Thursday, July 27, 2006

aah

I'm so relieved... we finally finished moving the pile of dirt tonight. There was a fair bit left (you can see it in the right of the dirt picture below). We shared a bit of it but then a few of my friends came out tonight and helped me wheel the rest of it to the CN triangle. The fever's catching! A few people have asked if they could do some gardening on the plots and a few people have asked if they could bring some plants down and plant them. Probably about 4 offers by now! It's a great feeling, that I'm not in this on my own. I remember the feeling I had after I started the first sun garden and shade garden: I just thought 'what have I done??' I felt like I'd bitten off way more than I could chew. This time though it seems totally manageable. Maybe because I have some experience under my belt and some suitable plants ready to go in when the weather's right. Maybe because the gardening's beginning to feel like a community effort. It was so fun to see who came out of the woodwork to help with the garden. Hopefully I've made some new garden buddies for some future garden sessions! I wouldn't mind approaching a few businesses for donations of plants and/or bulbs... not sure if I feel brave enough for that yet. We'll see. Now the question remains: why do I feel so passionate about beautifying the city when I can't even keep my own kitchen clean??

the dirt
















We got the dirt! We decided not to go ALL the way to Hastings, seemed better to start this big and expand from there afterwards. The only setback is that it's way too hot to put out plants right now, especially when I don't make it down there to water much. We also brought about 8 wheelbarrows worth of soil to the CN triangle to get the garden started there. Thanks to all the neighbours for help hauling soil!! (upstairs and next door!) Here's a picture of the lot accross the street to where we're hoping/dreaming/praying/crossing our fingers that the city/CN might grant us access:

comes with a billboard!

Sunday, July 23, 2006

women and their stories

As I garden, many women have stories to tell me relating to flowers. One day I met Elise who told me why she likes flowers. She is from a reserve north of Vancouver and she told me of her grandfather's recent funeral. It was a traditional native ceremony that involved spreading flowers over his grave. Her two year old son picked up on that and one of the last times she visited him she said he kept picking flowers for her and bringing them to her. She had been sober for a few years she told me, but now she's back on the streets. She was pretty high at the time. I had told her about the plants getting stolen. Suddenly she broke out into a prayer: "Dear God, please don't let anybody steal these flowers until they have bloomed. Thank you."

Last week Michelle and I were clearing out a space to start a garden at the corner of Cordova and Raymur Ave (the CN triangle). There were a few women working but one in particular started up a conversation with us. She told us she commutes in from Langley to pay her bills. She was one of the few women working down there that aren't addicted. She had a lot of interesting stories and information for us about what goes on around there. She was shocked to hear that people have been stealing plants. She offered to paint us a sign if we brought her wood and paint. She said she's dislexic so I'd have to write it out for her but she's been to art school and thought she should use her training for something.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

dirt's coming!


Lillies are blooming all over the yard, we have lots of varieties... it's so pretty! We're ordering a truck-load of soil for Glen and Hastings and we're having a work party on July 26th.... it'll cover almost the whole 1/2 block on our side of the street, from the alley to Hastings.... and hopefully there'll be some left over for the CN triangle of property a block away where we'd like to start a garden. (different from the whole lot previously mentioned.)

Monday, July 03, 2006

guerrilla gardeners extraordinaires

I know some people who commandeered an empty, garbage-filled lot in the downtown-eastside. They actually cut the locks on the fence and just started to garden it. It looks amazing! Here are a few photos of the first lot. Eventually the owners drove by the lot and wondered what the heck was going on on the lot. Now they've done up paperwork, officially giving them permission to be there, the workers just needed to sign a waiver. Amazing!!













































Since then, a sausage factory accross the back alley offered up one of their empty lots (opens right on to Hastings, by the Patricia) as they didn't have immediate plans for it and they liked what they saw at the other lot!













Now..... they've got their eye on the HUGE lot accross the street from the Glen and Hastings garden... it's CN property, but we'll ask anyways.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

double standards...

I could've sworn this lilly was white when I planted it! It was a potted plant that I got for mother's day last year and after it had bloomed I popped in the ground to see if it would come back. It did! And it's red! And it's twice the height it was last year!





The other day 2 guys from the shop were outside on their coffee break. Commenting on how it was too bad that the plants had been stolen, one of them scuffed the corner of the dirt with his shoe and out came a needle and a crack pipe that had been burried in the soil.

I have had to fight the temptation to get casual about gardening at the shop. Sometimes I stop but the shop and see a weed. I pluck it, and then I see another one, and then suddenly get sucked into this netherworld of gardening and get dangerously cavelier... but no more. This latest discovery in the soil has served as a very effective warning. I have a husband and kids. I don't need to come home with HIV/AIDS.

A funny thing happened since then, a sad thing, really. I've gotten so used to treating the soil at the shop as diseased or dangerous that when I was weeding at home, I noticed that I was gardening so carefully, paranoid that I might get pricked with a needle.
I'll have to develop two minds about gardening to deal with these different worlds--one to stay careful and appropriately respectful/fearful at the shop, but still able to love the carefree feeling of plunging my hands into the soil at home.

(Inevetably when I'm in the yard with my toddlers I can't resist gardenign something and them suddenlyu someone needs lifting etc and they get covered in mud--at very least under the armpits!!)

details details


Here's the foget-me-nots that have already spread quite a ways. I think I'll move them to the back corner where they'll have more room to spread.

A bleeding heart had volunteered itself where the neighbours were planting a shed so I snatched that and then I also planted a few virginia creeper cuttings from the yard that have nicely rooted!



Next week is the Strathcona Community Garden plant sale, I can hardly wait!!