Day 80 Iris Story

Yesterday I had Lori over to the Boulevarden. We had coffee (one or two too many for me) and chatted about gardening. She told me she had met a man who had an abundance of Iris' and so invited her to come over and take as many as she wanted, because what she didn't take he was going to throw away as the Iris' needed thinning badly. So what else could Lori do but take 'em all. She said she took a truck load home, planted what she could and then offered them to neighbours (doesn't it tick you off that in spell check it always tells us our 'Canadian' words are spelt wrong? or is that just me...anyway) and friends.

In (wonderful) consequence a neighbour who had taken some Iris' for her garden asked Lori over for a visit. Lori said she has lived in her neighbourhood for 7 years and had yet to meet a neighbour. The woman who invited her over was an artist and her and her husband both performed in dances and she did all the beading and sewing of the intricate costumes...anyway it was a wonderful story of sharing and community.

Day 79 Ahhhhh, HA! Horsetails!

Yesterday I posted a picture and asked if anyone knew the name of the wonderful, mysterious grass I had in the garden (I planted it...but I had forgotten the name).

Annie posted to the link - answering "this grass is equisetum arvense - horsetails. They are apparently very ancient plants from the age of the dinosaurs. Rumour has it their roots go very, very deep."
She left me this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equisetum_arvense
and from there I found this link http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=6205&flora_id=1
from where I stole the above illustration : /

Day 78 Ahhhhhhh...nice!

This was stuck under a boot on my front step when I came home today...doesn't the soup sound dee lish?

Day 78 Banana Pond

I am on Facebook (I know...groooooan, but...) anyway I joined a group called CARP (Canadian artist-run ponds). The purpose of this group is:

Form networking to wetworking....

1. For exchange of technical info and documentation (pics and journals) of ponds, water features, bogs and wetlands initiated/observed by artists and of course anyone else...up to and including "the creatoress"

2. An extension from DIY artist-run culture to aquaculture - a greening if you like of new "streams" of distraction and obsession. (We always somehow get "bogged down.")

3. How to cross paths with groundhogs, racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, bathing birds,etc. (without being Walt Disney)

4. Backyard ponds are for those who can't or won't go further a-field?

5. tbcont

So I submitted my newly created Banana Pond...it is in the upper yard...

Day 78 Plum nest and egg gathering

This morning I went out to see if there were anymore plums to put out in the Boulevarden. There were some that had fallen from the tree and were laying in the pile of leaves that I raked last fall but then lazily left piled under one of the plum trees. The plums were perfect not bruised at all. They laid in little nests of leaves. They were beautiful, and it made me wish I had a few chickens out in the back yard...don't worry...I am not gett'n chickens...but it would be nice don't you think? Get up in the morning, grab a coffee and go out to check the chickens?...but that is the romantic in me. The realist in me is think'n no way I wanna clean chicken coups...

Day 78 Do you know your grass?

Okay...see the grass in amongst the Lemon Balm?...the kinda Bamboo'e' lookin' stuff...?

Do you know what it is? I planted it a couple of years ago, but I can not remember what it is. It has self seeded through the garden...

I really like it, I will pot some up and leave them in the Boulevarden...but if you know what the name is it would be super cool to find out.

As I type this I am listening to Rita Lee...she is a Brazilian 80's pop star...well maybe she is still a 'star'...but anyway she has covered some Beatles songs...and they are a earful of sugary pop...but great at the same time, you know?

Day 77 Please Park Here

A friend just reminded me of parking space projects....they are soooo great...here are a couple of great links

examples:http://www.publicarchitecture.org/http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/08/25/parking-day-returns-this-september

call to action: http://www.inhabitat.com/2006/08/26/parking-day-call-to-action/

interesting: http://www.publicarchitecture.org/

http://www.parkingday.org/

Day 77 Compost God Delivers

I have been in writing all afternoon...but when I looked out my window this evening and down to the garden I saw that someone had dropped off a bag of compost...Niiiiice!

Thank you mysterious compost provider.

Day 73 Oh fer fruit's sake

So a couple of posts ago I talked about our "watermelon"...only problem is...we don't have any watermelon in Boulevarden. However, we do have Pumpkin plant that for some reason ever since we planted I keep calling a Watermelon...I am thinking that could be why someone harvested a green Pumpkin. OOOOps! Sorry to who ever got home to slice open the melon to find unripe pumpkin : /

The Plums are almost gone...In the last couple weeks I put out 8 or so crates. We had a wonderful crop, I have heard from others that they have had great fruit crops as well, so it must be a good fruit year. Some people have taken a bag full of plums to share with their family or to make preserves. However, most of the plums were eaten by folks who take one or two to eat as they walk by. There are some neighbourhood kids who come by the Boulevarden several times a day on their bikes to take a few plums. I can never get out to the garden fast enough to introduce myself...I snapped this picture just as the girl was riding off...yes I realize I sound like I am capturing rare images of the Yeti or something...but I just really hope one time I will get to meet and chat with the kids.
My Mom just called me and she has an abundance of Pears on her tree so she is going to bring some over to leave in the Boulevarden. She said that she was waiting for them to turn yellow, but then noticed that her Pears are green when they are ripe - she said they are scrump-tuuuu-lish-issss! So Monday there will be a new treat for those walking by who may be sick of Plums : )

Day 71 Cabbage Heads and Black Eyes

This morning when I went out to add plums to the crate in the Boulevarden (there are plums to pick everyday - and the crate is emptied by the end of every day so it works out well) I noticed that two cabbages had been harvested.

