In November, Kelvingrove parks department delivered a planter to GOW, to be placed outside 97 Otago Street.

They supplied the planter with soil, but it was up to us at GOW to plant it up. We added a laurel tree, an azelea, two minature cypress trees and for colour, primroses and pansies. The laurel and azelea were transplanted from our own backcourt and the rest of the plants were kindly donated by one of our resident’s parents.

Prior to Christmas one of the cypress trees was sadly ‘rustled’ by persons unknown ; perhaps to be used as mini Christmas tree ? Sadly this hasn’t been the only instance of vandalism – in the new year, the laurel tree was found half wrenched out of the soil. Luckily it’s a bush with significant roots and very heavy to move, so the dastardly plot to re-plot it was foiled.

For more spring colour, we’ve added some donated hyacinths, partly also to fill in the space left by the purloined cypress. (The pansies are looking rather forlorn after the frosts.)

The residents of 97 Otago St have been asked to keep an eye on the planter and remove any rubbish they find in it. If anyone else sees attempts to remove the plants, please let us know and to those who are sticky rather than green fingered :

Go shrub yourselves !