Have a boulevard garden? This contest is for you

Do you have a boulevard garden?

It's a garden planted on the narrow patch of land between the sidewalk and the curb — also called a hellstrip — that technically belongs to the city.

As of this spring, boulevard gardens are now permitted in the Sault — thanks in part to Lisa Bondar, a Sault resident and a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Horticulture Society.

“We need to do more as a community to fight climate change, and boulevard gardens look beautiful,” she said in a news release. 

“Many other cities around the world and in southern Ontario are allowing these gardens. They just make sense.”

Clean North believes boulevard gardens offer up the perfect opportunity to plant mostly or all native plants.

“Boulevard gardens can provide food and habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, increasing biodiversity and forming a habitat network across the city; reduce water and lawn chemical use as well as water runoff and erosion; help improve air quality; and inspire others to beautify their yards and garden with native plants,” the organization said.

Anyone with a boulevard garden can enter a contest run by Clean North for a chance to win a $50 gift card at New North Greenhouses.

All you have to do is snap a photo of your boulevard garden and send it, along with your address, to info@cleannorth.org. The deadline is Saturday.

For more information, visit the Clean North blog.