I harvested one last week as well as some dill and other veggies to make borscht. Yum.

I transplanted some volunteer Black-eyed Susan (Rudebeckia hirta) in the space left by the harvested cabbages. Black-eyed Susan are very drought tolerant. I have many volunteers in my garden, as well as Lemon Balm and Sedum so this weekend I will pot some up and leave them in the Boulevard...come by if you would like a couple of drought tolerant plants.

Day 70 Watermelon, Water Guilt

The watermelon is growing like crazy, and reaching out onto the neighbours boulevard, which would normally be okay as they are super cool and okay with stuff like that...but they just seeded a new lawn. Soooooo I cut back a bunch of leaves...I see there are some little watermelons hiding underneath, yea! There was a large watermelon growing there a few weeks ago - but it disappeared - I hope it will ripen off the vine as it was beautifully large, but super green.

Today I went to my sister, Sara's house for my nephew, Felix's, second birthday party (I know...there must have been a clearer way I could have written that sentence, but anyway). It was an afternoon filled with family, kids and lotsa sugar (not necessarily in that order).
My sister's lawn (above) is nice and green. They has a really large lawn/yard. Sara said that when they came back from holidays their lawn was completely dead, and so they had spent the last week or so watering everyday to 'green it up' for the party. She told me this with a guilty sort of half smile on her face..."the whole time we were watering I said to Mat 'we are soo, soo bad', but we wanted the lawn to be nice for the kids".

On the drive home (they live in Taber) I was thinking about her words and water guilt, because her guilt was probably due to my constant preaching about how unenvironmentlly friendly a lawn is. Yet, I realized the lawn was nice for the kids to play on (there were a tonne of kids there), and I guess I felt bad for making her feel guilty about watering. I often say I do not like grass...I mean I do like it...it looks nice, feels nice on your feet, and makes for a soft landing if ya fall...but I don't like all the fertilizer, water, and mowing it takes to have a nice lawn.

So I got thinking about the alternatives to lawn - something that is good for kids and good for the environment. First of course there are the lawn care initiatives that are more environmentally friendly - watering early morning or at night, not using chemicals on your lawn and using natural fertilizers, and there are alternatives to grass such as clover and thyme lawns - and those are definitely good alternatives, but I got thinking about a lawn that large...and what might be a kid friendly alternative. I found the below articles on two different websites.

By Marty Ross

Imagine giving your lawn mower most of the summer off. Instead of blasting around the yard behind the mower every Saturday, you could relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.

No-mow lawns are not so low-maintenance that they'll allow you to park the lawn mower permanently, but these special low-growing grass blends take almost all the work out of a lawn. They save time, gas, water and fertilizer.

"We don't even recommend using fertilizer," says Neil Diboll, owner of Prairie Nursery (www.prairienursery.com) in Westfield, Wis. "I never fertilize mine, and I never use herbicides."

Prairie Nursery's no-mow lawn seed is a mix of six slow-growing fescue grasses that forms a dense, tough turf. The grasses develop deep roots, which help them tolerate drought, and they will thrive even in light shade. Instead of weekly mowing, Diboll recommends mowing a no-mow lawn once a year. "Of course, some people want a cropped look and they mow them every three weeks," he says, "but I just go out in June and mow once, to cut the seed heads off." No-mow lawns have been around for a decade or so. In the early years, they were sold to parks departments and to landscape contractors for corporate campuses. Now they're catching on with homeowners -- particularly with the growing population of second-homeowners who don't want to spend their precious getaway weekends mowing the lawn or pay a lawn-maintenance company to mow an acre or more of grass around their country place. In the suburbs, where the pressure to have a perfect lawn can be intense and competition for the greenest yard is often fierce, no-mow lawns are also gaining acceptance. "It's the whole movement toward ecology, toward a self- sustaining environment," says Keith Hopkins, owner of Hobbs & Hopkins specialty seed company (www.protimelawnseed.com) in Portland, Ore. Hobbs & Hopkins' Fleur de Lawn mix was developed in cooperation with Oregon State University as a low-maintenance alternative for people who do not want or need a traditional, chemically dependent emerald greensward. The mix contains perennial ryegrass, low-growing strawberry clover, yarrow and sparkling little English daisies, which bloom through the spring and fall. It looks fresh and romantic, and makes you want to kick your shoes off. It also takes care of itself. "The clover feeds the yarrow, which feeds the grass," Hopkins says. Because regular trimming stimulates the daisies to rebloom, he recommends cutting the lawn once a month. Since it was introduced about 10 years ago, Fleur de Lawn has caught on with second-home owners in the Pacific Northwest, and Hobbs & Hopkins has developed mixes with daisies, yarrows, clovers and grasses appropriate for climates across the country, from Los Angeles to the Northeast. The mixes are becoming more popular every year. Hopkins calls it picnic turf: Fleur de Lawn is not made to withstand the rough and tumble of children's soccer games, but it's perfect for lunch. "It's a great thing for a bottle of Merlot, a piece of cheese and a loaf of bread," he says. If English daisies are not your style, the company also sells a blend of seeds called Fragrant Herbal. It's Fleur de Lawn without the fleurs, Hopkins says. Prairie Nursery's no-mow blend, which is a mix of cool-season grasses appropriate for the Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, has a "flowing, wavy look," Diboll says, kind of like shag carpet. The grasses naturally grow to about 4 to 6 inches tall, and they keep most weeds out. Mowing actually encourages dandelions and other weeds, he says. "If you're not mowing, you're not opening up the soil for weed germination," Diboll says. If you're ready to switch to low-mow grasses instead of high-maintenance turf, summer is the time to plan. Cool-season grasses should be planted in early fall to give them time to get established before summer's heat sets in. Warm-season grasses, such as native buffalo grass (from Wildseed Farms, www.wildseedfarms.com) should be planted in early spring. Getting rid of your existing lawn and preparing the soil for the new lawn takes a bit of work, but if you plan now and think of this as your last major lawn project, then you'll soon be feeling good about being environmentally responsible. No-mow lawns may not save the planet all by themselves, "but it's something you can do to reduce chemical dependency, oil addiction and save time and money," Diboll says. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to do your part from a hammock? http://www.mcall.com/features/custom/hg/all-hg-g-lawns-070706,0,7418324.story

