Plant a yellow garden for Hope is Growing

By Susan Ellis

Is it just me, or have you felt an earthy need to get yourself back to the garden, too?

We have collectively witnessed vast global changes in the past 2 ½ decades as extreme weather occurrences have increased. Wildfires, floods, tornados, hurricanes, droughts and pandemics have wreaked havoc around the world and there are few places that have not been impacted by climate change.

At Communities in Bloom (CiB), as we face these new challenges, we’ve changed as well. In the past year, we have hit the refresh button on our program to ensure that it remains relevant and continues to be a critical guide for our communities to use as they weather the storms and work to provide safe, secure, and sustainable communities for all residents and businesses.

CiB and its partners, including the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, Garden Centres Canada, Scotts Canada, the National Capital Commission, the Canadian Garden Council, Come Alive Outside, the Green Cities Foundation, Wentworth Landscapes, Brydges Landscape Architecture, Mark and Ben Cullen, Compost Council of Canada and Nutrients for Life are working together to summon everyone to create Hope Gardens for 2021.

We acknowledge the difficulties that have been faced and recognize that people are ready for positive, peaceful change, and opportunities to bring brightness and light into their lives. Most people associate hope with a situation that they wish would end and that they could move past. Desmond Tutu once said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness. Hope whispers that things will get better.”

The international colour for hope is yellow. Yellow is the colour of sunshine and it is often associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. It has also been declared the Pantone colour for the year for 2021. CiB has created the Hope is Growing Campaign as a rallying point that is simple, inclusive, easy and fun with a positive outcome for whoever participates. After all, the garden is where Hope is Growing!

Between March and August, anyone and everyone, including municipalities, organizations, schools, churches, colleges and universities, clubs, businesses, and individuals can participate by planting a Hope Garden with yellow as the primary colour. It can be as simple as a hanging basket, a barrel, a window box, a border, or a balcony container. And it’s not just flowers. Fruits, shrubs, vegetables can all be used as well.

Gardening experts, Mark and Ben Cullen recently presented their suggestions for easy to grow yellow plants that included their top six favourites: forsythia, sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, Jerusalem artichokes, yellow zucchini, and marigolds. The complete article can be found on the Communities in Bloom website. There you can also find a link to a recent webinar with Paul Brydges and Mark and Ben Cullen that is full of suggestions of what to grow, and great tips for success.

To participate, simply go to HopeisGrowing.ca to register, place yourself on our map, and then share photos of your gardens on CiB’s social media platforms with the hashtag #hopeisgrowing. You will also receive a downloadable Hope Garden sign, and information about hardy plants and growing tips for success. And if you enjoy a little friendly competition you can also enter your Hope Garden into a contest to become eligible for national recognition for your efforts!

We want to see Canada awash with yellow this summer, so please join us and be a beacon leading the way to create HOPE across Canada and around the world!

A graduate of Guelph, Western, and Waterloo Universities, Susan has enjoyed a multi-facetted career as an educator, marketing and advertising consultant, and municipal manager of economic development, recreation and tourism. Susan is a member of the board of directors of CiB.

Find out more about Communities in Bloom on their website https://www.communitiesinbloom.ca/