It is late March as we are preparing the ELM report for the May newsletter and birds are flying around noisily with twigs in their beaks, ready for spring! On the ELM front, crews are busy dismantling winter displays and starting some general cleanup in the community. It will be a while yet before we can enjoy the summer displays which are due to arrive early June. Below are a few ELM highlights of what to look forward to this spring and summer.
- While the plan is to gradually add more perennials such as Sedum, Russian sage and Helium to existing flower beds in the coming years, it will take several years for the new plants to get established. In the meantime, we will continue to populate the flower beds with similar flowers as in years past while changing up the colours where feasible. In addition, the soil of several flower beds will be topped up which will enhance their look and provide new nutrients for the plants to thrive.
- Along our boulevards, you will see pillars with geraniums and vibrant petunias in the planters this summer. Plant varieties were chosen carefully because of their hardiness and their interaction with each other in a planter. In addition, while beautiful up close, some plant varieties or colours do not stand out enough when driving by in the car. These are all things to keep in mind when selecting plant varieties and colours.
- Edgemont parks will see rudbeckias in bright colours with some of the pots featuring different varieties of cannas. Given that supplies are still affected by Covid-19, we may not receive exactly what we ordered at the time requested. Flexibility, patience, and creativity currently are the name of the game.
- Areas that are scheduled to get some extra TLC this summer include the Park (stormwater pond) on Edgebrook Boulevard, south of the Hamptons Coop on Country Hills Boulevard. Our Elm Consultant will also be working with the City on this project in view of an abundance of different varieties of thistles which we hope to mute a bit.
- Don’t be alarmed if you see some planters being moved around or changed out as part of some optimization going on. That said, if you do have questions or concerns about the ELM program, please send an email to: [email protected]. Please contact us also if you see anything out of the ordinary happening to community planters or flowers.
- On February 17.2022, the planter at the entrance of Edgeridge Gate off Country Hills Boulevard was hit by a motor vehicle and was completely shattered. Should anyone be able to provide information (e.g., license plate) regarding this incident, please contact ELM.
Hopefully, when you are reading this report, you will have spotted the odd Prairie Crocus and heard an early Red Winged Blackbird or two.
Rick Wierzbicki, Shari Pitka, Kathleen Stewart