General Information
The City of Vancouver’s Green Streets Program encourages citizens to beautify their neighbourhoods by tending street gardens in traffic circles and corner bulges.
The program began in 1994 as a pilot project in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. The success of the project inspired other neighbourhoods to get involved and liven up their streets. The Green Streets Program has been blooming ever since. Today there are well over 350 Green Streets gardens cared for by volunteers.
Street gardeners agree to work with the City and with their communities to help the gardens grow during the year. Some gardeners simply weed and water while others choose to express their own personal touch by adding their favourite plants, providing more colour and interest through the changing seasons.
Street Gardens
Green Streets gardens are traffic circles and corner bulges that are constructed and planted by the City as part of an on-going program to slow traffic and increase safety in residential areas or as part of regular Greenway and bike route construction.
Residents can also request a traffic circle for their neighbourhood through a local improvement petition at their own cost. For more information on getting a traffic circle, visit the City of Vancouver’s Traffic Calming website.
Planting the Gardens
The City pays for the initial planting which includes a structural planting of drought tolerant plants and evergreen shrubs for year-round interest. For newly constructed traffic circles that are not yet planted, there is an opportunity to work with a City Landscape Designer to create the planting plan.
Availability
A green sign in a garden indicates that it is available. A yellow sign lets passers-by know that someone in the neighbourhood is caring for it. If you live near a circle or bulge garden that doesn’t have a Green Streets sign, there may be an opportunity to make it part of the Program. Fill out the online application or contact the Green Street Coordinator to find out if it can be sponsored.
Not sure if there are any street gardens in your neighbourhood? Contact the Green Streets Coordinator to find out about available locaitons near you.
Time Commitment
Involvement is as much or as little as the individual gardener has time for. Some simply weed and water while others invest significant time personalising the garden. Either way, you are making a valuable contribution to your community while participating in volunteer work at times of your own choosing where your efforts can be enjoyed by all.
Resources and Support
As a Green Streets gardener, you will receive a biannual newsletter, the opportunity to obtain free compost in spring and fall and notification of any plant give-aways. You will also be notified, whenever possible, about street construction work that may affect your garden.
Each autumn, volunteers are invited to the Green Streets Garden Party. This annual event is a celebration of the achievements of the volunteer gardeners who make the program so successful.
The Green Streets Master Gardener Mentoring Program is an opportunity for street gardeners to receive free advice from a certified Master Gardener. Master Gardeners are members of a North America–wide organization that provides information about gardening to the community and promotes environmentally responsible gardening practices.
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