2nd Article

The recreational needs of children and pets may be different from what you imagine. Maintaining an expanse of grass for children's play space is a thankless chore, and, unless you have room for a ball field, there's no real added value to a child. Children (and dogs) will run blissfully around trees with an agility that's a marvel to watch. A game of catch, or Frisbee, can take place in a shady avenue as small as, say, thirty feet by fifteen, and the groundskeeper doesn't have to worry about damage to the grass. If you want to provide a soft surface to reduce the risk of injury, a thick blanket of playground mulch will improve your soil and protect your plants against drought, and it requires no maintenance except replacement every few years. In many jurisdictions, mulch is available free for the hauling. Some towns and counties will even deliver it to your dooryard.

If you must have a green, living groundcover, there are several options that are more tolerant to drought and shade than lawn grass. Many are just as tolerant of foot traffic, and they don't require mowing. http://www.nature-by-design.com/philosophy.html

Day 69 Plums and Flutterbyes

Well the plums are ripening...very quickly...I picked a box full and put it out in the Boulevarden. There are still lots on the tree. Some of the plums need a bit more ripening - I imagine for the next couple weeks or so I will be able to put more out in the garden to share. Some the plums are perfectly ripe and oh so sweet...and many are almost ready and just need a day or two ripening on your window sill.

This butterfly was flying around the garden for quite awhile, mostly staying on the chocolate mint plant...This butterfly reminded me of my younger brothers Joel and Jonathon (Jonathon calls himself Jon, I have always called him Gin...this fact does not effect the story)...ANYWAY the reason this butterfly reminded me of my Gin was because as a little kid he had this funny way of wrongly pronouncing a word that made it much more appropriate than its actual pronunciation; for example he called a fly swatter a fly slaughter, a camper a cramper (we have six kids in our family so the camper was always 'cramped'), and he called butterflies - flutterbies...so when ever I see a butterfly it reminds me me of Gin. The butterfly reminded me of Joel because it stayed on the chocolate mint and did not mind getting its picture take. Joel is a self described chocoholic, I have seen him eat 10 chocolate bars at one sitting and not feel ill at all...weird. Also Joel does not mind getting his picture taken. Anyway this one little butterfly game me a double bro reminder experience. Both Jin and Jo live in Edmonton and I miss them...xo xo (I also have another brother who lives in Lac St. Jean, QC)...ANYWAY not sure why this turned into a 'this is MY life' paragraph...I guess I could have just said - this beautiful reminds me of my brothers...that would have been simpler...oh well...

I have been feeling a bit 'off' and tired the last couple days so I have not interacted or performed much in the garden. Rather I have been 'sneaking' out at night or early morning to water, weed, deadhead or pick the fruit. However, It is been great to see people have shared vegetables, fruit or herbs I leave in the basket. Some have even weeded the garden a bit. Thank you. Peace.

Day 67 Coffee on the steps, and what's in a definition?

Harley as I am blogging...

This morning, before I got to writing I was having my morning coffee on my sidewalk steps with my two cats. I was lucky enough to meet and chat with three wonderful women who stopped to visit as they passed by.

Brenda was walking downtown to work and stopped by to comment on the garden. She commented that she was amazed how much it has grown...I said it amazed me too...and that I am not sure what exactly it's growth is due to as we don't fertilize...maybe it's all the love (okay, I know that was corny...but I couldn't resist, and...it is true).

Then I met Cindy, she had just dropped her kids off at a art session at the Bowman so was going for a walk around the neighbourhood. She lives on an acreage east of Coaldale at Stafford Lake...she said that unfortunately to the North of there house is the McCains plant...which she said would not be sooo bad it they would at least turn their lights off at night. We discussed our yards, and some of the different plants in the garden (she may come back in the fall when we divide plants to get some drought tolerant plants for her garden).

As Cindy and I were talking Stella walked up with a cute black dog. She said it was her daughter's dog who she was babysitting. Stella lives around the corner on 13th street. She had read about the garden in the newspaper so came by to have a look, 'I think it is just wonderful what you are doing' she remarked. She then shared some of her own garden's successes and failures this year...unfortunately she lost her tomatoes and cucumbers : ( but she froze lots of peas and beans. I had some tomatoes, a cucumber and young zucchinis in the basket, I told her to help herself to any tomatoes. She looked into the basket and then shared 'the perfect recipe for young tender zucchini': thinly sliced zucchini, onion and tomato that you either bake or fry until the vegetables are tender, add mozzarella cheese and leave until it melts, 'mmmm' she said, 'it is wonderful!' I agreed, and said that is the same recipe my mom used to make for us...and it is still one of my favorites. This is also good with green tomatoes.

