The shelter gardens

[Catherine]

Some of you know that I look after the gardens at my local animal shelter. I have a vegetable garden on the roof that provides fresh vegetables for the shelter animals. I will get pictures tomorrow when I go and do the weeding.
There is also a garden behind the building where people park who are coming to the shelter. It is also where the dog walkers start their walks.


The garden is actually 60 feet long.


There is lots of colour and lots of green.
 
Many of the plants are perennials or they come up from seeds so it is becoming a self sustaining garden.
There is lots of Milkweed.
The garden is a feast for pollinators and a sheltered spot for baby birds.
      



This used to be a patch of dry dead grass and now it is a place where nature thrives. It has become a green space.
With a little effort and perseverance we can bring nature into the dead spaces in our cities.

[Tobi]

That's beautiful Catherine. It's a question of planting the right things; plants that are either -hardy enough to survive the severe winters, or will scatter seed to sprout the following year.

It's amazing how seeds manage to over-winter, and yet be ready to grow in the Spring!

I love the French Marigolds with the purple Pansies. They complement each other perfectly.

What a lovely greeting for anyone coming to the shelter. It makes such a difference, to see the gardens so well-tended. It is bound to make people feel the animals are also well looked after.

[Catherine]

I have worked at planting things that will come up on their own and will need little care. It has taken years to get it so well established. This year is the best year ever. I love the orange of the marigolds with the purple pansies. It is such an intense contrast. Earlier there were white and purple columbines all over. Any time now the black-eyed Susans will open and there will be a rich yellow. I have white yarrow and red bergamot growing too.

I think it transforms what is really the back parking lot behind the building. It is almost a back alley. Instead of looking bleak it looks full of life and beauty.  This has been a work of love and it has been years in the making. Every year I am able to get more things growing. Even in the intense heat the plants survive.  In the fall when it cools, I can do some fall planting for the spring. There is always more I can do.