GUERRILLA GARDENING - beach update

This is a follow up on some plants I guerrilla gardened at the Manitoba cottage in 2012. 

The daylilies are coming back well and continuing to bloom each year.

The Oriental Lilies also planted here get eaten by the deer each year, though they survived long enough for a few photographs in 2013. The daffodils have not done well in this sandy soil over these past two cold winters.

Daylilies planted further down the road, away from the cottage, have not fared as well. 

Lesson? 

Being within reach of the hose makes all of the difference.

GUERRILLA GARDEN - old stump

The other week Maddison came with me on a guerrilla gardening strike. Either that or I brought some bulbs, a trowel and some earth on one of her daily walks but I prefer to think of her as a knowing conspirator keeping watch.

In April I committed to planting them in this area but never got around to it before the weather warmed up, at which point I decided to wait until fall.  Good thing too, I think they would have been in the path of the city lawnmower if I had planted them where I originally thought.

At some point on my walks with Maddie I noticed this stump appeared to be hollow in the middle and vowed to check  it out. It would not be the first time I have guerrilla-planted bulbs inside a stump. I hope these Allium Molly (small and yellow not big and purple) are successful in their stump garden like the daffodils I planted in Toronto were.

Cutting back the suckers is something the city would eventually get around to doing anyway so I brought my secateurs as well.

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Sharing with Fertilizer Friday

WINNIPEG BULB PROJECT - the big day is here

Today is the big day for the first-annual bulb giveaway for the Winnipeg Bulb Project, my new 'pet' project, though of course I hope that the WBP turns into much more than that.  I hope that it is many things, up to and including the start of a whole movement, but I need to walk before I run.

In my first post on the subject last August I knew I wanted to do something, but not quite what, and was still thinking I would focus my efforts on my own neighbourhood.

By March when I make my public commitment by starting the Winnipeg Bulb Project Facebook page and blogging about it here, I had realized that I practically live in a park, my neighbourhood is just that lovely. So I decided my energies would be better directed to parts of the city that are 'less park-like'.

So I am thrilled today to be meeting my goal of distributing 2,300 daffodil bulbs to people in the "Point Douglas" neighbourhood of Winnipeg where, according to Wikipedia, there is 25% unemployment and an average household income just shy of $25K.  We are collaborating with the city who is sponsoring a Fall Festival at a local community centre and allowing us to set up shop.



This morning I was up early and on the radio for a 7:10 discussion with Terry MacLeod on CBC's Weekend Morning Show but I still gave myself enough time to read our coverage in the Winnipeg Free Press.

If you have made it this far and are intrigued by the Winnipeg Bulb Project, you can read more about us and most importantly you can directly contribute through a donation: a pledge of only $5 allows us to buy 20 plump daffodil bulbs.

Thank you in advance for your support; every Tweet, Share, Facebook or Google + 'like' makes a difference too.

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CORPORATE GUERRILLA GARDEN - update

I have not written about our Corporate Guerrilla Garden since June, but that does not mean it has not kept on growing and kept on evolving.

The garden was planted in a 150 square foot strip of mud between sidewalk and parking lot adjacent to my work. 

May 2013

My company sprang for the materials and in doing so supported fundraising efforts for my new not-for-profit the Winnipeg Bulb Project. The WBP is currently raising funds and I encourage you to visit their page, learn more and think about lending your support through social sharing and/or donation.

June 2013

Long term this will be a perennial garden but short term,so that everyone could feel some immediate impact, we planted quite a few Petunias which have been going gangbusters all summer.

July 2013

This really gives perspective to how 'urban' the garden really is!  And yes, I do already have my eyes on the patch of grass in the top-left corner of this photo for future development.

August 2013

I had such wonderful comments from readers of my blog and my Facebook page on what we are doing that I wanted to share them with the people in my neighbourhood. My creative department created weather-proof speech bubbles that have been literally planted in the garden and passerby now stop to read them and share in the love.

