When Private Art Becomes Public

There are so many examples of art on the streets of Victoria that it is hard to know where to start in any description of it. In this post I will mention a few examples of private art that have been made visible to passers-by to enjoy.

I appreciate that the property owners have seen fit to add this richness to the urban experience. The examples which follow are all in James Bay or Fairfield.

I will start with a unique piece on Fairfield Road: 

Made of driftwood, this cougar causes the pedestrian to do a double-take as s/he passes beneath it in the tree above.

And now to a house on Dallas Road.

The red, white and black pieces are blown glass that the property owner created himself. In the foreground is a metal sculpture. 

Art, or funky memorabilia? However it's classified, it's fun, and adds to the interest of a walk.

Detail on a gate, with a glimpse of an inviting garden.

Detail on a fence; this was one of a number of carvings inlaid into the fence, each one different.

One of the dozens of Little Libraries scattered throughout Victoria... a bench, a place for books - and a custom-made place for magazines! There are so many attractive Little Libraries that they are worth a post dedicated just to them.

Keyboard rock art at a home on Niagara Street. The tap at the sink trickles water, and the home itself is artwork, as the next photo illustrates.

Red geraniums in every window add to the appeal of this house, as well as the intricate carving decorating the overhangs.

More painted rocks from the same house as above. After awhile I forgot I was looking at rocks... especially the plate of delectable chocolates in the background

One final image from the house with the rock art -- birds on a branch, and on a swing. Again, it is easy to get caught up in the world of the painted pieces and forget they are rocks!

This unique sidewalk has a story... some day I'll learn it!

An unusual house on Dallas Road constructed from steel; the sign indicates that it is included on a special Art Gallery of Victoria tour. Many components of the house's interior were reclaimed and repurposed. A fuller story can be found at https://www.yammagazine.com/designed-to-last/

A closer view of some of the interior art

Detail from the exterior

I liked the intricate details of the wooden porch, the carved pillars for the steps, and the colourful flag which adds a modern contrast to this fine old house.

An attractive house and sign, Fairfield 

Lots of bits and pieces to intrigue the pedestrian wandering by this house in Fairfield

This tree on a boulevard on Clarence Street holds a teacup collection

Painted rock collection, Beacon Lodge, Douglas Street

One of the rocks at the Beacon Lodge collection

A second rock from the Beacon Lodge collection

While we may have different tastes and some might not always appreciate the specifics of the property owner's artistic leanings, there is more than enough variety to provide interest, and food for discussion.

A driftwood figure, at the same house with the tree hugging cougar

The same figure, from a different angle

Gate in James Bay; the theme is repeated on the deck rail, and other gates around the yard.

One of three windows in an older building along Niagara Street. The building has very little setback from the sidewalk, so pedestrians walk close to these windows.

I have shown this house before; even though this one is set back far from the road, it always stands out on any walk down South Turner Street.

Attractive landscaping and design add to the artistic appeal of this newer set of row houses near Cook Street 

I will conclude the post with a nod to the numerous fairy gardens around the area. One is pictured below. To appreciate these, the walker has to keep eyes on the ground, as well as enjoying the houses, the gardens, the trees... There is just so much to nurture our attention and our spirits!

One of a number of miniature fairy gardens hidden around James Bay. This one is on Pilot Street.

Watching the Birds and the Bees

World Bee Day is today, Wednesday May 20. To mark this, there is a webinar happening tonight on native bee ecology. More info is at the bottom of this post. And, I thought, today - World Bee Day - would be a good day to publish this post.

This last week I spent a magical few hours wandering Beacon Hill and Uplands Parks, just looking at insects, bees and butterflies. In particular, I was watching to see which plants interested them. And of course in the process I took in so much more...

What did I learn?

I learned that in the wild areas, where the Camas meadows are in bloom, I saw many more bees than in manicured flower beds, even though the rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom with massive colourful displays. Of course this is purely anecdotal, no scientific study whatsoever.

