This weekend is the big open house at the oldest community gardens in Vancouver. Last year it was estimated that between 500 and 600 people turned out. This year they are getting even more coverage including a front page article in the Vancouver Sun! I'll be acting as a floater (doing whatever they need me to) all day on Sunday in the Cottonwood Area. There will be a chili lunch, plant sale, info session of chicken keeping, permaculture and much more. Drop by and take a look!
You’re Invited to
Magical Gardens in the midst of the city
Sunday, July 11, 10am to 2pm
Visit eight magical acres, sway to live music with Tambai Marimba, learn from free gardening sustainability workshops, see one of Vancouver's oldest off-grid solar houses, eat scrumptious goodies, sample local garden honey, snatch wonderful plants at bargain prices, & celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Vancouver's first community garden and the opening of Cottonwood's new garden that is the first community garden fully accessible for seniors and people with disabilities! Everyone is welcome!
Strathcona Cottonwood Gardens Annual Open House
Prior/Hawks * Raymur/Malkin
Info: (604) 608-0384 or (604) 253-3384
Open House Events
Live Music! Tambai Marimba! Fiddlers!
Sway to the music of awesome fiddlers or dance your socks off with Tambai Marimba, Vancouver’s great youth Marimba Band.
Tambai Marimba: Cottonwood Garden, 10:30am to 1:30pm.
Fiddlers: Strathcona Garden, 11am to 2pm.
Free Gardening & Sustainability Workshops
How to Keep Chickens in Your Backyard for Complete Beginners: Sunday, July 11, 10:30am: Cottonwood Garden
Thinking about having your own chickens and fresh eggs? Jordan Maynard, Manager of Southlands Heritage Farm, will help you understand the basics of keeping chickens in your backyard. You’ll leave this workshop with the confidence to buy, care for, and enjoy your own backyard hens. Workshop organized by Village Vancouver.
Permaculture/Vancouver Permaculture Meet-up Group: Sunday, July 11, 10:30am; Cottonwood Garden
Permaculture is an important way of letting the earth take care of itself. Learn basic permaculture techniques from the Vancouver Permaculture Meet-up Group. Workshop organized by Village Vancouver.
Winter Gardening/Grants Gourmet Gardens: Sunday, July 11, 1pm; Cottonwood Garden
Want to have fresh vegetables from your own garden year round? Certified organic farmer & edible landscaper, Grant Watson, will teach you the basics of what/when to plant, so you can harvest from your garden in the coldest season. Workshop organized by Village Vancouver.
Corsage Making: Sunday, July 11, 12-2; Cottonwood Garden
Learn how to make corsages from flowers and leaves picked that morning at Cottonwood. You can have a corsage custom-made for you, make your own, or choose one that has been made.
Compost Making/City Farmer: Sunday, July 11, 10:30am-2pm; Cottonwood Garden
Learn how to make compost from City Farmer’s Compost Hotline Staff.
Birdhouse Making for Kids: Sunday, July 11: Cottonwood Garden
This hands-on workshop teaches kids how to make their own birdhouse. Each participant will be able to make and keep a wooden birdhouse they have made.
Bee-keeping demonstration: Sunday, July 11, 10-2
Bee-keepers from each garden will demonstrate basic bee-keeping techniques and teach people about bees and their needs.
Solar Eco-House Demo: Sunday, July 11, 10:30am – 2pm, Strathcona Community Garden
See Strathcona’s wonderful solar house. This garden house generates its own power with solar panels, re-uses all its water with a grey-water recovery system, was built with recycled materials, and has a licensed composting toilet. Built over 20 years ago by teenage women learning carpentry skills, this is one of Vancouver’s oldest off-the-grid houses.
Magical Oasis in the Midst of the City: Garden Tours
Please join us for tours of Vancouver’s oldest community gardens, as we celebrate 25 years of community building, local food production and sustainability. Recipient of a City of Vancouver Heritage Award, Strathcona and Cottonwood Community Gardens feature eight magical acres with 350 individual garden plots; countless varieties of native and exotic perennials; one of the largest collections of heirloom apple trees in BC; thriving honeybees; a solar house that generates its own power, recycles water, and has a licensed composting toilet; beautiful water gardens, terraced gardens, oval gardens, fragrant gardens, reflecting ponds; an Asian garden, native garden, permaculture garden, wetlands; cherry, apple, plum, mulberry, fig, pear, persimmon & Asian pear trees; blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, Saskatoon berries, gooseberries, grapes & kiwis; eight types of bamboo; nut trees; and many ornamental trees and shrubs. There are two solar greenhouses; toolsheds; extensive composting; and many species of birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. A pair of bald eagles nests overhead. Garden Tours: 10:30am to 1:30pm, at Strathcona and Cottonwood Gardens
Cutting Edge Sustainability: Solar House
Strathcona’s Eco-house is a model of sustainable building. This garden house generates its own power with solar panels, re-uses all its water with a grey-water recovery system, was built with recycled materials, and has a licensed composting toilet. Built over 20 years ago by teenage women learning carpentry skills, this is one of Vancouver’s oldest off-the-grid houses. Learn how the eco-house was built, principles of grey water recovery, solar power: 10am to 2pm, Strathcona Garden.