Let us just say that the street the garden is on is not exactly 'sought-after real estate' and so having this much positive energy articulated here is really making a difference.

 We have seen thoughtful neighbours 'caught' in the act of weeding the garden - and we love it.

We have heard others say how they have changed their walking routes to include our street just so that they can walk past and enjoy our garden.  

This is exactly what I hoped to achieve.

September 2013

Recently in my pursuit of a garden without any pink blooms I dug up, split and transplanted Peonies, Phlox and Asiatic Lilies from my own garden and added them to this garden.  They look a little haggard at the moment but next year I am certain they will spring forth full of vim and vigour to brighten up this  downtown neighbourhood.

A donation of only $5 provides 20 daffodil bulbs.

If you like the idea of urban or guerrilla gardening please consider checking out the Winnipeg Bulb Project and living vicariously though us as we provide daffodil bulbs for planting in public spaces in downtown Winnipeg.  

Gardeners Unite!

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Sunday Show Off,  That DIY Party
& Inspire Me Monday

REPORT CARD - guerrilla gardening

I have been more active with Guerrilla Gardening this year than ever before, and the most important thing I have learned should not actually be a surprise to gardeners: successful gardens require an ongoing commitment.

Below are photos of places I have GG'd with a brief report card on how they are doing.

Last fall I committed to trying to beautify these public tennis courts near my home - and try I did.  I planted Morning Glory seedlings and African Corn Flowers, but none of them seem to have taken root. I suspect what was missing from the equation was regular watering since we had such a hot spring.

Grade: F

Last fall I planted Daylilies on the boulevard outside of our Manitoba cottage and joy of joys, daylilies being as hardy as they are, they have come back very well.  Not too many blooms in their first year but that is to be expected since I divided them into very small individual roots.  

Grade: A 

 This garden outside my workplace is the shining star. It was designed and planted as a team and we have split regular watering duties so it is surviving well in a very harsh urban environment.

Grade: A+ 

At the base of this lone tree in front of a nearby shopping mall I planted Allium Molly, but it may have been too late in the season and perhaps they are staying dormant until next year.  In any case, there is nothing coming up at present.

Grade: F

The soil in these abandoned tree pits was extremely heavy clay. Maybe that was why there were no trees? 

Portage Avenue is one of the busiest streets in town and I got more than a few curious looks while planting Blazing Star, Coneflower and Asiatic Lily bulbs.  

You can see in the "drive by shooting" where two weeks after planting city crews dug up one of them to get at something underneath.  The other two are not doing much better. Clearly regular watering was needed and while I tried to amend the heavy clay soil with some purchased bags of soil, in retrospect more drastic action was probably required including the introduction of some sand.   

Grade: D

At the Manitoba cottage I planted dozens of Lupine along the roadside. As of last weekend they were mostly still alive and growing, but growing very slowly.  The plants are still only 4 inches tall, however they are still alive, and that counts for something!

Grade: B

Last April I posted about my plans to plant Allium at the end of my street, but it never ended up happening. Too much to plant, too little time.

Grade: F

To make  up for my missed Allium commitment I am going to explore adding Crocus inside this stump in the fall. They would be a lovely surprise for people on this public walking path along the river. (I used Allium instead of Crocus)

So my scorecard this year is not that great and I know what I need to do next year to improve it:

recruit more helpers.  

Who knows what could have happened if there had been others to help with the watering?

Lesson learned.

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CORPORATE GUERRILLA GARDENING

Is "corporate guerrilla gardening" an oxymoron? I do not believe so.  In fact I got my whole company involved in taking over an unsightly and unloved slice or dirt between the sidewalk and parking lot beside our building.  

Walking past this every day did nothing for anyone's morale.

I pitched the concept to my boss who approved our $350 budget - hence the "corporate" in corporate  guerrilla gardening - and then purchased the bulk of the plants in support of the not-for-profit I have started up, The Winnipeg Bulb Project.  

