Yellow gardens show hope is growing
Hope is growing in 2021. It’s truly a refreshing theme after a difficult last year. Canadians are ready to start looking up — and that includes gardeners.
That is why Communities in Bloom (CIB) has embraced “Hope is Growing” as the banner for their 2021 campaign.
What is Communities in Bloom? It is a celebration of urban environmental sustainability across Canada. CIB is a volunteer-driven, not-forprofit organization that partners with municipalities to enhance residential and public spaces.
Since its start in 1995, the goal has been “to enhance the quality of life and the environment through people and plants in order to create community pride.”
The professional trade association Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) acquired Communities in Bloom just over a year ago, providing an opportunity for new ideas, growth and vision.
Among the first endeavours is the Hope is Growing campaign, in partnership with Garden Centres Canada, encouraging Canadians to plant gardens of hope for 2021 and featuring the colour yellow. From coast to coast, the goal is to create front yards, boulevards and playgrounds brimming with yellow flowers, foliage and vegetables.
You can take part by planting your Hope Garden and sharing it on social media, and by looking for Hope is Growing displays at participating retail garden centres.
Friendly competition is at the heart of Communities in
Bloom. If your community participates in the broader Communities in Bloom program, planting a bright yellow Hope Garden can enhance your odds for this year’s awards.
Here are our Top 6 suggestions for a yellow-themed garden this season.
1) Forsythia is one of our favourite flowering shrubs that becomes enrobed in a coat of
yellow flowers in early spring — perfect timing for the heralding of new hope.
If you have not already planted forsythia, you can enjoy its colour with cuttings placed in a tall vase. Forsythia cuttings tend to root easily by pushing the bottom third of each cutting into damp ground as soon as the ground has thawed.
2) Sunflower ( helianthus) for sunny days ahead. There could
be no more obvious choice for a Hope Garden. Shop now for a wide variety of sunflower varieties from seed catalogues or go online and check out the seeds that are available from a myriad of suppliers.
Plant directly from seed in early spring, enjoy throughout late summer and fall as the birds show up to enjoy a feast on big yellow sunflower heads. 3) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) is a native perennial that produces bright yellow flowers from late summer into autumn and attracts pollinators to beat the band.
4) Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is another great native plant that is a relative to the sunflower.
This one is different, though, as it features an abundance of yellow pollinator-attracting flowers and produces an edible tuber that can be cooked like a potato. Note: Jerusalem artichoke can be overly aggressive, almost invasive. Keep it in a confined part of your garden. 5) Golden Delight summer squash, or simply yellow zucchini. And since we were speaking of vegetables, this is one of our favourite yellow veggies.
It’s easy to grow — and prolific. One of Mark’s favourite tricks is carving the grandkids’ names in zucchinis while the fruit are young and giving them as gifts from the “zucchini fairy” after they have matured for a few days. Why not carve a hopeful message in your zucchini?
6) Marigolds (Tagetes erecta)
are a fun annual to grow with edible flowers. All marigolds are technically edible, but in our opinion the best tasting species are French marigold (Tagetes patula).
Big Duck Gold marigold is one of our favourite varieties.
As a bonus, many vegetable gardeners inter-plant marigolds with their veggie crops to keep insects, especially aphids, at bay.
Canadians took up gardening in record numbers last year.
We hope to see a yellowwashed repeat in 2021 that proves Hope is Growing — especially in our gardens.