Stella mentioned that she would not mind having a large zucchini as she would then make some zucchini loaf. I told her I would let one grow and bring it over to her...'only ONE!' she said with a smile.

Some have asked about the definition of 'guerrilla' in guerrilla gardening...The following definition was posted to the Heavy Petal website, http://www.heavypetal.ca/index.html The guerrilla.gardening.org site she mentions is a great site, and I recommend visiting it - this Boulevarden is listed...as well as hundreds more around the world.

What is guerilla gardening?

I often find myself explaining guerilla gardening, and often I question whether I'm getting my description just right. This e-mail from Richard of guerillagardening.org is just the thing to clear the confusion, and I thought it was well worth reposting here.

Dear Troops,

On 18 May Anna from Vancouver enlisted at GuerrillaGardening.org. She is Anna 3000, our three thousandth guerrilla gardener. With this milestone, with the Northern Hemisphere summer approaching us and with a flurry of guerrilla gardening in the news again, it is time we looked at ourselves and asked WHAT IS GUERRILLA GARDENING? Should some one ask you I suggest you put in three minutes of study now by reading on, so you can reply to them with one sentence.

I shall assume we all know what gardening is. The question is what makes it guerrilla gardening rather than just gardening? Last week the New York Times and The Times in Britain reported the incredible two-day turfing of London's Trafalgar Square with 2000 metres of grass as "Guerrilla Gardening."

It looked amazing (we can debate this ecologically questionable short-term gesture another time), but was it really guerrilla gardening? It was done at night, it was incongruous, it turned a stone square into something green... but does this make it guerrilla gardening? Not to me. It was a legitimate marketing stunt, funded by the London tourist board and installed by professional gardeners - it was what is commonly called guerrilla marketing.

Another new definition of guerrilla gardening popped up in a San Francisco newspaper last week. There they said it was "gardening public space with or without permission."

That definition makes a lot of people guerrilla gardeners who are not and misses out all those guerrillas who garden private space without permission! Community gardeners, volunteer groups, even those municipal workers who occasionally ravage grass verges with their giant strimmers and ride-on-mowers (yes this last lot look like a highly mechanised force, but they are not guerrillas, they are just the regular army).

What is there guerrilla about gardening in public space with permission? The word guerrilla was coined in the early 19th century to describe the Spanish response to Napoleon's invasion of their country. It means "little war." If you have permission you have won the war. In fact you may not have even fought one. You are the lucky ones and should celebrate that victory and legality rather than pretending the fight continues. The guerrilla gardeners, who coined the phrase, in 1970s New York went legal as soon as they could and became community gardeners. This legitimization enabled them to achieve far more but would not have been reached without the initial guerrilla action.

Masquerading as a guerrilla belittles the endeavours of those who really are taking risks challenging access to and the condition of land, and it confuses those who might want to start doing it. "Guerrrilla" has become a groovy word, and some gardeners mischievously "sex up" their activity by slapping the G-word on it. This is guerrilla marketing not guerrilla gardening...

Guerrilla gardening is the "illicit cultivation of someone else's land." That is your sentence should anyone ask.

It is a simple strategy for winning access to space and a way of improving it sooner than bureaucracy will allow. It can be very politicised and it can be very low key. Sometimes it is a short-term gesture, but always it is done without permission. Those who have progressed to gardening in peace can celebrate, but do not forget your guerrilla roots. War can return, the land you have permission to garden may be taken away, and a fight will be needed.

I am approaching peace on some of fronts; tentative negotiations have begun about two locations in London. In those territories I will have become a Community Gardener and Volunteer Gardener. I shall not pretend this is still guerrilla gardening. On other fronts the guerrilla gardening continues.

According to the above definition of 'guerrilla gardening' because I undertook this venture with out permission on property that did not belong to me it was a 'guerrilla' act, however as I now have the Mayor's blessing, I would say I have become a 'volunteer gardener' for the Boulevarden. : )

However, I am looking forward to engaging in future 'guerrilla' acts...or 'environmental graffiti' as the Boulevard was recently described.

Kindness...sometimes it overwhelmes me a bit...or at the very least makes my heart smile.

Today, Marlene, my neighbour knocked on my door with a dish, 'for supper'. Currently I am busy writing my thesis and my husband is away, and so she thought she would bring me over a meal...it was a such a kind, thoughtful gesture! I took a picture of the salad she brought over because it was so beautifully presented, decorated with red and yellow peppers and tomatoes and parsley fresh from her garden...which just add to the thoughtfulness of it. Thanks Marlene!

Day 66 Mayor Tarleck visits the Boulevarden...Negative comments are NOT deleted...Link for the radio interview

This morning there was a knock on my door...it was Mayor Tarleck. He wanted to congratulate me on the garden.He said it was beautiful and that the City encourages people to take care of their yards/gardens. Mayor Tarleck said he hates to see when the grass is dead and yellow or when people take out the grass and put in gravel, "low maintenance is not no maintenance" he said...I agreed.

He then told me about the garden students at Wilson School have planted and maintained - it is done with all native plants. How wonderful - I am going to go by there tonight for a tour.

I told him it meant a lot to me that he stopped by...as I had gotten some negative emails, especially one that compared the Boulevarden to spraying graffiti on the wall of city hall. He jokingly asked if this was environmental graffiti...I assured him it is the only kind I engage in...we chatted for a bit...then I gave him a yellow tomato and he went on his way.

