Winnipeg gardeners sneak flowers onto public streets
CBC News
Last Updated Fri, 17 Jun 2005 17:48:23 EDT
CBC News
Guerrilla gardeners are launching an attack on Winnipeg's downtown, filling empty city planters with blooms to try to cut down on urban ugliness.
Jennifer Bishop is one of a handful of women who fan out to pull weeds from the abandoned planters and replace them with bedding plants from their own gardens.
"I try to do it when there's no people around, or they're otherwise occupied," Bishop said as she let a CBC camera crew follow her around recently.
"The city deserves to be beautiful, because it's a wonderful city.
"You don't necessarily want people to know that you've done it," she added. "It's just your gift to them - and sometimes the best gifts are anonymous."
Money for public planting is limited
The City of Winnipeg says it uses money from the parks and open spaces budget to plant flowers in planters along major streets each year.
That budget is limited, however, so some planters remain empty when city planting crews pass by.
Municipal leaders have no intention of cracking down on the guerrilla gardeners, says public information and communications officer Bob McDonald.
"I think it's very much an enhancement of what we're able to provide within our budgets," he said. "This is a situation where the more flowers that are planted, the better it is."
Winnipeggers certainly appreciate the work of Bishop and her friends.
"I think that it's really nice to have the nice flowers," said Lorinda Vopni, who passed by just after Bishop had finished watering the new plants in one urn. "It's like a backyard feeling in the middle of the city."
"It brightens up the day, because you see something growing," agreed Roger Leclerc. "After the long, cold winter, it's good to see something growing."
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Well isn't this something nice to read about. The closest I ever came to something like this was scattering columbine and poppy seeds in the park. I hate the way it is right now, it's one of those parks where there is a playground, and then a large expanse of lawn. It got even more boring after they cut one of the Willows down, there are only two left now and they aren't so good for climbing because they keep hacking at the limbs. I hate the lukewarm suburbs. Give me the urban forest with its heights or give me wilderness.
Really, who do I write to? Flowers could be planted on the hills, I'll do it myself but if no notices are given they'll just be mowed down. The parks does have clovers and butterfly violets that sneak in between the mowing. I have decided that I have an irrational hatred of lawn mowers, especially the loud gas power ones, if anything is enough to drive a priest to murder on Sunday morning it will be the roar of these bastards at seven in the morning, #$^##*&.
Last Updated Fri, 17 Jun 2005 17:48:23 EDT
CBC News
Guerrilla gardeners are launching an attack on Winnipeg's downtown, filling empty city planters with blooms to try to cut down on urban ugliness.
Jennifer Bishop is one of a handful of women who fan out to pull weeds from the abandoned planters and replace them with bedding plants from their own gardens.
"I try to do it when there's no people around, or they're otherwise occupied," Bishop said as she let a CBC camera crew follow her around recently.
"The city deserves to be beautiful, because it's a wonderful city.
"You don't necessarily want people to know that you've done it," she added. "It's just your gift to them - and sometimes the best gifts are anonymous."
Money for public planting is limited
The City of Winnipeg says it uses money from the parks and open spaces budget to plant flowers in planters along major streets each year.
That budget is limited, however, so some planters remain empty when city planting crews pass by.
Municipal leaders have no intention of cracking down on the guerrilla gardeners, says public information and communications officer Bob McDonald.
"I think it's very much an enhancement of what we're able to provide within our budgets," he said. "This is a situation where the more flowers that are planted, the better it is."
Winnipeggers certainly appreciate the work of Bishop and her friends.
"I think that it's really nice to have the nice flowers," said Lorinda Vopni, who passed by just after Bishop had finished watering the new plants in one urn. "It's like a backyard feeling in the middle of the city."
"It brightens up the day, because you see something growing," agreed Roger Leclerc. "After the long, cold winter, it's good to see something growing."
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Well isn't this something nice to read about. The closest I ever came to something like this was scattering columbine and poppy seeds in the park. I hate the way it is right now, it's one of those parks where there is a playground, and then a large expanse of lawn. It got even more boring after they cut one of the Willows down, there are only two left now and they aren't so good for climbing because they keep hacking at the limbs. I hate the lukewarm suburbs. Give me the urban forest with its heights or give me wilderness.
Really, who do I write to? Flowers could be planted on the hills, I'll do it myself but if no notices are given they'll just be mowed down. The parks does have clovers and butterfly violets that sneak in between the mowing. I have decided that I have an irrational hatred of lawn mowers, especially the loud gas power ones, if anything is enough to drive a priest to murder on Sunday morning it will be the roar of these bastards at seven in the morning, #$^##*&.