As an active aging community for independent adults, Tapestry is focused on delivering programs aligned to the seven dimensions of wellness, including environmental wellness. To celebrate Earth Day, we are pleased to share the efforts of Tapestry residents who recently “dug deep” to support the community and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Botanical Garden.

In mid-March, the UBC Botanical Garden was forced to close due to COVID-19. This was a potential death sentence for a collection of about 550 young Pelargonium plants (a beautiful flowering plant), which had been lovingly attended by Friends of the Garden (FOG), at UBC’s gardens.

To save the plants, a special permit was obtained to access the greenhouse and remove the endangered Pelargoniums. Volunteers were then needed to look after the plants during the current pandemic situation. Enthused to help FOG members, Shirley and Hanno worked with Tapestry to find an appropriate place to shelter the plants, which are now located on the windowsill of the 7^th floor hallway at Wesbrook Village.

The act of saving these beautiful plants was also personal for Shirley, whose husband, Ian, was a Vancouver hobby Pelargonium breeder, who prior to his passing, developed the well-known Pelargonium “Vancouver Centennial”, among many other varieties.

In fact, in his retirement, Ian started to grow his plants in the Service Yard Greenhouse of the Botanical Garden to be sold in the “Shop in the Garden” at UBC. The plants were a great success in the store and other volunteers helped Ian, learned from him and continued raising these plants after his passing.

Today, 40 beautiful “juvenile” Pelargoniums saved from an untimely demise grace the windowsills at Tapestry at Wesbrook Village where they are carefully watered and fed. Everybody at Tapestry enjoys the plants, which in the current COVID-19 pandemic, are a tangible representation of life, hope and health.

On this Earth Day and every day, we thank our residents for their quick thinking and compassionate approach to celebrating the beauty and restorative nature of plants for everyone to enjoy.