There are 500 Green Streets gardens allocated to volunteer gardeners and 250 still available. What are Green Street gardens? Green Streets gardens are planted by volunteers in busy areas including traffic circles and corner bulges. Why would you want one? You like gardening. You think your neighbourhood has an eyesore in need of beautification. The City pays for the initial planting.
How do you get a Green Streets location in Kitsilano? Watch for the signs – yellow is taken; green is available.
If you see a sign on a garden near you saying it’s available, don’t hesitate. Green Streets coordinator, Sara Orchard, tells me that plots in Kits get snapped up quickly. There’s only one available right now, and I won’t even tell you where because she’s had people express interest. Of course, you can always offer to help a volunteer gardener – that’s how I met Kim Peterson, a neighbour only 3 blocks away.
A group of us have started a project called RoundAbout Kits thanks to funding from a Neighbourhood Small Grant from the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Foundation to help other gardeners enhance Kitsilano with their gardens. For my garden, now named “Mary-Go-Round”, my friend Jane is supplying recipes for Herb of the Month. We’re featuring Lemon Balm this month. Try the recipe for lemon balm lemonade (or cookies or vinegar.) We’re doing a workshop on May 25 from 2 to 4pm – come and make a sign for your garden and meet other neighbours interested in making green spaces work for bees, butterflies and people. It’s free thanks to Vancouver Foundation and City of Vancouver. Register here.
Two of our Kits Green Streets gardeners were featured on a CBC TV news item on the City’s Green Streets program on Earth Day, April 22. Moi, gardener at 6th & Trafalgar, and Elayne Armstrong at Broadway & Balsam talked about how we don’t consider ourselves expert gardeners, but enjoy tending our little plots and appreciate the recognition that passersby give. We both won the award for most “bee and butterfly friendly garden” at last fall’s Green Streets celebration (me for circles; Elayne for bulges.) Elayne also won for best composition. Here’s the link to the CBC TV news item.
Apply to be a Green Streets Volunteer.
Learn about gardening on the boulevard near your home or business.
Photograph by: Mark van Manen, Vancouver Sun
Last modified: May 27, 2013
Thank you for the post! I love it and I wish I could have made it to the workshop!