Cypress Community Garden is located in Kitsilano Vancouver between Cypress and Burrard Streets along a one block area on 6th Avenue. Bounded by 6th Avenue on the south, and by the Arbutus Greenway on the north, the garden is as a result narrow (but rich in flower and vegetable produce and in insects, pollinators, an indigenous plantings). There are 52 plots for members along with accessible public and common areas. Situated on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people, Cypress Community Garden was initially created on the barren land alongside the train tracks of Canadian Pacific Railway in the mid 1990’s.
Established by Barbara Atkins who had been instrumental in founding Maple Community Garden in 1989 a block to the west, gardeners initially worked to rejeuvenate the soil and build plots as CPRail Trains passed by.
2001 Photo: B. Day
Coming to serve as an important green space that re-vitalized the neighbourhood, Cypress Community Garden then won Vancouver’s Most Beautiful Community Garden Award in 1999. Volunteers are proud of this history and work throughout the year on clean-up of now verdant public spaces, to care for trees, flowers and vegetables, along with indigenous plants and shrubs for birds and pollinators. (Check out the pictures on our Work Parties page).
Video Arts
One result is that this block-long community garden is an inspiration for photographers and artists. Check out this pretty cool Video made by a young artistic neighbour, Mellia, in May of 2024.
And our new Bench made by one of our artists and woodworkers in June of 2024
Cypress Community Garden is sought out by those seeking an area to read and enjoy a morning coffee or lunch. And in the afternoons in spring, summer and fall, its a popular destination for friends and families or neighbours to relax, visit or picnic. Indeed many visitors bring their own chairs to enjoy the afternoon and evening sun!!! And it is gardeners from Cypress Community Garden who keep the grass cut on the Greenway (see picture below):
Philosophy
To foster inclusivity, inter-generational cooperation and community initiatives; to enhance the environmental health of the neighbourhood and the city through creating and maintaining a vibrant and much-needed urban green space; To promote organic gardening methods; to contribute to sustainability through education concerning urban food production, indigenous plantings and the importance of pollinators, and water conservation.
Operation
Cypress Community Garden operates under a garden permit issued by the City of Vancouver and is registered as a not-for-profit Society with the Province of British Columbia.
Membership in the garden is open to Vancouver residents. Visitors to the garden are welcome and come from the lower mainland, the province and many are international visitors.
GUIDELINES AND RULES CYPRESS COMMUNITY GARDEN 2024-25
The garden is currently administered by a Coordinating Committee made up of a Chair (or 2 Co-Chairs), a Treasurer (in 2024-25 2 Co-Treasurers), a Membership/Email Coordinator, a Public Relations/Website Coordinator), a Coordinator for equipment, and a Coordinator of Events/Outreach, and a Coordinator for the 2 Common-areas at the East end of the site: the Burrard End Garden and Bird Garden, and the Perennial Garden at the west end at Cypress Street and 6th Avenue. There are also two Section Representatives for each of the five Sections in the garden. Additional positions will be developed as the need arises.
Plots vary in size but are approximately 3.6 ft x 9 ft (1.18 m x 2.72 m). An annual membership fee of $40 beginning on Nov 1st 2024 (raised from $30.00 in the past decade in order to cover increased costs) pays for materials to repair fences and the water system, tools, association membership(s), enhancement and improvement projects and other related expenses. Membership fees are due November 1st of each year or upon acceptance into the garden (for new members). Membership Guidelines and Rules (see link above), must be signed each year in order for Members to join or to renew their plots.
These stipulate a member’s responsibilities, fulfillment of which is necessary for renewal. An Annual General Meeting is held each year in the early spring to discuss general business, finances, and garden concerns or suggested initiatives. Smaller meetings through the season assess ongoing projects and improvements.
Building the garden-early days
Clean up–2024
Two all-member general garden clean-up work parties in the spring and fall, as well as Section work parties approximately every 2 weeks, are held in the growing season to maintain the common areas of the garden. Members are expected to participate in four garden clean-up parties (two all-member parties in Fall and Spring, and two Section work parties through the season) each year.
In addition, community garden members should be prepared to volunteer some extra time to the garden (e.g. being a Section rep, taking minutes at meetings, doing additional garden maintenance or improvements, working on special projects, etc.).
