‘Hope is Growing’ campaign to begin at County’s hospital

The first ‘Hope is Growing’ campaign garden for Prince Edward County is to be planted outside the hospital’s emergency department.

Scott Wentworth told council Tuesday night the Hope is Growing initiative is an expression of hope – individually and collectively.

“It originated with Communities in Bloom (CiB) and is designed to spread hope across Canada with gardens awash in yellow, the international colour of hope in 2021.

“The ‘Hope is Growing’ campaign is an elegantly simple way to focus our individual and collective expressions of hope,” said Wentworth, a member of CiB’s national board of directors. “As our communities move through this time of COVID-19, hope has an even greater social importance. We’ve seen an incredible surge in people re-connecting with nature, the outdoors, and their gardens.

“An abiding sense of hope is essential to the human spirit. It’s fundamental to moving us forward to achievement, building a community working together towards what we hope for, and sometimes, to just getting up in the morning.”

Construction and planting for the hospital’s Hope Garden is to get under way in a few weeks’ time.

Mayor Steve Ferguson made a special proclamation for the Hope is Growing campaign which invites everybody to join in by planting ‘Hope Gardens’ at home, schools, churches, businesses and throughout the municipality.

“If there ever was a time this was needed it is right now,” said Ferguson. “I can’t think of a better place to start than at our hospital.”

Participants are asked to plant a Hope Garden this spring, comprised of primarily yellow plants, whether they be yellow-flowering, yellow-leafed or even yellow vegetables and fruits.

Hope Gardens can be as simple as a balcony planter using primary yellow flowering plants, to corporate gardens, plantings in school yards, and even municipal display plantings. Provincial, national and international judging of the gardens will take place this fall, with awards in a wide variety of categories.

“This applies to whether it’s a single planter on a balcony, a section of your home garden, a school ground planting or municipal floral display.”

Communities in Bloom has partnered with nursery and garden associations, among others and hopes participants share photographs with the hashtag #HopeisGrowing. Tag @CiBCef (Instagram) or @communitiesinbloom (Facebook) and use the hashtag #HopeisGrowing to spread hope across Canada in 2021. Those interested in the contest portion should visit hopeisgrowing.ca to register their garden, download signs and share photographs.