Short Summary
As a long term resident of East Vancouver and lifelong gardener, I launched Simply Barefoot Garden Services two years ago with the idea of providing high quality, enviromental sound and fiscally sustainable garden support for both experienced and first time gardeners. The pure joy and gratitude I recieve from clients who can now use and enjoy their gardens is by far, the single greatest reward.
As a bootstrap business owner, I have focused my attention on the needs of clients. Though as life long gardener, a neighbour and a friend, my attention is often drawn to those who are desperate to preserve and maintain plants, shrubs and trees. My business practice includes pro bono services to aging clients and special assistance for those facing other barriers to getting asistance.
The more I am in the gardens of East Van the more I realize that the neighbourhood is filled with dozens of ancient trees that are hurting through neglect. Not by intention or design, simply because their care takers are no longer able to care for them.
This is where you come in. With your help I can do both. I get more than my fair share of joy and gratitude. I want to share it with you. Your contributions will assist me to turn the financial corner and embark on a new branch of garden practice - assisting those who can longer assist their gardens and trees. Sometimes this will mean pruning back trees, sometimes dividing perennials and scaling back garden size, in which case new homes are found for plants and shrubs, and even a smaller trees. Mostly it means bringing these aging beauties back to being productive members of our community.
Where heirloom trees like the lovely apple who has lived over 80 years and stands well over 40 feet, more help is needed than I can provide. Your contributions will insure that a specialist will visit and provide assistance to help us help the tree live on.
Your generous assistance will help identify feature trees. Each featured tree has it's own story: Who planted it? When? What families sat below its branches, climbed them, buried their gold fish below.
And just as importantly, with the help of you and the Eleventh Avenue Elementals (a magical group of kind individuals who have taken it upon themselves to help clean yards, make bird houses and perches, remove green waste and on occassion, spontaniously plant food seeds in alley ways) we will uncover the history and tell the stories of the gardens and trees in our alley corridor at a public launch in Autumn.
in sharing the fruits of our labour, it is our hope to draw attention to the worth, value and contributions these oldtimers make to the neighbourhood and to inspire others to see anew the trees in their own back yards and alley ways and the folks that care about them. Rumour has it that the Elementals are going to create some dandy artwork for each of the featured trees. And each of you will share in the joy created.
Stay tuned for the launch of the Simply Barefoot Garden blog featuring the adventures of the Eleventh Avenue Elementals and our contributors as well as upcoming public events encouraging garden and tree preservation. Y'all come on down and share the joy now.