Hard to fathom that it has been almost a year since I’ve added a picture or post. One sure sign of changing times is suddenly seeing the “children” all grown UP! As they reach for the sun, I realize it is increasingly time for me to stand aside, to get out of their way. I shape these younglings in the garden, and they shape me right back, if I let them. I can become more tolerant of their unruliness, and their unexpected guests. Welcome dandelions, ragwort, even bindweed (to a degree)! Should I start calling you “morning glory”? “[W]hat attracted me to weeds was not their beauty, but their resilience. I mean, despite being so widely despised, so unloved, killed with every chance we get, they are so pervasive, so seemingly invincible.” So said Carol Vorvain (so says the web). Isn’t a weed just a being I haven’t yet learned to love and let live? 
Author: Street Greens
Blvd gardens? Tour-iffic!
On Saturday August 18, it was tour-time! Virginie (City of Victoria), Lora (Pollinator Partnership Canada), and me, Mike Large (local lawyer and boulevard gardener) gathered together with about 20 garden enthusiasts, to do a walking-and-talking tour of street-side gardens. We started at the Haultain Common, spent some time at the Haultain Annex (pictured here, in June), and then zig-zagged up and down nearby streets, checking out Fernwood’s boulevard gardens and talking about the City’s boulevard gardening guidelines. The tour ended with snacks on Garden Street. Naturally!
Thanks to Virginie and Lora for drawing such positive attention to these noble projects. And thanks to Ryann at Concrete Garden for blogging a bit about the tour. Tour-iffic!
Boo! (and boo hoo hoo, too)
Great pumpkins arose out of the sincerest pumpkin patch again this Halloween, this time for the last time. The boulevard is continuing its mystical transmutation into a pollinator playground, and Sheryl, the magical pumpkin carver, is ending a great run of displays. Time and space have run out, just like they will run out for all of us some day! R.I.P. great pumpkins!
Spring Pickings
What: Oregano
Where: Fair Field (face the house, & look to the right of the steps); Annex (north-easterly corner, b/w the curvy path & the hedge)
Why: Add to sauces, soups, salads, whatever – fresh or after drying on your window sill
How: Just pluck or pinch off some leaves. Crush a leaf b/w your fingers and smell it, to confirm you’ve picked the right plant.
What: Chard
Where: Fair Field (middle of the garden, just east of the path)
Why: Mature leaves can be softened in a stir fry, or young leaves tossed in a salad
How: Break off a few leaves. Leave the stalk standing, if you please
What: Lemon balm (member of mint family)
Where: Fair Field (facing the house, look for the bright green shrub to the right of the steps)
Why: Try crushing a leaf between your fingers, then smell it. Imagine a few lemony leaves in your favourite summer beverage!
How: Just pick off some leaves, simple as that!
What: Blooming chives
Where: Fair Field (facing the house, look to the left the steps); Annex (hiding near the comfrey plant, on the corner)
Why: Chives can be chopped (flowers and all), then added to lots of foods
How: Cut or break stems close to the ground, leaving the roots in place
What: Mint
Where: Fair Field (face the house, look to the left of the steps); Annex (all over the place, especially near the corner of the hedge)
Why: Mojito anyone? Try chewing on a few leaves, just to freshen up!
How: Pick off some leaves, or break off an entire stem
What: Rosemary
Where: Fair Field (it’s easy to see the bush reaching over the curb, not far from the bus stop)
Why: Use “leaves” and flowers (but not woody stems or branches), fresh or dried, as a tasty spice (especially with turkey)
How: Ideally, you’d use snips to chop off a branch, overhanging the curb. Or, break off new shoots near the end of a branch.
Gardening 101!
This weekend, Jeff de Jong and I chatted about boulevard gardening on his CFAX radio show, Gardening 101. If you’d like to hear it, click here , look for “Gardening 101 – Hr 1 – April 29, ’17”, and then click the play icon (which looks like an arrow in a circle, with the words “Audio Cut” beside it).
Thanks to Jeff for inviting me onto his show! It was a lot of fun, talking about street-side gardening. In Jeff’s words: “Let’s get out there, and let’s get growing!”
What the Hay?
Flowers in December?! What the hay! This is Victoria “winter”.
Over the weekend, I replenished the leaf mulch in the Fair Field, and the cedar mulch along the path. Next I added almost a bail of straw as a top-layer, to complete a thick winter blanket.
With snow in the forecast, we might see a blanket of white by morning. Until then, enjoy the yellow calendula!
Spring Strawberries!
What: Strawberries!
Where: Fair Field & Haultain Annex (look around the edges of the gardens, and under those distinctive leaves, and you might find a few)
Why: Is there anything sweeter than a freshly-picked strawberry, still warm from the sun?!
How: Break off the berry just above its little ‘hat’; eat the berry, and toss the hat back into the garden (it’s not littering, it’s mulching!)
City of Gardens!
It’s official! City Council has unanimously adopted a set of Boulevard Gardening Guidelines! Almost 2 years ago, guidelines were adopted, but only on an interim basis. These new guidelines are for good, and City Bylaws will soon be amended to match. Boulevard gardening is no longer taboo, no longer merely tolerated, but actively encouraged by City Hall. If you are interested in gardening street-side, please give the Boulevard Gardening Guidelines a careful read. Many thanks to Mayor and Council, City staff, and all those who helped grow the guidelines from the ground-up!
Quiet Riot!
After a mild winter, the Haultain Annex and the Fair Field are popping with street greens! A riotous street-side plant party!