Camas in the northern part of Beacon Hill Park

Morning light on Camas south-facing slopes of Beacon Hill

This meadow was alive with insects

A bee alights on a Camas flower

Some of the colourful flowers I saw in the ornamental beds of Beacon Hill Park did not have visible stamens, nor pollen....nothing to attract a bee or butterfly. Perhaps there were stamens deep in the flower. Apparently some ornamental flowers are bred so that they do not produce nectar.

Ornamental flower blooming in Beacon Hill Park. Note there is no visiblestamen or pollen.

We tend to like our gardens manicured; yet, from the perspective of providing food for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, a manicured lawn, with few flowers, and no garden litter, is a "desert" (David Suzuki Foundation website).  A naturalist book about Victoria described a clean tidy garden as a "death trap" for butterflies.

Long grass, Snowberry, Nootka Rose, and Garry Oak. The unkempt look is very appealing for birds and bees.

Another example of nature's garden: Garry Oak meadow, Uplands Park

We have lost so much native habitat, that butterflies and bees are in stress. There are other reasons, too, such as the profusion of insecticides.

I learned that Anglewinged Satyr butterfly, which used to be common in Victoria, is now rare here, because it is dependent on the native stinging nettle plant, and many nettles have been removed.

As gardeners, we can help encourage bees and butterflies by avoiding the use of insecticides, protecting native habitat, and growing pollinator plants in our gardens. The best options are native ones.

Select plants which blossom at different times during the growing season, so there is always something in bloom in your garden to provide food for bees and butterflies throughout their cycles. A booklet by Habitat Acquisition Trust gives some ideas for pollinator native plants for coastal gardens: http://hat.bc.ca/images/Pollinator-Guide-Web.pdf. And here's a publication from Saanich which focusses on butterflies and native plants:
http://www.saanichnativeplants.com/uploads/SNP_handout_Butterflies.pdf

Some of the plants listed for coastal gardens are also relevant for interior gardens. I have not been able to find an equivalent publication that lists good native pollinator plants for the interior.

Here are images of several pollinator plants; most of these will grow in both interior and coastal environments:

Examples of plants which attract pollinators like bees and butterflies

Another thing we can do for bees and butterflies is to avoid "cleaning" the garden in the fall. Leaf litter and other debris piles kept over winter provide good habitat for much wildlife.

For those people who are affected by pollen, the City of Victoria has a list of pollinator plants which are low in pollen. See
https://www.victoria.ca/assets/Departments/Parks~Rec~Culture/Parks/Documents/Growing~in~the~City/GITC%20Pollinator%20Allergy%20Friendly%20Gardening_DIGITAL.pdf

Native plants which are rated as having lower potential to cause allergic reactions to pollen from the City's list include:

• Arctostaphylos uva ursi (Kinnikinnick)
• Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
• Sedum spp. (Stonecrop) – native species available
• Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape)
• Allium spp. (Flowering Onion) – native species available
• Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry)
• Oxalis oregana (Wood Sorrel)

There are also several non-native plants included on the list, such as Ceanothus thyrsiflorus (California Lilac).

I have found two pollinator gardens in the James Bay area. Both are full of colour right now.

Pollinator garden, Montreal Street allotment garden

Chives, thyme and other herbs at the James Bay New Horizons pollinator garden

So far I have talked about bees and butterflies, but birds too are often dependent on native species of trees, shrubs and other plants. As I have been walking around the tree-lined streets where I'm living, I often notice more birdsong and bird activity in native trees such as Douglas fir, or Garry Oak, compared with ornamental nursery trees.

The massive heron rookery in Beacon Hill Park is in Douglas fir trees. The video which follows captures the sounds of the chicks in the nests as of a few days ago.

And, to close - here is the information on the bee webinar:

A webinar on native bee ecology will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 pm PDT with specialist Marike von Reeuwyk and Martine Clausen from the Native Bee Society. Here is the Facebook page, from which you can link to the Zoom webinar.  

https://m.facebook.com/events/3317240321626012?view=permalink&id=3474811015868941

Food in the City

A recent Globe and Mail article captured my attention with the title: "As meat plants shut down, Covid-19 reveals the extreme concentration of our food supply".