Okay...better get back to thesis writing now...but wasn't it nice he stopped by? The only thing is he may have compromised my 'guerrilla' cred'...ha! : )

I just received this anonymous comment:
"I visited your site the other day to read the comments on your blog. I noticed that there was more than one comment that did not agree with your garden. I find it very interesting that these are not showing up on your site anymore. You say you will record daily interactions however you seem to only post the positive ones. Very Interesting!!!

I am not saying if I agree with you or not but if you are going to post comments you should post all of them."

PLEASE NOTE Anonymous:
The comments have NOT been removed and are in the same location on the blog as they always were, at the bottom of yesterday's post. There is a line that contains the word 'comments'...if you click on Comments you can read all the comments from that day (the comment you sent today is at the bottom of this blog entry). You will see that there are now 6 comments from yesterday...and the 'negative' comments are still there - I believe us should have an equal voice - I have not, and will not, edit or remove negative comments.

For the many of you have asked for the link to hear the radio interview...the link to the CBC site is posted below
http://www.cbc.ca/wildrosecountry/

I have not heard the interview yet as I can not get it to come up on my Mac...hmmm...
Update...I just got to listen to the interview...do I really have a lisp?...weird

Day 65 What an amazing day...

Today was wonderful...for a few reasons.

First, I came home tonight to find some beautiful carrots laid in the garden. It really brightened my day. Thank you to whomever brought them. I brought a few of the carrots in for dinner and left the others in the basket for those who visit the Boulevarden tonight.

Since we planted the Boulevarden we have often come home to gifts of apples, apple sauce (which was wonderful), vegetables, flower bouquets and plants for the garden. I so appreciate people who have shared their garden bounty with us.

Secondly, I was in Calgary to do the CBC radio radio interview regarding this gardening project. Okay...soooo that was bril for a few reasons. First, I was at the freak'n CBC radio station!...as an avid fan of the CBC I loved every minute of my experience (I'll be honest with ya...the 'office' area was a wee bit disappointing, as it was just bunch of dividers, although I admit I am not sure how else you would set it up...but, anyway I am getting off course here...uh...oh...one last thing the booth was great...). Lisa the producer and Holly the host were great to meet and it was wonderful that they were so excited about the project...and then were considering how they could engage in some GG in their own neighbourhoods (I know...I am going on and on...causin' a big hoopla about nothin'...but it was exciting for me.)

Today I received my first negative comment regarding the Boulevarden...it is below. I found it odd that the anonymous writer stated I had "taken away from the intended purpose of that land" - speaking of the boulevard. I guess because I don't know what the 'purpose of that land' is...or how having this garden disrespects that 'purpose'. I believe that sharing vegetables and flowers with my neighbors has much more purpose and value than watering, fertilizing and mowing grass. Maintaining grass in Southern Alberta is VERY environmentally unfriendly. We do not use any chemicals in the Boulevarden and we have planted drought tolerant and native plants to conserve water.

Anonymous said:
I wonder what the City of Lethbridge would do if they awoke to spraypainted art on the side of City Hall one Monday morning? Likely, the tag would be removed and the cultrip arrested and charged for his/her disregard for city property. What I also wonder is what makes what you are doing so different from that spray artist?, After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder, correct? I have driven by your garden, and live in the direct neighbourhood and find what you are doing to be outright wrong, regardless of how you see its success.
I also wonder how you may feel if one of your neighbours decides that they are going to give away old car parts on the boulevard in front of their house?
I am also quite stunned that you would have such nerve as to publicly praise yourself for the vandalism you have done to property that you know is not yours.
I have no contention to community gardens, and feel that they are wonerful ideas that can bring neighbours and communities together, but they need to be put in areas designated by the city, and decisions should not be left to the individuals, as this could closely represent anarchy.
You do have a nice yard, an I can apprecite the work you have put into it, but what you should have done if you wanted closeness with your community is created this garden on property that you owned, and not taken away from the intended purpose of that land.


I also received the below emails today:

"If "guerrilla gardening" were easy or completely acceptable...it wouldn't be "guerrilla", would it? I would like to ask "anonymous" if, rather than generalizing to car parts and etc...it was universalized..."what if everyone grew a guerrilla garden?"

The vandalism comparison is not appropriate...as that is clearly the alteration of architecture. In the case of a boulevard, or a parking lot, or a vacant lot...spontaneous gardening represents a step towards a "state of nature" in a way that what is being displaced is not.

I'm sure that "anonymous" might prefer Mussolini's Italy - where the trains always ran on time - but the gene pool is a little more diverse. We can't all catch the same trains...going to the same place. There will always be some aspect of the human spirit which demands an alternative schedule...

Suck it up anonymous. Plants aren't car parts."
- Jon

and

"Not only are you maintaining the space, but you've turned it into a public-use space (/i.e./, a space that has some use-value)"
- Bri

and

"one day I was taking a stroll through my neighborhood (London Road) and I came across the loveliest boulevard garden (Boulevarden) on 7th Avenue. It was so striking that I had to pause and reflect on its beauty and the statement it made about...beauty in urban places, coloring outside the lines, creating common places of beauty, and so on. I really am stuck for words on the tremendous impact this garden had on me. I was truly moved. A few days later I read in The Herald the article about you and the guerrilla gardening and realized it was you who put that garden in! Anyhow, today I was listening to CBC and I heard you AGAIN talking about G.G. So I thought, I MUST check out your blogspot (I did) and also let you know what I think of what you are doing. I think you deserve a medal from the City of Lethbridge for your beautification efforts in this city. What you are doing is so progressive and beautifully reckless that it's no wonder there is the odd dissenting and unenlightened voice. What you do for the residents of Lethbridge is profound and wonderful. Thank you."
- Em

Soooo...it was a big day all round...an AMAZING day...

