations and Companies
A garden without chemical inputs (organic)
The presence of at least 3 different species
The presence of native species
Plants for pollinators
A delayed flowering garden
Selection criteria
The winners of the Défi Fleuri will be selected by a jury of experts in gardening, botany and biodiversity. The jury will base its decision on the following 5 criteria:
A garden without chemical inputs (organic):
This means you won’t be using any chemical fertilizers, but rather natural ones. Many affordable available at garden centers!
The presence of different species:
The Défi Fleuri aims to maximize biodiversity, and therefore relies on a diversity of plant species. We require a minimum of two or three, depending on the category, to be eligible for the competition, but nothing prevents you from adding more!
The presence of native species:
Native plants are not only preferred by pollinators, they are also low-maintenance, being well adapted to local environments.
Plants for pollinators:
To encourage pollinators, we give preference to plants that are :
- Melliferous, because rich in nectar;
- Indigenous, since insects are well adapted to them;
- Diversified, to meet the preferences of all pollinators;
- Delayed flowering, to provide nectar throughout the summer season.
A delayed flowering garden:
Pollinators are present from April to November. It is therefore essential to provide nectar-rich floral resources during this period.
Want to know more?
Our panel of experts
Meet our jury for the 2026 edition!
Laurence
Bolduc
Specialist in Communication and Engagement for the David Suzuki Foundation
Laurence Bolduc is a communications and public engagement specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation. Passionate about nature, civic engagement, and initiatives that drive change, she contributes in particular to the Butterfly Effect project, a network of thousands of volunteer patrol members across Canada who are creating habitats for pollinators, one garden at a time.
Ariane
Chaput
Akène Development Manager
Akène offers native and naturalized plant seeds grown in Quebec, ideal for creating spaces rich in biodiversity. By choosing our products, you become a player in conservation and ecological resilience.
Camille
Circé-Perrault
Executive Director
at Le Grand Potager
Specializing in biodiversity management, Camille Circé-Perrault has dedicated her career to protecting life in all its forms. She pursues this vision by working to transform underutilized spaces into vibrant, nurturing environments for biodiversity and the community. Together with her team, she helps create species-rich habitats around the greenhouses operated by the nonprofit and its members.
Camille believes in the intrinsic value of living beings and the natural environments that sustain them. Her work seeks to protect less-disturbed ecosystems while
restoring environments that have already been degraded, in order to create a more resilient and vibrant world.
Anne-Marie
Gagné
Program Coordinator, Montreal Botanical Garden | Espace pour la vie, Major Parks, and Mount Royal
A biologist by training from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Anne-Marie has been working in the field of science education since 2016 and has been with Espace pour la vie since 2020. She also holds a degree in communication and science journalism from Laval University (ULaval), as well as a degree in environmental education from UQAM. She has completed several related courses in urban agriculture, pedagogy, and permaculture. She has made education her calling, with the goal of inspiring people to marvel at the beauty of nature, raising awareness about it, and fostering a desire to protect it.
THANKS TO OUR PRIZE PARTNERS
- A cherry tree and a smartpot from Semis Urbains
- Annual access cards for Sépaq
- An Insect Hotel by Atelier Zabie
- Books from Écosociété editions
- Daily passes to the Montreal Botanical Garden, thanks to Espace pour la vie.
- Gift vouchers for Jardins de l’Écoumène
- Jars of honey from Polliflora‘s urban beehives
- Seeds from Semences du Portage andTourne-Sol Ferme Coopérative
- Jars of herbal tea and a hand balm from Blueberryjams
- Gift vouchers for bouquets from Fleurs en ville
- Tickets for a show at the Théâtre Desjardins
- A discount code for Mimi & August
- And a few other prizes surprises!
Our tips and tricks
To help you make your pollinator garden a success, we’ve prepared a host of tools, tips and tricks for you to discover!
Why plant pollinator gardens?
Many pollinators are at risk from habitat destruction, monoculture and large-scale pesticide use. By planting a pollinator garden, you’re helping to make ecosystems more resilient and healthy. Increasing biodiversity promotes the survival of plants and beneficial insects.
Want to know more?
Frequently asked questions
A pollinator garden is a space that will attract pollinating insects by providing them with food and habitat. It is characterized by a good diversity of nectar-producing flowers (known as melliferous plants) throughout the summer season. Ideally, we need plants to which insects are well adapted. That’s why we prefer native species. To protect our pollinating friends, these gardens must be free from insecticides and pesticides, which are very harmful, even fatal, to them.
Pollinators are the animals that carry pollen and enable flowering plants to fertilize. All these species feed on nectar (they are nectariferous). As they gather this sweet liquid from flower to flower, the pollen clings to their hairs, feathers or skin, then disperses, helping to fertilize the plants.
On the island of Montreal, some are birds like hummingbirds or mammals like bats, but the majority of pollinators are insects. There are over 400 species, including many bumblebees, native bees (which don’t live in hives), solitary wasps and a multitude of butterfly species such as the monarch butterfly. The list also includes species of flies (syrphid flies) and nectar-bearing beetles.
We are currently facing a global collapse in pollinator populations. In urban environments, the main causes of this decline are the lack of food and the destruction of their natural habitat. Planting flowers and creating pollinator gardens, whether large or small, high up or on the ground, helps to create biodiversity corridors for endangered foragers.
Flower, flower and more flower! You need everything, every smell and every color. The main causes of the decline in domesticated and wild bee populations (as well as other pollinators) are habitat degradation and lack of food. To prevent these adverse effects, there’s nothing better than planting a multitude of flowers.
To encourage pollinators, we favour plants that are :
- Melliferous, because rich in nectar
- Indigenous, since insects are well adapted to them;
- Diversified, to meet the preferences of all pollinators;
- Delayed flowering, to provide nectar throughout the summer season.
That’s right! Even with a small balcony, you can make a difference by selecting plants according to the needs of pollinators. Small or large, high or low, you need to flower every possible space.
Ideally, you should plant native plants, which are not only favored by pollinators but also require little maintenance because they are well-adapted to the local environment. Among the long list of native plants is, for example, milkweed, the host plant for the monarch butterfly, of which there are a dozen species across Canada.