The next time you’re at the Richmond Library, pause for a moment and enjoy yourself on the rooftop garden. Now in its fourth year, the rooftop garden at the Richmond Library/Cultural Centre is primed to be a vibrant community space.
According to Judy Lo, cultural centre supervisor, volunteers at the Richmond Garden Club look after the watering and maintenance of the garden. The vegetables harvested from the garden are donated to the senior’s centre located across from the cultural centre to create healthy meals for the residents.
Currently, the garden is available for events pre-approved by the City. Due to the 50 person capacity of the garden, the venue is restricted to small events. Lo says the turnout for events has been good.
“So far we’ve had poetry readings in collaboration with the Richmond Art Gallery and other private events,” says Lo. “It really depends on the needs of the community.”
Geok Bin Phua, recipient of the Richmond Arts Award in Volunteerism, in the garden on the rooftop of the Richmond Public Library. | Photo by Naomi Tse
A green public space
The rooftop garden is home to a variety of food crops including: herbs, tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, strawberries and kale.
The unique space includes sustainable elements such as recycled glass pebbles along the pathways to represent water and pillar cisterns and planter troughs that help to collect rain water. The outdoor venue also has a large communal table in the centre with a foldable canopy and a small trough in the middle to provide additional space for planting. This year, the garden has a new attraction: a giant chess board. Chess pieces are available to be signed out at the front desk or it will be readily available if a volunteer is on shift.
“The garden is still relatively new and we are still trying to see what works and we are trying to draw more people with the new chess board,” says Lo.
Giving back to the community
Besides the maintenance of the garden, volunteers like Geok Bin Phua also help out by giving tours of the garden to visitors, as well as senior groups and children’s groups.
“I love mingling with visitors and the garden gives people a good feeling about the community,” says Phua.
As a relatively new immigrant, Phua moved to Richmond from Hong Kong in 2011 with her family. Phua, now retired, dedicates her time to volunteering around her city.
“I don’t want to stay at home and I want to use my knowledge and experience to contribute to the community,” explains Phua. “It’s always a win-win situation.”
In addition to providing garden tours, Phua also assists with interactive programs teaching children about seeds and how to grow fruits and vegetables (courtesy of the Richmond Arts Centre, situated upstairs from the Cultural Centre).
“We encourage young children to plant at home and teach them about seed families and how to fully utilize food,” says Phua. “We teach them to understand and appreciate nature and to treasure what you have.”
Phua not only volunteers at the Richmond Cultural Centre, but also the South Arms Community Centre, the School District 38 and other public events around Richmond. She says as long as the shift fits her schedule and she can access the location by public transit, she will sign up for it.
As a result of her expressive personality and dedication, she won the Richmond Arts Award in volunteerism this year. Phua is glad her peers recognize her work but she also humbly explained there were many other volunteers who had committed more time to volunteering than her and were also more experienced.
“I was very surprised that I was nominated and I feel very honoured and lucky to have won the award!” says Phua.
The rooftop garden is now open from 12–7 p.m. on weekdays and 12–4 p.m. on weekends. It is closed in the winter. For more information, please visit www.richmond.ca/culture/cultural-centre/roof-garden.htm.
