Parks / greenspace

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by Migrant_Coconut

If there is an ulterior motive for not mowing the grass, it's probably this.

For the operator, yes, haha, but it actually gives more reason to keep the grass short, makes it far easier for garbage and “waste” removal.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Yeah I'd much rather have low maintenance, nice looking, local plants. It's fine to not want to invest a ton into maintenance and just let stuff grow naturally, but it looks lazy when you do that with existing landscaping that was designed with maintenance in mind.

The city can do that. It doesn't have to be the fairy dull local plants which likely wouldn't do well isolated on medians with the hot, dry summers we have been getting (up until this year anyway). The city had some good low maintenance medians with lavender and something else along SE Marine though they nay have torn them out as part of the neverending roadwork there.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Bluebells, yarrow, goldenrod, cornflower and paintbrush are fairly nice to look at too.

[Vin]

Regarding the new Richards and Smithe park in downtown Vancouver:

Man gets banned from brand new Vancouver park for threatening parents
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bann...tening-parents

I wonder how the City intends to enforce the ban.

[GenWhy?]

Was there a plan back in the day to replace the dying plum / cherry trees that line many boulevards in East Van with "real" trees... ones that live? I recall a large tree debate a few years ago. I understand the City's biodiversity strategy but wouldn't mind more larger trees as we have in the West End or Westside.

Curious what will be our "new" climate appropriate tree for the region. Cedars are having a bad time in urban environments. Maybe more spruce and pine?

[jollyburger]

Urban Tree List

http://www.metrovancouver.org/servic...nTreesList.pdf

[Sheba]

Wow I purposely left the subject pretty open (for other 'green' articles) 'cause I didn't think this would get many comments. I have to say after reading the comments I agree with planting ground cover instead of grass on medians. Sadly Burnaby seems to be more interested in paving them and having plantings on top of podiums in the town centres. I might send them an e-mail about it but it's probably better to wait until after the local elections in Oct.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Made a similar thread a while ago, never caught on. Hopefully this one gets more use.

[GenWhy?]

Personally a big fan of the raingarden features at any pedestrian sidewalk bulbs and rouge planting that occurs on the boulevard. Haro was upgraded with new rain gardens (a switch from the small roundabouts) and looking forward to the Bute upgrade.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Wonder how practical it'd be to dig up an entire street lane (something like Spruce or Ash, obviously no arterials) and revert it to a creek bed?

[GenWhy?]

If you mean something like the Alberta and St. George St blue-green ways then very do-able, but no so much full "daylighting". More of a storm management system but acting regularly as a linear park. Honestly am jealous of the folks that live on the pocket parks in the West End.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

Personally a big fan of the raingarden features at any pedestrian sidewalk bulbs and rouge planting that occurs on the boulevard.

I'm a fan of those too and hope we'll see more of them on quiet residential streets.

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

If you mean something like the Alberta and St. George St blue-green ways then very do-able, but no so much full "daylighting". More of a storm management system but acting regularly as a linear park. Honestly am jealous of the folks that live on the pocket parks in the West End.

I've lived in a couple places where cars were diverted to underground parking and there was lawns and gardens above, so there were few to no cars anywhere near the front of the building and / or my unit. It's a pretty sweet deal.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Wow I purposely left the subject pretty open (for other 'green' articles) 'cause I didn't think this would get many comments. I have to say after reading the comments I agree with planting ground cover instead of grass on medians. Sadly Burnaby seems to be more interested in paving them and having plantings on top of podiums in the town centres. I might send them an e-mail about it but it's probably better to wait until after the local elections in Oct.

There are some impressive plantings in the median on Lougheed west of Willingdon, including rose bushes.
I think they were developer funded (DCL or the like).

Originally Posted by whatnext

The city can do that. It doesn't have to be the fairy dull local plants which likely wouldn't do well isolated on medians with the hot, dry summers we have been getting (up until this year anyway). The city had some good low maintenance medians with lavender and something else along SE Marine though they nay have torn them out as part of the neverending roadwork there.

I saw lavender in a couple of traffic circles around 61st west of Cambie and they were nicely in flower right now.
Nice visibility over the low shrubs, too.

[officedweller]

I noticed a number of dead trees around the Law Courts on the Howe side,
plus there were some big dead ones on Howe in front of SportChek.
I think they've had die off of these trees around the Law Courts in recent years.

Pic by me today:

4 dead in a row:


2 dead:

[jollyburger]

Those trees had green leaves on them last May.

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Those trees had green leaves on them last May.

Just before the heat dome that lasted from June to August?

[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by Changing City

Just before the heat dome that lasted from June to August?

I mean the trees five feet from them managed to survive

[wabooba]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Those trees had green leaves on them last May.

I wonder what killed those trees? I ask this because I was walking along Hornby, outside Robson Square, and found a dead tree with all the bark torn off, killing the cambium layer and thus the tree.
A rash of vandalism targeting street trees is to be avoided at all costs, both the money to replace the trees and the times it will take for them to grow in uniform size. I'd be interested to know the cause of the death of these trees.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

I mean the trees five feet from them managed to survive

It could be that the ones that died are over underground structures, whereas the ones that survived have deeper roots in the street boulevard.

[officedweller]

PS - I also noticed a lot of street trees with tufts of grass at their bases.
I wonder if the grass would help absorb dog pee and lessen the impact on the trees?
Some places like outside Capitol Residences have not been able to sustain trees.