When pressed by residents, the city will install some sidewalk planters during reconstruction. In my little patch of the west side, we’ve opted to push for curbed planters, which keep stray feet, and tires, out of the planting beds. Shown below is planter on Somerset near Booth.
While the tulip display — planted by volunteers, funded by the Chinatown BIA — is wonderful, the perennials struggle in mid summer as the bed is in full sun and dries out. There are no nearby taps, which necessitates a water jug relay by SUV a few times in August.
Cedar mulch might help retain moisture, and drown a few weeds, and of course red is popular in this neighbourhood. So once again Dalhousie Community Assoc. community gardeners showed up with 10 bags of red mulch from Loblaws.
This cost the BIA the princely sum of $35.
And what a difference it makes…
In a few places the mulch is in heaps, waiting for the tulips to die back and the wind and rain to level the mulch. The lillies and some other perennials should fill in as the tulips fade away.
Now we just need a good rainfall … I can’t believe I just said that?
There are other beds like this available for interested volunteers to adopt. There are a few more on Somerset, a bunch on Booth, Christie, and both sides of Bronson. If you see a bed you want to adopt, give a shout to dca.greenspace