What: Arugula
Where: Haultain Annex (near the corner of the hedge); Fair Field (close to the bus stop)
Why: Leaves and white flowers can be dropped into a stir fry, or added to salads
How: Break off what you need, there’s plenty! Leave the plant standing, if you please
What: Chard
Where: Haultain Annex (Asquith side, close to the sidewalk); Fair Field (east end)
Why: Leaves can be chopped into a stir fry, or added to salads
How: Break off a few leaves. Leave the stalk standing, if you please
What: Oregano
Where: Haultain Annex (north-easterly corner, b/w the curvy path & the hedge); Fair Field (face the house, & look to the right of the steps)
Why: Add to sauces, soups, salads, whatever – fresh or after drying on your window sill
How: Just pluck or pinch off some leaves
What: Mint
Where: Haultain Annex (north end); Fair Field (face the house, look to the left of the steps)
Why: Mojito anyone? Try chewing on a few leaves, just to freshen up!
How: Pick off some leaves, or break off an entire stem
What: Borage
Where: Haultain Annex and Fair Field (here, there, and everywhere)
Why: Fuzzy blue flowers taste like cucumber, and look great in salads
How: Just pluck off some flowers to take home, or pop ’em in your mouth!
Blueberry buds!
It’s still winter, but the blueberries are budding! A bit exciting, the warm weather. A bit frightening, the climate chaos. Today I’ll look on the sunny bright side, and thank the Haultain Annex for her abundance (and thanks to Cindy Dunphy for the pix)!
Cook Street Boulevard Garden!
Big Wheel Burger recently announced plans to start a boulevard garden in front of the restaurant, in Cook Street Village. The Times Colonist covered the story here. Beautification, education, sustainability, food production, and climate action. Lots of great reasons for street greens!
Pumpkin Party!
On the Haultain Common on Halloween, out popped a pumpkin patch! Sheryl Shermak, her mom, and other artistic folk had carved more pumpkin art than a troll could shake a stick at! Many thanks from the Haultain Common to those who did such wondrous work, and to those who came by to see the show! See it below!
Fall Feast!
Some wet weather has arrived, and together with some warm sun, the Haultain Annex is popping with street greens! Get ’em while they’re fresh!
What: Sage
Where: West side of the Haultain Annex, near the middle of the garden
Why: Leaves can be chopped into holiday stuffing
How: Pluck a leaf, sniff it to confirm you’ve found sage, then pluck some more!
What: Arugula
Where: Haultain Annex, near the corner of the hedge
Why: Leaves and white flowers can be chopped into a stir fry, or added to salads
How: Break off what you need, there’s plenty! Leave the roots in the ground, if you can
What: French Sorrel
Where: West side of the Haultain Annex, between the path and the hedge
Why: Leaves can be chopped into a stir fry
How: Break off some leaves from around the outer edge of the plant
What: Kale
Where: Northwest corner of the Annex, here and there
Why: Leaves and yellow flowers can be chopped into a stir fry, or added to salads
How: Break off what you need from around the outer edge of the plant
Green Tea!
On Sunday August 24, Margot Johnston and Rainey Hopewell hosted a tea party on the Haultain Common. A month earlier, Victoria City Council had adopted a set of Interim Boulevard Gardening Guidelines to support and guide boulevard plantings. It was high time to celebrate over high tea! City Councillors Ben Isitt, Geoff Young, and Lisa Helps dropped by. A few street greens also presented themselves…
What: Goji berries!
Where: Big bushes right in the middle of the Common. You can’t miss ’em!
Why: Ripe berries are great in yogurt, smoothies or all on their own
How: Look for the biggest, brightest berries you can find. If under-ripe, they’re a bit bitter
What: Perennial arugula
Where: Just west of the goji berry bushes, close to the sidewalk
Why: Spicy greens for salads
How: Break off some leaves, simple as that!
What: Borage
Where: Here, there and everywhere (in the Common, the Annex, and the Fair Field)
Why: Blue flowers look great in salads, and taste like cucumber
How: Just pluck off some flowers to take home, or pop ’em in your mouth!
Summer Picnic!
What: Bl
ooming chives
Where: Fair Field (facing the house, look to the left or right of the steps)
Why: Green stems can be chopped and added to lots of foods, like potato salad
How: Cut or break stems close to the ground, leaving the roots in place
What: Lemon balm leaves (member of mint family)
Where: Fair Field (facing the house, look for the biggest bush to the right of the steps)
Why: Try crushing a few lemony leaves in your favourite summer beverage!
How: Just pick off some leaves, simple as that!
W
hat: Peppermint leaves
Where: Fair Field (facing the house, look to the left of the steps)
Why: Mint julip anyone? Try chewing on a few leaves, just to freshen up!
How: Just pick off some leaves, simple as that!
Ready to Harvest!
What: Tuscan kale leaves
Where: Fair Field (close to bus stop, near the curb)
Why: Add leaves to soup or stir fry, or massage them with olive oil then add to salad
How: Break off a few leaves from the outside of a bunch, taking care not to damage the stem
What: Oregano leaves and flowers
Where: Fair Field (face the house, & look to the right of the steps)
Why: Add to sauces, soups, salads, whatever – fresh or after drying on your window sill
How: Ideally, use a knife or scissors to cut off a stem, including leaves and flowers
What: Strawberries!
Where: Fair Field (look around, you might find one)
Why: Sweet and tasty!
How: Break off the berry just above its little ‘hat’; eat the berry, and toss the hat back into the garden (it’s not littering, it’s mulching!)
Street Greens 