We typically have had summer BBQs at work and this year I injected a little gardening love into it. There were already some serious gardeners at work whom I recruited as team captains to help with garden design, shopping and leading groups on planting day: one for garden bed/soil prep, one for the stone stairs and three others for planting.

With such a dramatic slope we removed some of the old soil before amending it with manure and topsoil so that it would not be too high and run down into the sidewalk in the rain.  Once we were ready we brought out the bulbs and plants first and then followed with the annuals to pretty it up and give everyone a sense of immediate gratification.

 It was amazing how many people had never gardened and were nervous, and yes in fact some people did place their plants upside down at first, but one of the great things we accomplished was getting people's hands dirty and showing them how easy it all can be. We also accomplished this as a team which feels great.

I had some old fencing to contribute to keep people from walking through it and we even built the steps at one end to facilitate people cutting through to the parking lot. Our office is not in the best neighbourhood or prettiest street but I hope we send a message that anywhere can be improved with a little love and effort. 

I know we have got people talking in the building next door and we have had lots of positive comments - and surprised looks - from folks in the neighbourhood.  And while people already think it looks great they have not seen anything yet!

With time Stella D'Oro daylilies, Blazing Star, Mixed Coneflower, Allium 'Molly' and Hardy Geranium will make their appearance, joining those Ninebark shrubs and petunias.

I'll be sure to chart our progress as summer marches on.

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Sharing with Fertilizer Friday.

GUERRILLA GARDENING - close to home

While lots of articles about guerrilla gardening talk about taking over neglected urban spaces, I often find myself straying from my gardens to the nearby boulevard.

 

This dead tree was really preventing much of anything from growing up to fill the void it left.

Step 1: Remove all of the dead stuff. Well, almost all. The trunk can stay since it was really the branches that made up most of the volume as you can see.
Steps 2: Plant something in the newly created open space.  I chose Lupins because they will self seed and choosing something low maintenance is part of a successful guerrilla gardening strategy.

If your hose does not reach your location look for plants that can withstand some dryer conditions; Lupins fit the bill nicely. Short term we have rain forecast all week; only the gardeners are happy.

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Sharing with Nature Notes.

GUERRILLA GARDENING PLANS - allium molly

I find that a good way to ensure I follow up on plans to guerrilla garden is to make a public commitment, so here goes.

I am going to plant some Allium Molly under this tree, in the brown patch where they should not get cut down by city lawn mowers.  This path is right along the river and yesterday there were plenty of cyclists and joggers using it and the numbers will only increase with the warm weather.

They deserve to some spring blooming plants, do they not?

I am choosing Allium Molly for two reasons:

1) I can buy them from the Vesey's fundraising catalogue in support of the Winnipeg Bulb Project, a not-for-profit I have recently started whose goal is to get people in urban areas connected to their natural environment. (Why not support it by "liking" our Facebook page?)

2) They can be planted this spring for blooms this same season. They will not be as robust as they will be in future years but I am feeling impatient. I want to make my neighbourhood more beautiful now, so they will do fine.

GUERRILLA GARDENING - tennis plans

Like many of you, I am sure, I cannot help but evaluate landscapes rather than just observe them.  To think of how the park on the corner could be improved, or what I would have done differently at a friend's newly landscaped yard or drawing inspiration from something I judge to be particularly well done.

Often times they are just fleeting thoughts, but there are other times, times where you d not want to forget and this blog is in part to help me remember.

The tennis court below is at a park halfway between my home and my parents.  Public courts, no fee. Not usually that busy and somewhere I hope my husband and I might start playing next year.

There is a single vine growing up the far side of the fence and I stopped and took this shot because I imagined it with more vines.  

Why not?

A highly public place to do a little guerrilla gardening.  

I am thinking of morning glories.  They are colourful and easy to grow and should self seed year after year.