The authors of the article, Ian Mosby and Sarah Rotz, detail some sobering statistics:

• Nearly all of Canada's meat production is controlled by just four multi-billion dollar corporations (Cargill, JBS, Maple Leaf and Olymel) 
• 80 per cent of the retail grocery market is owned by only five companies (Loblaws, Sobeys/Safeway, Costco, Metro and Walmart)
• More than 60 per cent of global seed and pesticide sales are controlled by a small handful of companies (Bayer, ChemChina, Corteva and BASF)

This kind of extreme concentration equals extreme vulnerability of our food supply. We need to diversify food production.

I posted this information on Facebook, and one of my friends who produces garlic and heirloom tomato plants, amongst many other growing activities, commented that he has been arguing for small farms with greater diversity of land use, for years. He said, "multiple small farms still do better over time to supply the general population with food, less pesticide, less herbicide, less chemical than mega farms."

What can we do as urban dwellers?

Buy Local and Organic 

Support local producers, especially organic ones! Find them in your area, and purchase their products. They will be at Farmers Markets; they may have subscriptions where you can purchase a share of their crops, and receive deliveries of bins of seasonal produce every week or two weeks; and most do farmgate sales.

Here is a sample of three organic growers - one in the Victoria area, one in Alberta, and one in the Shuswap - with a bit of information for each about their approach:

• From North Star Organics, Saanich Peninsula: "We sustain the soil using techniques such as composting, cover cropping and crop rotation. Pest control is achieved through preventative measures such as screening and covering crops against pests, as well as introducing beneficial insects and micro-organisms that either attack pests or colonize plant and soil to keep pests out."





Tomatoes, North Star Organics, Saanich Peninsula

I encountered these growers at a market in Edmonton. Located between Edmonton and Calgary, they are a family owned business, with a commitment to sustainability principles. Their website mentions their use of LED lighting which enables them to grow year-round, and use of energy curtains in winter to conserve energy.

• Growers are increasingly finding ways of producing food during winter months. We do not need to depend on California! Wild Flight Farms, in Mara near Salmon Arm, grow several hardy greens throughout the winter in their unheated greenhouses. One of these is corn salad, which they describe as follows: Despite being called corn salad, it isn't related to corn at all. It gets its name from its weed-like tendency to grow throughout fields of grain, such as corn. Corn salad has a nutty, somewhat herbal flavour. Its oh-so-tender leaves pair well with a light dressing in salad, or can be very lightly wilted and added to many meals.

Harvesting Corn Salad in this unheated greenhouse, Wild Flight Farms, Mara, BC

Grow our Own

It is relatively easy to grow our own vegetables or fruits when we have a yard, or an acreage. It's a little more difficult in a city where we may live in an apartment. But it's not impossible!

Use a Community Garden

So far I have encountered several community gardens within a short distance of the James Bay area. Allotments are made available to residents of the area.

Montreal Street Allotment Garden

Montreal Street Allotment Garden

Despite the sign, this allotment garden is on Niagara, not Michigan, Street. This photo was taken last fall.  The garden's objectives include food for area residents, aesthetics, and community health.

Grow in the Kitchen

It is very satisfying to grow sprouts and herbs right in our own kitchens. Sprouts can be grown year-round, and especially make sense in winter when vegetables are more scarce. Various seed mixes can be found in health food stores, sometimes in bulk.

This seed mix contains alfalfa, radish and various beans. They will sprout quickly, need rinsing a few times a day, and will green up in a couple of days. 

Consider an "Urban" Greenhouse  

Europe has long explored solutions for limited space. Here is an approach to small space "urban farming" that works with balconies or other restricted areas.

This Belgian greenhouse is designed for narrow spaces like balconies. This one is 2.7 feet wide. Source: https://acd.eu/en/greenhouses-garden-pavillions/urban-greenhouses/.

