Each year, Communities in Bloom selects a national theme for gardeners to consider. Many years, that theme has been a particular colour. This year the theme is Therapeutic Gardening.

What is that??

From the Communities in Bloom website:

We recognize the restorative power of green spaces — gardens that nurture the mind, body, and spirit. Whether through community gardens, sensory landscapes, or the simple joy of tending plants, therapeutic gardening fosters connection, resilience, and well-being.

Strathcona in Bloom, with our motto of “Cultivating Community,” embraces the concept — building connections between people and the land. Through our volunteer-led Public Beds project and our encouragement of neighbors to appreciate each other’s front yards, we are curating a community-wide therapy session. It’s that sense of “we grew this together” that turns a simple flowerbed into a shared anchor for the neighbourhood.

This spring, look for the beds planted around Sherwood Park — often at the entry to subdivisions and around the Community Centre. And, watch for our Front Yard and Public Spaces recognition programs.