The 1,000 tulip bulbs won by the High Prairie Community Beautification Association arrived Sept. 21. Above is one of the two boxes of 500 bulbs. Beautification meets Sept. 28 to complete plans for the community garden.

Winner of 1,000 tulip bulbs!

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

High Prairie will be awash in 1,000 red and white tulips next spring.

The High Prairie Community Beautification Association is one of 150 winners and has already received 1,000 tulip bulbs – 500 White Hakuun and 500 Red Impression bulbs.

The association was one of the winners in the ‘150 – ‘150th Celebration Gardens’ contest announced Sept. 15. Beautification decided to enter the Contest at its July 15 meeting.

Members previously discussed possible locations for the garden including MacIntyre Park, the Civic Square, Esso lot or the space by Deep Creek in the town’s east end. One option is to plant the red and white tulips in the shape of a Canadian flag.

Michel Gauthier, executive director, Canadian Garden Council, e-mailed the association with the news.

“Your praiseworthy application was chosen to receive one of the 150th Celebration Gardens,” he wrote. “With so many worthy applications from which to choose, as well as the need to ensure an equitable coast-to-coast distribution of the Celebration Gardens, our judges had very tough decisions to make.”

The association now has to meet and plan to plant the bulbs this fall.

As a winner, Beautification has agreed to do the following:

* Organize a public planting ceremony event in the fall of 2016 and Bloom Celebration in the spring of 2017;
* Include seniors, youth/school children and local dignitaries in both these events;
* Implement a local public relations campaign about your 150th Celebration Garden;
* Distribute a media release about your planting ceremony to your local media;
* Engage with the Canadian Garden Council’s national social media campaign.
* Install signage to identify your 150th Celebration Garden.
* Document, in writing and visually, your garden and activities for your program report;
* Participate in the evaluation of the program; and * Provide public access to the 150th Celebration Garden.

The contest began to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, and involves Vesey’s Bulbs of P.E.I., and the Canadian Garden Council.

The tulip is an international symbol of friendship and of spring. For Canadians, especially, the tulip is a symbol of national ethos of kindness and friendship, witnessed in particular, by our providing refuge to the Dutch Royal family during the Second World War.

The contest also highlights gardens as an important part of Canada’s history, culture, development and growth. With so many winners, many will be provided an opportunity to take part in anniversary celebrations.