POTS & PLANTS
/GARDENING ON THE STREET
by Beth Lopez
(Click images to enlarge)
We are just entering the best time of year for West End gardens. The first snowdrops are starting to fade, the crocuses are just hanging on, but the light green buds on bushes and trees and the leaf spears of bulbs pushing the earth aside are promising beautiful things to come.
A corner bulge garden that is also a water catchment area. This is a swale. (Beth Lopez Photo)
I walk down the sidewalks, now free of snow and ice, and I can relax and enjoy the changing of the season. As I walk I notice gardens around buildings and houses, on balconies and peaking out on roofs, but the ones I notice in particular are close at hand, running beside me on the sidewalks, greeting me at the corners and decorating the middle of traffic circles.
The City of Vancouver has managed to meet two needs with one solution. They offer garden spaces for Vancouverites who want to work in a garden but have no access at home, while also beautifying the city. They do this through their Green Streets Program, which encourages people to plant and care for gardens in city spaces.
You may have noticed signs in gardens along the sidewalks or in traffic circles. “This street garden is sponsored. A local resident will tend this area as part of the Green Streets Program.” You might also see another similar sign in green telling you “This street garden is AVAILABLE.” Is this the garden you’ve been hoping for?
Volunteer gardeners are invited to apply to sponsor a traffic circle garden or one of the corner bulges, both traffic calming fixtures. You agree to year-round care of the space, all weeding, pruning, planting and maintenance. You have to sign a disclaimer agreeing that the city won’t be held responsible for loss or injury. Then, you pick the garden you would like to take on.
Once one applies and is accepted, there are perks that go with the position: access to free compost in the spring and fall, notice of plant give-aways, receipt of regular newsletters, an invitation to the yearly Green Streets Garden Party celebrating the work of the volunteers, and access to mentor gardeners from the Master Gardener Association of B.C. (the kind of help we learned about in the February column, here).
There are many articles available on the City website to help all gardeners too. They have articles with plant tips, recommended plant lists, how to counteract Chafer beetles, and how to practice safe gardening when working so close to traffic.
I contacted the City to ask what happens if a volunteer has given up their garden without alerting the program and I was given this comprehensive answer: “We ask volunteers to notify us at the City if they can no longer maintain the garden they’ve been sponsoring. We find that most volunteers are keen to see their hard work and dedication to a garden continue on after they leave the program. When a volunteer notifies us they are leaving, we ask that they remove the ‘sponsored garden’ sign and install an ‘Available Garden’ sign (provided by the City) so that others in the community know that they could volunteer to steward the space. City crews maintain available gardens.
“The City crew responsible for maintaining available gardens operates on a constant rotation around the city,” the City’s response continued. “If they see any gardens that appear to be abandoned, they notify the Green Street program coordinator. We may also receive calls from the public through 311 if a garden appears abandoned. When this occurs, the program coordinator will reach out to the registered volunteer to confirm if they are still actively gardening the asset. If the volunteer has moved on, the City will install an ‘Available Garden’ sign and have the City crew add it to their maintenance route.”
You might have also noticed gardens planted along the boulevards, not at the corners. The owners of buildings with boulevards in front are responsible for maintenance of the area by mowing the grass and clearing debris. These city spaces between the sidewalk and the street are also available for planting. If you have a boulevard in front of your building that is not being gardened, you are free to take this on, no application is necessary. There are clear guidelines to be followed if you want to plant your boulevard. Keeping 1.5 meters back from fire hydrants and utility poles, ensuring that any ornaments or structures are removable, not interfering with parking or sidewalk use — these are the type of rules you have to follow.
Guidelines for creating a boulevard gardening are available as a downloadable PDF (here).
James Oakes Photo from Pots and Plants / Oct. 2021.
You might remember this photo from 2021 showing a boulevard garden and sculpture. This is what Peter Gribble, my predecessor at Pots & Plants, had to say about this beauty: “Built by Nicco Soria and Calu Jimenez, bike wheels, minus their tires, are joined at the rims to make a striking, wraparound urban hermit’s wing chair and trellis. The area is planted with rosemary and a Hydrangea macrophyllum, while a merry group of nasturtiums grows up into the spokes. The nasturtiums are a good artistic choice as they add to the color of the street-narrowing traffic sign.”
The garden and the sculpture are still there. It is enjoyed by all for its quirkiness and ingenuity.
These are the unique touches that make our neighborhood ours – the bicycle structure on Comox, the mushroom mosaic on Bute, the little fairy houses built into boulevard tree roots down Nelson. These are part of my home. A boulevard garden or a round-about garden or bulge garden might be a way to add your unique contribution to the neighborhood.
The City’s Green Streets webpage (here) is a clear, user friendly and comprehensive introduction to the program. You can learn more about boulevard gardens (here).
