Despite hail, extremely strong winds, and intense sunshine, the flowers in our planters and flower beds look spectacular, providing an abundance of colour at this time! Many different plant varieties were planted in the various planters, including dracaena, verbena, rudbeckia, marigolds, salvias, cannas, geraniums, various types of supertunias, and creeping Glechoma.
Under the watchful eye of our ELM coordinator, Shari Pitka, our landscaping company is keeping the planters looking fresh and beautiful through regular watering and deadheading. We are very grateful to both Shari Pitka and Foothills, our landscaping company.
The flower beds are another success story, featuring gorgeous and interesting arrangements of rudbeckias, marigolds, salvias, cosmos, chrysanthemums, various types of geraniums, petunias, and supertunias. All this in addition to the perennials that were generously donated, blending in beautifully with our annuals.
Just a reminder that if you are planning to split perennials next spring and are considering donating them to the community, please contact us anytime at [email protected]. Have your plants dug up, and ready for pick-up on the last week of May 2024 so that they can be planted just before the annuals arrive in early June.
At our request, the City continues to address the pocket gopher issue at the Edgemont Disc Golf Course, although this issue will keep popping up throughout the season, causing issues for the mowers. The noxious henbane weeds that had started to show up in the EDG119 park off Edgebrook Boulevard have been removed from areas in between the rose bushes by our landscaping company. The henbane tends to be stubborn, so we need to keep an eye on this situation.
Speaking of weeds, a group of volunteers took on the arduous task of removing thistles in certain areas in the community, so a big thank-you from the Edgemont community to those who volunteered to participate in this initiative on a very hot day. We are still waiting to hear back from the City regarding our request to address the thistle issue in EDG119 across from the pond off Edgebrook Boulevard.
It’s worth paying attention to as well is the fact that the foxtail barley grass apparently has been thriving in and around Calgary in recent years. This particular grass is especially dangerous for pets as the awns (seeds) can get lodged in paws, noses, fur etc. The City has recently changed the bylaw with respect to foxtail barley grass. For details, please check the “parks” section of the City’s website: https://www.calgary.ca/parks/natural-areas/foxtail-barley.html.
You may have noticed that water features were turned off by the City in our community at the end of July to help conserve water. On a positive note: you may have noticed that the City planted some trees along some of the major thoroughfares in Edgemont in July. During the first five years following planting, it is the responsibility of the City to maintain and water the new trees. The thought process is that after five years, the trees will be well established and can survive. However, if you see trees with a significant number of dead branches, please take a picture of that tree and submit it through the 311 app with a request to trim the tree and help prevent branches from breaking off during bad weather. The City looks after trees on public property.
In addition to their routine tasks, Foothills is continuing to focus on catching up on the 2022 projects that were not completed last year, such as tree well clean-up, pruning, aerating, and fertilizing where required. Any concerns or questions regarding maintenance and who should do what, City or ELM, please contact us at and we will be very happy to respond to your concerns.
Kathleen Stewart, Rick Wierzbicki, and Shari Pitka
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