55th Annual Mile Of Flowers Today

The biggest planting event in Courtenay is on again this year. The Mile of Flowers is marking 55 years of filling Cliffe Avenue boulevards with colourful blooms.

The biggest planting event in Courtenay is on again this year. The Mile of Flowers is marking 55 years of filling Cliffe Avenue boulevards with colourful blooms.

The Plant-in starts at 5 p.m. today and goes until around 7 p.m. Volunteers from the community are invited to fill the garden beds on both sides of Cliffe Avenue from 8th to 21st Streets with summer flowers provided by the City of Courtenay.

No prior experience is required – just pick an open spot and start planting. Participants are asked to bring garden gloves and a trowel or spoon for digging. 

Typically, between 200 and 500 volunteers are needed. Youth groups are encouraged to take part and all youth groups attending will be entered in a random draw to win a one hour pool party at the outdoor pool in Lewis Park.

In 2020 the event was cancelled and in 2021 it was planted by staff.  Mayor Bob Wells said it will  be fabulous to see community members and organizations out planting together for this event once again.

The Mile of Flowers is a tradition dating back to 1967, when Kathleen Kirk set out to commemorate Canada’s centennial year. That year she planted 7,800 seedlings as a welcome to tourists. What began as the initiative of one woman now involves hundreds of volunteers and around 30,000 flowers.

The City of Courtenay maintains the flower beds, watering as needed, using compost and mulch to improve water retention. Water-efficient drip-irrigation systems have been installed in a number of beds. Some have also been converted to water-efficient perennial blooms and shrubs.

While the community planting event is returning, the traditional community barbeque will not take place this year. The City is hopeful for its return in 2023.