I picture a variety of colours, deep purple, white, pink, heavenly blue. As if that will somehow feel more natural than a wall of solid colour.

Hopefully this post will keep me motivated and committed to follow through next spring.

GUERRILLA GARDENING - or is it?

Since moving to Winnipeg I have happily noticed that a fair number of people have taken over the boulevards and spilled their gardens into the public realm.  

I am going to create a page here for gardens in Winnipeg that I like and I am sure a fair number will include these adventurous souls.

Although spilling over onto the boulevard just outside of one's property doesn't have the political connotation one might assign Guerrilla Gardening, Wikipedia defines it as "gardening on land that the gardeners do not have legal right to use" so I will include what I have done as 'guerrilla', even though it is not at all contentious.

They were not getting enough sun to bloom here.

Last weekend I took surplus daylilies from my parents back yard and moved them to the cottage, some on their property, but also many along the boulevard.

They were incredibly dense and I am sure had not been divided for donkey's years.

To overnight them uprooted I put them in a garbage bag, water them and keep the bag tied until ready to plant to avoid drying them out.  

As a rule you will feel that you have way more daylilies once they are up, especially when they have not been divided for a long time.  My past success with these plants in The Lakefront Garden tells me that they can be separated into quite small bunches; I pretty much break them down as far as I can rather that leaving groups made up of even a few stalks together.  

They did great, but then again they had great conditions.

These are in part sun rather than full sun and have a very sandy soil so it will be interesting to see how they do.  Certainly others cottagers seem to have some success.  These ones, on their property, are happily within range of the hose. 

You can see here where I also planted further away, out of hose range, at the base of a clump of birch three cottages over, where they will get plenty of sun.  

I gave them a good soak the first two days and my mother thankfully made the trek a few times.  It has been 30+ degrees with no rain all week however, so let's hope they are surviving.

Look for a report next spring on how these are doing and another post soon on where the heck I am going to put there rest.  

2/3's still to go!

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NEIGHBOURHOOD BULB PROJECT - Westcott

While in Toronto I spent some time trying to figure out how to increase the number of bulbs in Cabbagetown, particularly on public property, other than my own small bits of Guerrilla Gardening.  I just can't scale on my own to the vision I have in my head of loads and loads of bulbs everywhere.

A fundraiser for schools?  

Good idea but requiring a bulb donor if the school is to make money from it.  As a marketer I know that sponsorship is not impossible, but it takes a lot of time to pull together.  I tossed around some ideas but never got anything off the ground before we moved.

Recently I found this inspiring story on the Wescott neighbourhood in Syracuse NY that has been building up its bulb collection since 2003 -  with excellent community participation I should add.  They raise funds and buy bulbs, then give them away with planting instructions to anyone in the 'hood' who promises to plant them in front yards or public spaces so they can be seen and enjoyed by all.  

Awesome.

This is exactly the kind of thing I had in mind and I hope to get off my butt and make it happen in my new neighbourhood of Tuxedo.

Tuxedo has large properties with expansive lawns and we know that people won't plant the bulbs in their lawns because they need to cut those lawns before the bulb foliage will have matured (to ensure the bulbs have energy to bloom in the following year).

This means I'll have to spend some time figuring out where best to plant 'public' bulbs, but I have lots of time since I am giving myself until next fall to distribute any bulbs.  

A quick Google search turned up a few other interesting projects that I will have to dig into:

• This one in the U.K. looks like it may not have repeated more than 1 year
• Yikes! New Yorkers have planted over 2 million bulbs (yes, 2 million!) as a memorial to Sept. 11, 2011.  They don't do anything small.

Suffice it to say I am inspired. 

I will need to investigate what community organizations are already operating in Winnipeg, such as the Friends of Gardens Manitoba, to see what role I can play.  Maybe I'll need to get the ball rolling, but likely there is already great infrastructure I can plug into.

An exciting part about moving to a new city is discovering what it has to offer.