Chestermere Joins Communities in Bloom Program

Would you like to show your civic pride? Are you an aspiring green thumb?
This year our parks department has entered the town in the Communities in Bloom competition. This national group is a Canadian non-profit organization aimed at fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification of their town or city.
Parks is encouraging homeowners as well as the town and businesses of Chesteremere to get into the “green scene” by cleaning up your yard, planting trees and flowers, getting involved in the local community garden or even entering the local yard competition.
The town website offers some suggestions to get you started. Choose some blue and white colored flowers (Chestermere’s official colors) for some of your pots or beds to indicate your participation in the program, or pick up a small free sign from the Town Hall or local Garden centers to place in your yard.
Discounts at Garden Scents or Cobblestone Garden Centre will be given to anyone who is part of the program.
Communities in Bloom which was started in 1995 was inspired by a movement in the United Kingdom and France. It has grown across Canada with communities participating provincially as well as nationally with potential of moving to the international level. Judging which takes place through July and August is based on 8 specific criteria including tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape, turf and groundcovers, community involvement and floral displays.
At the provincial level communities compete against others with the same population base ensuring that resources will be equal. Participants are given a bloom rating out of 5 with 5 being the highest ranking. Up to two communities from the province will be invited to compete at the national level for the next year.
Last year’s provincial winner in the population category of 6,001-15,000 was Drayton Valley with a bloom rating of 5, followed by Taber coming in with a rating of 4. Categories are determined yearly depending on the number of applications.
For some tuning into one’s green thumb is an already cultivated skill, and for others they have yet to take a step into the very rewarding and enriching world one can develop in their own backyard. Tuning into the natural world is a great stress release as well as fostering appreciation, enjoyment and care for the environment.
The Chestermere Parks department under the supervision of the very personable Ken Jackson works hard to keep the community looking great. Jackson brings to his job over twenty years of experience, both in the private horticulture industry as well as nine years with the city of Regina. Each year parks plant 150 trees as well as maintaining the hanging baskets, planters, beds, green belts and lake weeds.
All the wonderful flowers and hanging baskets that are seen about town are grown in the greenhouse located at the municipal yard. The flowers arrive in mid March as seedlings and are grown on from there in containers, flats and baskets.
Chestermere Parks employs 8 full-time people and also hires a troop of about 35 student laborers during the summer for those lucky enough to work on their farmer’s tan either buffing up the town parks or working on the weed control on the lake.
If you would like more information on Communities in Bloom you can check out their website at www.communitiesinbloom.ca as well as the town site at www. chestermere.ca