by Robin Thompson, CBMCA Environment Director
Now that summer is over, I’ve had a chance to reflect on what was a bit of a strange spring and summer.
The Community Gardens
Of course, the big story of the summer was water restrictions, which our amazing garden managers, Natasha Kuzmak (Cliff Bungalow) and Georgina Jameson (Mission), handled with aplomb.
An issue Natasha and her gardeners faced this year, more than ever before, was the theft of vegetables. A couple of the gardeners were heartbroken to arrive and find full gown zucchinis and tomatoes had disappeared overnight. Unfortunately, this is a constant challenge for the Cliff Bungalow Garden, which isn’t fenced.
As always, both gardens have a waiting list so if you’d like a plot, please email me ASAP to get on the list.
More Trees
We planted three new fruit trees in the greenspaces around the community centre/Montessori school on Cliff Street and are crossing our fingers that the limited watering they got due to the water restrictions won’t affect their ability to live through a challenging Calgary winter.
The Environment committee has met with the folks at the city’s Urban Forestry department to implement a plan for CBMCA to take a bigger role in planning where new trees will be planted in coming years. We will be very pleased to have input into a proactive planting plan more conducive to Cliff Bungalow-Mission’s particular climate, which can be very different from suburban communities.
Triangle Park
We are working with the Parks department to adopt Triangle Park, situated at the intersection of 24 Avenue and Cliff Street. A greenspace agreement will allow us to improve the park with perennial beds and other plantings.
We got started this year by pruning overgrown bushes and planting hostas, rudbeckia, and lilacs. Of course, we’ll be leaning to drought-tolerant and native plants whenever possible.
Next spring, when you’re separating your irises and day lilies, please keep us in mind. We would love to have your extra plants for Triangle Park. Want to get your hands dirty with some planting? We would love to have you, send me an email at [email protected].
Click here to the Cliff Bungalow Community News home page for the latest Cliff Bungalow community updates.
Click here to the Mission Community News home page for the latest Mission community updates.