Encourage Municipal Growing Efforts

I am discovering various creative ideas in Victoria to encourage more local food. Some of these are transferable to other communities.

Vegetables Instead of Flowers

The COVID-19 pandemic has led the City of Victoria to change its priorities for what it grows in its greenhouses to include food plants, to be shared over this year's growing season. As many as 75,000 edible "plant starts" will be grown, and distributed by community non profit partners. Plants being grown include cucumbers, zucchini, squash, broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens, chard, kale, basil, tomatoes, parsley and lettuce. As the City says on its website, they are plants that "novice" gardeners can easily grow.

The seeds are local seeds from farms on Southern Vancouver Island, and through the BC Eco Seed Co-op. 

For more information, go to
https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/parks/growing-in-the-city.html:

This is a wonderful initiative. Why limit it to just this time of pandemic?

Edible Landscapes

Even before COVID-19, Victoria was doing some innovative things with planting edibles in various public places around the city. Many planters on streets may contain surprises of chard, parsley, kale or rosemary. Even downtown has an "edible streetscape". 

"Edible Landscape Design" is now a new term in urban development.

Chives and other herbs growing at Fisherman's Wharf park

Signage on a blueberry shrub, Fisherman's Wharf park. The signs are helpful for users to know that the plant is definitely an edible one!

A glimpse of the edible landscape

The very useful local paper James Bay Beacon carried an article last year with a guide to edible gardens in the area, and helping readers learn which gardens were available for them to harvest from.

https://www.jamesbaybeacon.com/home/2019/3/7/to-pick-or-not-to-pick

The James Bay Neighbourhood Association also supports community garden initiatives - https://jbna.org/our-activities/parks-and-gardens/gardens/

Further beyond James Bay, downtown Victoria is developing a Food Eco District, through the efforts of the group FED. Here is an excerpt from the website https://www.get-fed.ca/

The Food Eco District is a local non-profit that is working to create a vibrant and distinct neighbourhood in Victoria's downtown core. The District is fast becoming a destination for sustainable food, full of amazing eateries and a growing number of edible gardens.

By partnering with the finest restaurants in the district and beyond, FED is planting food, eating local, and growing a movement.

An edible streetscape planter from last fall.

The group FED is one of the partners distributing City-grown plants to families in the City.

Other Food Policies

As a resident of a multi-family building, I was interested in the City's document summarizing its research into ways that such buildings can be used to grow food.  "Growing Food and Gardening in Mixed Use, Multi-Unit Residential Developments" includes ideas such as roof-top gardens and greenhouses, pollinator gardens, and the use of vacant lots.

The City already actively encourages the use of boulevards for food growing. Its website https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/parks/growing-in-the-city.html outlines some of the other ways it encourages food production in the city - through allowing urban chickens and bees, encouraging people to grow food for resale in markets, and encouraging groups to maintain community fruit and nut trees.

An example of this is in Fernwood, where I discovered Spring Ridge Commons. and the Fernwood Neighbourhood Orchard.

I visited in the fall so some food plants were not obvious

An attractive path through Spring Ridge Commons

Neighbourhood orchard in Fernwood

A useful sign that helps users plan their harvest in the community orchard

Spring Ridge Commons is located on land owned by the School District, and leased to a neighbourhood group for managing. There is now much uncertainty about its future as the land is being considered for a complicated land swap project involving the School District, the City, and Capital Region Housing. It likely will not be a community "food forest garden" for much longer; hopefully there will be lessons learned from the experience that will be transferable to other projects in the area.

Many of us live in strata developments. Here is a resource for growing food in a strata: Starting a Food Garden - A Resource Guide for Strata Corporations http://www.ediblegardenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/strata_garden_guide_Sep13_issuu.pdf . Here is a quote which shows what happens when we grow our food in community: "It turns out that growing and sharing food also grows our neighbourhoods".

As our communities navigate through the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening our local food sources makes so much sense.