Day 64 Flying Saucers...

The Flying Saucer Squash is finally growing...it is soooo cute!

...also the pumpkins are getting bigger and bigger every minute! Oh and the plums in the back yard are almost ready...there are hundreds of them...so keep your eye out for baskets of them in the garden to take. Also I have decided to pot up some of the volunteer perennials that have come up - so if you would like some perennial herbs or flowers come by next week - I will just leave them down by the garden.


















The Boulevarden was busy yesterday, with people stopping by to tour through....or slowing down and checking it out from their cars...my brother (visiting from Edmonton) called it the Boulevarden parade. Tim and Sandra stopped by for a quick visit last night, it was nice to see them. Sandra is the woman who phoned the Herald to tell them about the garden.

Day 62 A Gifts on the Doorstep...CBC...and...Let's Get Planning!

I received a phone call from Nadia Campbell...I missed her when she stopped by this morning. She had dropped of some apples and a jar of 'crunchy' apple sauce (as pictured above). She has a crab apple tree and has been making apple pies, apple sauce and what she calls crunchy apple sauce (Which is pictured in the jar above and below...to make it 'crunchy' she leaves the apples a bit less cooked therefore they have more crunch...wonderful).

She said she like the Boulevarden and wanted to share some of her yard bounty with us...so lovely.




















I just talked to Lisa, the producer of CBC's Wildrose Forum (1010 am or 100.1 fm), and I will be on speaking about the Boulevarden on Monday, August 13 at 12:45. Holly is the host...and they told me they are going to 'sex up the overtness of guerrilla gardening...build it up'...so be prepared. They are really interested in this project and guerrilla gardening in general. http://www.cbc.ca/wildroseforum/index.html

Many of you have emailed expressing your interest in future guerrilla gardening projects...if you would like to be involved send me your email address and we will set a meeting in September or October (as one of the first projects suggested was a bulb 'outing'...)

The below article was in the Torontoist, June 2006...pretty funny...but take notes...it's a good idea...

Don't Just Sit There, Green Something.

Alright you crazy kids, who went and beautified the useless bench? Guerilla Gardeners? Xoro and friends? C'mon, fess up. Do you think Toronto's street furniture is here for our enjoyment? Have you no concern for the investment of advertising dollars? Do you think we can all afford to just stop and smell the roses? Don't you know that if you make the corner a pleasant focal point, people might loiter there? We can't have people lingering with their coffees and their dogs or *sneeze* sleeping under the stars. That's enough. Move along.

Day 59 Alternative Routes: A Cross Country Exploration of Community

I found this blog today...and it really interested me, and thought it might you as well. The women pictured above, Shayna and Dominique, have set out on a cross-country tour of Canada looking for community.

Below I cut and pasted part of the blurb describing their trip, but to learn more and follow along on their exploration trip go to: http://briarpatchmagazine.com/news/?p=467

"What’s the plan?

Bartering our skills and labour for accommodation, food, and transportation, we will make our way from coast to coast, community by community, starting in Halifax, Nova Scotia. On the way, we will record our experience—in photographs, audio, and print—in order to share with others the stories of the people we meet along the way. In addition to learning what we can from the eccentric communities and people along the way, we’ll also be thinking a great deal about the journey itself, and how the social connections we make along the way influence what we see and the route we take. We’ll be blogging about our experiences at www.briarpatchmagazine.com—and we hope you’ll follow along!

Defining community

In preparing for this journey, we draw inspiration from social scientist John McKnight, a leading thinker on issues of community. McKnight says that community is an idea; it exists only in the mind. Thus, there are as many different definitions of community as there are people on this earth. One of our goals through this journey is to locate some of those definitions and hold them up to the light. How do people across Canada define community, and why is it important to them? What larger (global or national) forces encourage or inhibit the formation of communities?

We’re also interested in learning how the people and communities we meet are addressing global issues such as climate change and sustainability. And, more ideologically, where does the idea of community fit within our current world order? Can community be a place of effective resistance to the forces of capitalism and imperialism in which we all, unwittingly, play a part?

Our focus is intentional communities, which we are defining, for now, as any group of people coming together with community as their central uniting purpose. We’ll be looking for groups of people who not only make a conscious effort to develop and maintain a personal connection with their neighbours, but for whom this interpersonal connection is a source of strength and renewal for everyone involved. This may include housing co-operatives, eco-villages, First Nations communities, religious communities, nudist or naturalist communities, and wherever else our social connections and chance encounters take us. Our definition is deliberately broad, and will surely be modified and strengthened based on our interactions with people along the road.

Generation alienation

We are members of a generation that is overwhelmingly connected through online networks, but severely lacking in face-to-face personal interactions. We express our emotions in abbreviations like OMFG and LOL, or by clicking the appropriate smiley or frowny face from a list. But even beyond the impact of the Internet, our society in general has become incredibly segmented and compartmentalized.

