By Ilona Horvath
One day a few years ago, I noticed a sudden transformation of the area framing the front of the public library, an impressive heritage building on Rideau street. A Cinderella story! Years later, I was delighted to finally meet and say thanks to Diane Stephenson and Ursula Williams, who have volunteered their time over the years to develop and maintain the library’s garden – a beautiful oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Rideau Street.
It started in 2016, when Diane and Ursula, long-time friends and amateur gardeners, decided to put their gardening experience and love of flowers to public use. The library does not have a budget for plants and does not accept donations for it therefore at the start they provided all the flowers and bulbs themselves.
Later on, they received donations: the management of the Watergate building gave away tulips bulbs, friends donated plants, and once in a while someone coming along the sidewalk would give them some money towards purchasing them.
They are humble with a real green thumb. When asked why they decided to start this project, they said: “For us it was a wonderful opportunity to get our hands in garden dirt, meet all sorts of interesting people (and critters!) and help cheer up a beautiful heritage building.” This lovely garden and their volunteer work may be an inspiration for future beautifying projects in Lowertown.
Thank you Diane and Ursula! We hope to see you in 2021.