by Rebecca Bruton
Bridgeland-Riverside is a community blessed with a unique plant growing environment. The escarpment bowl that surrounds us provides a sheltered microclimate – less windy and somewhat warmer than many other areas of Calgary with fertile soils left by the meandering, ancient Bow River.
Interest in gardening is seeing a resurgence. Many are new to gardening, but keen to learn the basics and the tricks of growing both beautiful and edible plants in whatever space they have available. Flowery annuals (those plants that can be bought as bedding plants or grown from seed every year) are one choice, as are vegetannuals (your typical market garden plant). For those interested in stewarding a more permanent garden that transforms each year, perennials are an enduring option.
Perennials are a large class of plants that return every spring. Some are great pollinators, which help to support our honeybee populations, some foster shade for other plants and creatures in the garden, and some are edible. All help contribute to a healthy, well-oxygenated microbiology.
Unless the roots have been frozen during an extra bitter winter or dug up by the squirrels, perennials will send up their tender shoots to face each new growing season. Perennials are often quite hardy and expand year over year, either by self-seeding, or extending their growth through underground root systems or widening clumps of plants. To maintain the health of the perennials, it’s imperative that this growth is managed, often by splitting the plants or digging up new seedlings. And what to do with these extra and often unneeded plants?
That’s where Bridgeland-Riverside’s Plant Share comes in! This annual initiative – which returns this year – is a collaboration between BRCA’s Rooftop Garden Committee and the Beautification Committee. We invite resident gardeners with perennials to dig up their extras, put them in pots or little bags, mark the kind of plant, and bring them to the Rooftop Garden. These young plants are then shared with others who’d like to start a perennial garden or add to what they already grow. Examples of plants you might see are columbines, yarrow, sedum, perennial grasses, monkshood, and lily of the valley. We also hope to have some small bags of composted soil available for apartment dwellers who focus their efforts on small containers and pots. Donations are gratefully accepted.
This year, we’re also setting up a table for a seed share! As there is a growing contingent of community members developing an interest in growing vegetables, we’d like to encourage seed-saving and heirloom varietal exchange. What’s seed-saving? This is when you collect the seeds from the previous year’s harvest and store them through the winter. With good planning, you’ll be able to expand your seed collection each year, and perhaps have a few available to exchange. This is a great way to save money on veggie seeds, and to promote multigenerational growth of vegetannuals that grow especially well in Bridgeland-Riverside. After several generations of seed-saving, you’ll have your own ‘heirloom varieties’ to share with your gardening neighbours.
This arrangement sounds pretty much like a win-win, but is it? Actually, it’s more than that! Plant shares and seed shares are part of a growing concept called the sharing economy. It’s also a way to meet your neighbours, who have a similar interest in growing, and to hear their ideas. And it’s an affordable way for Bridgeland-Riverside to become an even more beautiful (and delicious) place to live.
Mark your calendars for the Plant and Seed Share on May 27 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and check it out at the Roof Top Garden at the Community Centre: 917 Centre Avenue NE!
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