Boulevard `mess' is hard not to like

Boulevard `mess' is hard not to like

Dear editor, Re: "Sargent Rd. median is an unsightly mess", Jan. 19 letter to the editor. Mrs. McEachern, thanks for giving us all a good chuckle with your comment about an elephant perhaps being buried under the Sargent Rd. median at Mountainview Rd. That was a good one. When the Sargent Rd. Boulevard Garden began in the fall of 2004 it was indeed an ugly duckling with its landscape fabric covered by pea gravel. A bit of history-- the garden is a partnership of HOPE (Healthy Options for People & the Environment), TEAC (Town Environmental Advisory Committee), POWER (Protect Our Water & Environmental Resources), and the Town of Halton Hills, part of the Adopt-A-Boulevard program. In the summer of 2005, HOPE received Evergreen funding to develop a beautiful landscape of native plants-- naturally pest, drought and salt resistant-- and to promote biodiversity where a monoculture of dandelions, er, grass, existed before. Community members and companies generously donated time, talents and materials. Master Gardener Belinda Gallagher developed a delightful garden design, J.C.Duff donated three feature rocks and area residents, HOPE volunteers and WalMart employees have worked very hard during the three phases of planting. The final phase, in August 2006, saw hundreds of tiny thyme plants dug in on both ends of the median to become solid ground cover. Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder but it's hard not to like the succession of blooms and the birds, butterflies and bunnies that now inhabit the median. In winter the stark beauty of tall, snow-capped plants attracting birds with their seed is quite beguiling. Seniors living on Sargent Rd. assure us they enjoy seeing the garden evolve over time. To enjoy pictures of the garden and its history, please check out http://sargentrdboulevardgarden.blog spot.com/. Kathy Dorbeck, H.O.P.E., Georgetown