Opening of New Garden Fully Accessible for Seniors and People with Disabilities: 11:30am
Join us as we celebrate the opening of this new ¾ acre inclusive garden that is designed to enable everyone, regardless of age or physical ability, to garden. Based on the principles of universal design, the garden features raised beds that are high enough for seniors and people with disabilities to garden from a seated position; pathways 3-4’ wide and surfaced with a firm surface appropriate for persons with walkers, canes, strollers and wheelchairs; water taps at a convenient height for people who have difficulty bending and close to raised beds so that carrying a hose will not be needed; a tool shed with easy access and reachable tools; meeting spaces with wide-enough, smooth surfaces.
Official Opening of New Accessible Garden: 11:30am: Cottonwood Garden.
This new part of Cottonwood is along Raymur, at the corner of Raymur & William, across from the Food Bank, on the east side of Strathcona Park.
Honey! Local Bees!
Honey sales from our own bees, who thrive on the diversity of flowering plants in our gardens. The honey is fresh, local, and delicious. Come early! The honey usually sells quickly.
Honey Sales: 10am at Strathcona Garden and at Cottonwood Garden.
Wonderful Plant Sale! Bargain Prices! Great Plants!
Strathcona & Cottonwood’s Annual Plant Sale features an incredible variety of plants at bargain prices including perennials, vegetables, heirloom fruit trees & berry bushes, bamboo, flowers, shrubs, native plants, shade lovers, sun lovers & more! All of the plants are grown by our gardeners or donated by local nurseries. Prices are awesome and the range is impressive. Over 600 plants at bargain prices.
Plant sale starts at 10am, Sunday, July 11, at Strathcona Community Garden (corner of Prior & Hawks).
Silent Auction
If you haven't been to our Silent Auction before, you're in for a visual treat. Beautiful hanging baskets with fuchsias in full bloom, heritage apple trees, and a stunning Passion Flower vine, to name but a few of the entries we've had -- all generous donations from local nurseries and gardeners. Come and check it out and maybe you'll go home with a spectacular plant to highlight your garden or patio.
Sunday, July 11, Strathcona Garden, 10am to 1pm.
Native Plant Tour
Come to the Native Garden at Cottonwood and we'll show you which BC native plants you can grow to replace some of the invasive plants that have come into BC.
Cottonwood Garden 10-2.
Location:
Strathcona Garden & Cottonwood Garden are sister gardens located next to each other in and next to Strathcona Park, on the east side of Vancouver, on Prior Street, between Main & Clark.
Strathcona Garden is located just west of Strathcona Park, on Prior & Hawks.
Cottonwood Garden is located along the south side of Strathcona Park, on Malkin, between Raymur & Hawks.
The new accessible garden expansion is on Raymur, opposite the Food Bank (1150 Raymur).
The two gardens host the Open House together
That sounds like fun! Boo for pre packed weekends! I want to go to the backyard chickens workshop! We aren't allowed them yet in PoCo, but a girl can dream!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sounding day!!! I also would like to go to the chicken lecture. I can't have them in my city either, unless I could rig up something to keep them from making a peep!!! LOL! Have loads of fun! Congrats on your painting job..it will be fun, and something to make money...yeah!!!
ReplyDelete@Laura, I REALLY want chickens. They'll be named Razzle and Dazzle. I couldn't go either though because I was helping out with the food.
ReplyDelete@Julie, it was fun. You should petition for urban chickens in your city! Use your blogging prowess. ;)
Oooh, I am really interested in all the demos. Especially the bee keeping one! I am so bummed that I am no where near Vancouver.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? While I am not working maybe I will give our new mayor a run for his money!!!
ReplyDelete@meemsnyc, It was a lot of fun. You could always start one in your area. ;)
ReplyDelete@Julie, you should, just bring it!