Langdon families jump up to care for town flowers

Times Contributor

 

For the third year in a row, families in Langdon have eagerly volunteered to care for the cement planters that beautify the town’s Main Street.

“It’s called the Adopt-a-Planter program,” said Chrissy Craig, beautification coordinator for the Langdon Community Assocation (LCA). “Families within the town adopt a planter and then they’re responsible to care for it for the summer.” 

This year, Craig posted the Adopt-a-Planter invitation on Monday, May 6, and within five days, all 24 planters – plus two newly-ordered ones still to arrive – had been snapped up.

The brainchild of Shauna Baerwaldt, LCA’s current vice-president, Adopt-a-Planter started in 2011. A grant from Rocky View County paid for the planters and the LCA purchases the plants. “Mostly sun-loving flowers, because they’re out in the open, so we do a lot of petunias and marigolds, and that sort of stuff,” said Craig. “Anything that loves the sun and doesn’t mind being a little bit dry.”

The families take it from there. 

“The families add to it with plants from their gardens or they’ll purchase some from the garden centre,” Craig said. “The family puts the plants in the dirt.” Then, all summer, “each family takes care of their planter, and waters it and weeds it.”

It’s a great way for families to volunteer together. “It’s something that families can do that doesn’t take a lot of time,” she said, “and something that they can help their children with and give back to the community.”

She’s already seen at least one family in action. 

“(May 11), I was driving by and there was one family, and they actually had all five of them out and they were cleaning the planter out, getting it ready for the spring,” she said.

Craig also hopes to add a new element this summer. 

“I think this year what they’re going to do is have a competition for the best-looking planter,” she said. “Then we do a thank you and we have little plaques with the family’s name on it, saying this planter was taken care of by the so-and-so family.”

“It’s an awesome program, It’s been very successful.”