Preparing for a Canadian milestone
Jessica Musgrave, Jenna Hall, and Jacques Baker planted red and white tulips in the shape of a Canadian flag Sept. 29 at Cornwallis Community Gardens.
They all go to Annapolis West Education Centre and were there with volunteer Katie McLean.
Youngsters Tyler and Atati also dug holes and planted tulip bulbs. They were there with Jesselyn Nesbitt and Ashley Andrews of the Fundy YMCA’s after school program. They had a lot of work to do.
There were other local kids like Moryiah who were all there to help community gardens general manager Elizabeth McMichael with a big, big job – planting 1,000 bulbs. And it has to do with Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation coming up in 2017.
It all started when Vesey’s Bulbs Limited donated 150,000 tulip bulbs – half in red and half in white – to be distributed across the country to 150 organizations that would receive 1,000 bulbs each. Who would receive the bulbs was decided on the basis of applications by the organizations to the Canadian Garden Council who announced the recipients recently.
The Cornwallis Community Gardens were on the list – as were the 1st Kinston Scouts in Kingston, and the Port Lorne Community Centre Association.
Big crowd
The Sept. 29 celebration at Cornwallis Park witnessed more than 40 children and adults teaming up to plant a significant number of the bulbs in a carefully chosen and prepared garden bed. Annapolis County’s deputy warden Timothy Habinski planted the first bulb before the youngsters took over.
Children from Clark Rutherford Memorial School and the Fundy YMCA after school program made the first digs and planted a few dozen bulbs. Representatives from Annapolis Basin Conference Centre, Acadian Seaplants, Clementsport Royal Canadian Legion Branch, Fundy YMCA adult members, a representative from MP Colin Fraser’s office, gardeners, local residents, and board members of the Community Gardens Association assisted as well.
McMichael noted the pride of all segments of Cornwallis Park and surrounding communities in the award and especially praised the involvement of young folks from the elementary school and the Fundy Y.
Engagement
“It was so good to see the students engage in the plant- ing with such evident energy,” said McMichael. “They knew the significance of the red and white colours and that next year was Canada’s 150th birthday.”
They didn’t plant all the bulbs at the community gardens, and it looks like all of Cornwallis Park and some of the surrounding area will be welcoming spring with Canada’s national colours next year.
McMichael said some of the bulbs will be planted at the Clementsport Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the local Community Centre, Felker Hall, at Clark Rutherford Memorial School, and in the entry garden to Cornwallis Park.
She also announced that there would be a ‘Bloom Celebration’ in the spring of 2017 when all could see the result of their labours.