Canadians, especially young Canadians, are beginning to feel disillusioned by this system, and are seeking alternatives. Michael Valpy, a writer for the Globe and Mail, describes our generation as one that, “because of political illiteracy or political alienation, or both, increasingly finds the traditional institutions of Canadian democracy irrelevant to their concerns and their daily lives” (“A Generation Redefines Civic Society,” June 20, 2003). A quote from a passionate young woman in the same article epitomizes what we have been hearing from many people our age who feel alienated by the institutionalization of society:

“If you don’t have a community, you can’t survive. So as a matter of survival, you have to care for other people. I think that’s where my passion comes from. Because if I don’t change things, my life is going to look too much like my mother’s life. . . . I want to feel inspired all the time, I want to feel creative all the time. I want to feel open and honest. I want to feel caring and cared for. I want to feel challenged. I want to feel I have the strength to take risks. . . . I guess I don’t ever want to feel numb. I think a lot of people are walking around dead.”

Much of what this young woman seeks—to feel creative and significant—can be found in a healthy community, where each member’s respective strengths are recognized and used.
Focusing on the decay of community, however, only feeds it; instead, we want to highlight alternatives, to illuminate the rich variety of alternate possibilities. Our goal with this project is to connect with people who are making efforts to be more than individuals in a system.

We hope you will travel and learn with us. In true Internet-age fashion, we will be sharing our experiences through a blog, which you can access through www.briarpatchmagazine.com. We’d also love to hear from anyone who lives in, or has contacts in, a community we should visit along the way.

Read Shayna and Dominique’s first post from the road, or browse all postings"

To read about Urban Guerrilla Art see http://briarpatchmagazine.com/news/?page_id=3

Day 58 Wonderful Busy Day, Great Neighbors

An article regarding the Boulevarden ran in the Herald today. The article is at the bottom of this post if you are interested in reading it. The coolest part of the article is that many who had read about the Boulevarden came by to see it...and take home some veggies/herbs. It was exciting as it was a steady stream of visitors who shared stories, recipes, gardening tips and encouragement.

Our neighbor Marlene told us last night that while she was over tying up the tomatoes in the Boulevarden (I KNOW!...is that not soooo nice?! she just saw they needed tying up and so came and did it, nice) a mother and her three girls stopped by, walked through the garden, sat on the bench, and she so chatted with them about the garden. I think that is so wonderful. I think I may have mentioned that we have great neighbors!

Yesterday I put out a basket with some veggies and herbs with a sign encouraging people to help themselves. This seemed to encourage neighbors who had walked by many times with a friendly hello, but not stopped by to, well...stop by. I met Jolene and James, a young couple who walk by the garden at least once a day, we have said hi many times, but had not introduced ourselves or chatted...yesterday they stopped to read the sign in the basket. They then asked me what the difference was between the yellow and green Zucchini...I said with an apologetic smile and a shrug, "hmmm....ummm...uh...the colour?...you know I don't know...I don't think I have noticed a different taste...let me know if you notice any differences". Soooooo....I am wondering has anyone else noticed the difference between the zukes? I was thinking after they left that maybe the yellow ones are more tender...? Anyway Jolene, James and I then discussed the herbs...they have never cooked with them, so we picked some, smelt them, talked about different things we have had the herbs in (like sage with chicken, oregano in spaghetti). They were a wonderful young couple and live just down the avenue from us.

We met Stephanie, the director of the Old Man River Watershed Council, she stopped by on her bike. We had a nice chat, she lives just down the avenue and took home a Yellow Tomato and Zuke.

Barb also stopped by, she lives on the westside but had learned about the Boulevarden in the paper, and so drove over to have a look. She is in the Red Hat Society and had just come from a meeting so she still had her red hat 'stuff' on. She gave us advice regarding squash...she said that you can trellis up squash...I would never have thought of that...but it would be totally cool and would take up less horizontal space. She also took home some tomatoes, Zucchini and Basil.

Sandra and Shorty stopped by, every night they ride their bicycles around the neighborhood, they usually turn up North on 14th street...but one day last week they missed their turn and ended up on our block and saw the Boulevarden...today when we were out they stopped by to chat with us.

Most of the comments and conversations have been very positive. A few interesting comments that came up during different conversations are:

Do we have permission from the city? This is a common question - we explain that the 'guerrilla' part of the project is just doing it, with out asking - taking 'unused' city property and turning it into a community garden. Although I admit when we came home last night, there was a bunch of spray paint on the grass next door as well as on the sidewalk right in front of the garden...and we did get a little paranoid that maybe the city was going to 'dig it up'...but it was just because our neighbors, Marlene and Richard, are having their boulevard lawn removed by the city for FREE! The city will remove their grass as it has silted in over the years. Marlene and Richard are replacing the old lawn with a bunch of garden as well as new sod...soooo if you want to do a Boulevarden...annnnd you want the city to take the sod off fer free, giv'em a call - maybe your boulevard will qualify!

The other thing that seems to surprise many people is that no one has vandalized the garden (I kept knocking on my head every time someone said that). I am not sure why...although we have never had anything else vandalized at our house/yard. Also I don't know if it makes a difference...but when ever young people walk by we exchange hellos and smiles....and I have told them help themselves to a tomato next time they walk by...I have met some cool kids - we get quite a few kids who come by the Boulevarden as 7 Ave is pretty busy - leads down to Henderson Lake.

People also wondered how we stop people from just coming and taking all of the garden bounty...we don't and they haven't...

Anyway a wonderful day in the garden...it will be a tough one to top...

