The Garden ( + news article version)

 

The Garden

I wonder if when our Creator planted the Garden of Eden. Not only did He intend it a place for gathering nourishment, but also as a testament to the gloriousness of unity as well as His, and then mankind’s creative prowess. One could only dream of the complexity and shear beauty this garden may have fundamentally yielded. However, there may be a place right here on earth resembling such an ideal atmosphere, where people from all walks could gather getting hands dirty knee deep in sensations of community and contribution. In a garden where any weary member of urban society can harvest accomplishment along with potatoes, carrots and cucumbers.    　 　　　

Lady Flower Garden is 3 acres of agricultural land like no other in central Alberta just northeast of, yet still within our city limits. Provided for by Riverbend Gardens, Lady Flower is a project put forth by Kelly Mills and partner Doug Visser who donate land, seed, time as well as their love for organizations such as the Food Bank, the Mustard Seed, Bissell Center and Boyle Street Co-op. Here members of the inner city community and others come together, building relationships and working joyously to help feed those who utilize these services.  

Last year while homeless, I became familiar with Lady Flower in its 2nd year through the Bissell and Boyle Street recreation crews who take inner city community members on various outings, and then later with the Mustard Seed. Though I must say, the garden experience has personally been the most rewarding by far. Sure a small part of it was a need to give back to that which I employed. But at first it was simply a means for getting out of the city core, to doing anything other than napping in the park or hanging out at the library. You see, I decided to enjoy the summer unemployed due to a drug relapse the previous winter among other reasons. Then a tear in my knee prevented me from returning to construction.

Now this year between the Mustard Seed outings on Wednesday afternoons and the Bissell /Boyle Street on Mondays, I’ve no shortage of family who once were only faces in da hood. Projects such as this really do bring people closer together. For a couple hours we pull weeds and harvest peas, beans, beats, corn, char, dill, then later pumpkins and so much more. Not to mention the frequent picnics which are always fun. A variety of flowers are also available to us along with a portion of the bounty to take home.

Lady Flower provides not only an opportunity for giving, but also relationships. Laughter, agricultural education along with other various cultural activities also takes place from time to time. Sadly though, this little piece of heaven is under pressure by highway hungry municipalities and if not preserved, may be a loss for many. I for one pray that Lady Flower Garden will be around for many years yet to come.    

                                      Johnny Lee

Boyle Mccauley News (Edited Version)

 Lady Flower Garden

By Johnny Lee • Volume 35, Number 7 • September 2014

I wonder when our Creator planted the Garden of Eden, if not only did He intend it a place for gathering nourishment, but also as a testament to the gloriousness of unity and humanity’s creative prowess. One could only dream of the complexity and shear beauty this garden may have fundamentally yielded. However, there may be a place right here on earth resembling such an ideal atmosphere, where people from all walks of life could gather, getting their hands dirty while knee deep in sensations of community and contribution. A garden where any weary member of urban society can harvest accomplishment along with potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers.    　 　　
　
Lady Flower Garden is three acres of agricultural land in the northeast part of the city. Provided for by Riverbend Gardens, Lady Flower is a project put forth by Kelly Mills and partner Doug Visser who donate land, seed, and time as well as their love for organizations such as Edmonton’s Food Bank, The Mustard Seed, Bissell Centre, Boyle Street Community Services, and Hope Mission. Here, members of the inner city community and others come together, building relationships and working joyously to help feed those who utilize these services.  

Last year while homeless, I became familiar with Lady Flower in its second year first through the Bissell and Boyle Street recreation crews who take inner city community members on various outings, and then later with the Mustard Seed. The garden experience has personally been the most rewarding by far. Sure, a small part of it was a need to give back to those services which I employed. However, at first it was simply a means for getting out of the city core, to doing anything other than napping in the park or hanging out at the library. I decided to enjoy the summer unemployed due to a drug relapse the previous winter, among other reasons. Then, a tear in my knee prevented me from returning to construction.
Now, this year between the Mustard Seed outings on Wednesday afternoons and the Bissell /Boyle Street on Mondays, I’ve no shortage of family who once were only faces in the ‘hood. Projects such as this really do bring people closer together. For a couple of hours we pull weeds and harvest peas, beans, beats, corn, Swiss chard, dill, then later pumpkins, and so much more – not to mention the frequent picnics which are always fun. A variety of flowers are also available to us along with a portion of the bounty to take home.
Lady Flower provides not only an opportunity for giving, but also to build relationships. Laughter, agricultural education, along with other various cultural activities also take place from time to time. Sadly though, this little piece of heaven is under pressure by highway hungry municipalities and if not preserved, may be a loss for many. I, for one, pray that Lady Flower Garden will be around for many years yet to come.