By Andrea Walker
A big thank you to Ashcroft Communities in Bloom members, community volunteers, and firefighters Josh White and Jonah Anstett, who all contributed to the planting of the flowers in the barrels downtown on May 2.
The beginning of the saying “it takes a community” certainly applies to the planting and care of the flowers throughout the downtown area of Ashcroft. With more than 80 barrels and planters to fill, the project is coordinated by Communities in Bloom.
The CiB members ensure that all barrels have been cleaned and soil added prior to planting. Then the fire department takes the tender truck around a few days before planting and fills the reservoirs of all the self-watering planters, and gives the soil a good soaking. On the day of planting we pick up the flowers from Desert Hills, and that evening CiB members, together with community volunteers, plant all the flowers: more than 820 plants!
Then it is up to the individual businesses to care for and water them for the remainder of the season. It’s quite a community effort, and so very impressive: a true reflection of the pride in our village!
Ashcroft Communities in Bloom has, over the past several years, replaced most of the old wooden half-barrels with self-watering, or “desert”, planters. These have a large reservoir in the bottom and are filled via a filler tube from the top. Not only do the plants flourish in these planters, as they take the water directly into the roots and thus get consistent water, but they also save in labour time with watering, as the reservoirs in the planters only require filling once per week. We noticed that during the unprecedented “heat dome” we experienced last summer, the flowers in the desert planters did not suffer at all. It was certainly a testament to the effectiveness of them!
More and more, CiB members are being asked about these self-watering planters, as homeowners see the value in purchasing them. While they are initially more costly to purchase than regular planters, the flowers do so much better. The best part is that you can fill up the reservoir and leave for a week and not have to worry about your plants dying.
The annual Plant Swap has been very busy, and will continue until May 22. Many people are taking advantage of bringing plants they need to split, while others are happily taking what they need and leaving a donation. The tables set out on the sidewalk in front of 210 Brink Street have an ever-changing selection of plants, and Communities in Bloom thanks everyone for their participation.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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