Loralee’s garden (Lethbridge, Alberta)

Alternative Routes
Blog posting #13
BriarpatchMagazine.com

by Shayna Stock, with photography by Dominique Fenton

I have written a lot about people who are creating community somewhat outside of greater society— often rural or, if urban, generally restricted to one household or so. Some of these communities do reach out to greater society through education programs such as the Free School offered by the Waldegrave Farm in Nova Scotia; however, I saw something recently that has got me thinking about fostering a sense of community in pre-existing neighbourhoods, in our cities and towns.

A few weeks ago, we got a comment on our blog. It read:

I am in Lethbridge, if you come through please stop by. My summer art project was a community guerrilla gardening project - you can see the blog here http://lethbridgegg.blogspot.com/

This project has created a wonderful sense of community…my view is we have to bring people back to the front of their houses…rather than front garages and back yards…because if we never meet our community how can we cultivate a sense of community and caring…anyway love what you are doing

keep on keeping on

in solidarity,

Loralee

As it turned out, we did stop in Lethbridge for a day. So, while Dom slept in the van (tired from driving the night before), I ventured out in search of this gardening project.

I took down the precise address from Loralee’s blog, but it would have been sufficient to know the general area, because I could see the garden from about a block away. Surrounded by flat monotonous green for blocks and blocks, this garden is like a vivid oasis of vitality in the residential neighbourhood.

A piece of paper facing the sidewalk invites passers-by to help themselves, informing them that the garden was created with the intention of sharing it with the community. On small flat rocks that decorate the garden, someone has spelled out the names of the various plants in white paint: echinacea, basil, tomato, zuchini, strawberries, and a lot more.

I knocked on the door and met Paul, Loralee’s husband and co-gardener, who walked me through the garden and shared its stories.

He told me about one woman who had come by to thank them for the garden. She was a single mother of four, and was grateful for the free produce.

He also said the garden has brought them out of their backyard, where they used to spend a lot of their time, and onto their front porch, where they are more able to meet their neighbours.

Looking up and down the street, I imagined a neighbourhood full of gardens. The boulevard could become one huge community garden, each household responsible for their little piece, but allowed to harvest from anywhere. You could do your grocery shopping on the way home from work, while socializing with your neighbours!

Perhaps it is just the idealist in me, running away from the restrictive ties of reality. But I believe that this garden has started something. Already, Paul and Loralee’s next door neighbours are preparing to turn their boulevard into a garden. Loralee has also done quite a bit of networking through her blog. Paul said they have even had interest from people in Europe.

When we were doing research for this project before we left, we had an interesting conversation with a woman who is opposed to intentional communities. In her experience, intentional communities are isolated from greater society, and therefore do not represent a viable means to a more peaceful society.

I think there is a place for the isolated intentional communities to which she referred. But I do agree with her that there must also be initiatives to build peaceful communities within pre-existing neighbourhoods.

It amazes me to think of the potential that something as simple as a garden has to transform neighbourhoods and bring people together. Building community does not have to mean giving up everything and moving to a farm. It can happen right where you are; it just needs someone to plant a few seeds, and a few people to help weed along the way.

I left Paul and Loralee’s garden with a couple zuchinis, a tomato, a bunch of basil, and some plums from a tree in the backyard. The following evening, in Nelson, British Columbia, Dom and I enjoyed a stir fry that sang with guerrilla garden goodness.

Shayna and Dominique are traveling across Canada in search of community, and sharing what they find with Briarpatch readers. Read their introduction to the project here.