Local News
Guerrilla gardeners attack city boulevard
By CAROLINE BOSCHMAN
Aug 8, 2007, 23:01

Loralee and Paul Edwards sure gave their neighbours something to talk about this summer.
They decided to do some guerrilla gardening, a term used to describe gardening on someone else’s land without permission.

Guerrilla gardening has been around for a while and the concept seems to be catching on in cities around the world, as a quick Internet search will reveal. Typically, activists take over a piece of land they believe is abandoned, underused or neglected and plant vegetables or flowers or both. Some work under cover of darkness while others more openly engage their community in the process.

The Edwards chose the city-owned boulevard, the strip of grass between the sidewalk and roadway, in front of their home on 7 Avenue South. They had the grass dug out, a truckload of loam brought in and, after plenty of elbow grease, a garden with tomatoes, herbs, zucchini, squashes and sunflowers has arisen out of the dirt. Their cats, Fury and Harley, dive into the catmint. They’ve added a couple of trellises, a deck chair and lettering on rocks serves to identify plants in the garden. People are welcome to help themselves to the bounty.
“The idea was to share it with the community,” Loralee said. “We encourage people to come in and take a tomato. I think it turned out to be even bigger than we thought.”
The idea was born out of a chat she had with three friends about guerrilla gardening.
“I just loved the idea,” she said. “We had moved the deck to the front and noticed how much more we interacted with our neighbours.”

They took things even farther out front with the boulevarden, a name coined by a friend. Although the Edwards supplied most of the plants, neighbours also contributed. A summer solstice party brought more neighbours around for a chat. When the lavender was ready, Loralee made fresh lavender lemonade and offered it free to people walking by.
“It just tasted wonderful but no one would try it,” she laughed.

The Edwards said they have used no chemicals in the garden and, despite the costs involved in time and dollars, they have no regrets.
“It was not a significant cost. I’d have paid twice as much to get rid of the grass,” Paul said. “We both really like it. It’s a hobby, more than a hobby, maybe a passion.”
“It never ever feels like a chore,” Loralee said.
Whether the city approves or not, the Edwards don’t know.
“We didn’t ask. That’s the guerrilla part of it,” she said. “I did research it. There are other cities that encourage boulevard planting and I followed their rules. I tried to be as respectful as I could.”

The Edwards are pleased to report people have also been respectful of the garden, no one has trod on any plants and the garden objects haven’t been touched.
As an artist, Loralee said she considers the garden her summer art project — an activist art installation piece. She’s kept track of progress in the boulevarden in a blog — http://lethbridgegg.blogspot.com.
Loralee hopes spaces like the boulevarden will be included in the city’s greenmap. The Lethbridge Greenmap is a new project to create a green guide for the city. Greenmaps include sites like gardens, pedestrian zones, parks, eco-tourist destinations, wildlife habitats, bike lanes, infrastructure and toxic hotspots.
© Copyright by LethbridgeHerald.com

Also, we will be on CBC's Wild Rose Noon hour show on Monday...cool, eh?

Day 57 Heart Shaped Tomato Pasta

Annie just sent me the above picture (you can tell she is an artist) and below recipe...it sounds yummy.

Thanks Annie!

Hi Loralee,
I have a recipe for ur blog...

Pasta with heart shaped tomato (and seafood)
(serves 2 or 3 with leftovers- to feed more, multiply accordingly)

4-8 cloves of garlic (to taste!)
About 4-8 Tbsp yummy olive oil (c'mon)
Chili powder or chili "snaps", as you like it
Salt
1/4 onion (red), finely sliced
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1- 1 1/2 cups thawed frozen shrimps and/or scallops (we like a combo) or sub*
1 chopped heart-shaped tomato (or other tomato)~~
1/2 cup finely chopped herbs- parsley/basil/chives/oregano/ or whatever!!!
Pasta
(Freshly ground) black pepper

Put on water to boil pasta

Finely chop garlic, place in skillet or sauté pan with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and as much chili powder as YOU like. Sauté gently on low heat til garlic is goldish.

Chop onion, bell pepper. Add to golden garlic and continue to gently sauté.

Chop tomato and herbs.

Add thawed seafood* and tomato to garlic pan... Reduce heat and cover.

Cook pasta. We like whole wheat spaghetti, but you can decide!

As pasta cooks, watch sauce and turn off and cover when seafood is lightly cooked.

When pasta is down, drain in colander, turn into pan with sauce, add herbs, lots of black pepper, and toss gently and thoroughly. Serve with Parmesan (freshly grated or otherwise, and pepper as desired).
Extra fun- lift pasta and sauce bits out with two wooden spoons and swirl it on plate, pour a bit of sauce over and

* we like frozen tiny shrimps and tiny scallops, thawed under water, but you could use chopped lightly thawed white fish like cod or tilapia for another seafood option, or, no fish at all!! Or, about a cup/can of cooked, drained chickpeas or lima beans, for another protein option....

Heart-shaped tomatoes and basil are currently growing in the Boulevarden!

Day 56 Strawberries and Basil

At Annie's suggestion I tried a new flavor combination on my tongue last night. A fresh Strawberry wrapped with a Basil leaf. It is a wonderful combination of flavours that fills your mouth.

You really should try it...and we have both in the garden right now.










I am so surprised that today is only the 56 day of the garden. To think that less than two months ago this space was lawn blows my mind. The space itself has transformed as well as the many of us involved in it. Below are pictures from Day 1, 2 and 3 and then today...day 56.