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Categories: Photo Du JourWindsor

It’s The Little Things…

That make all the difference. I was recently passing through Goderich, on my way home from the Bruce Peninsula, when my wife and I decided to pull over downtown at the “square” and eat our picnic lunch.

I noticed all around the square, these beautiful wrought iron planters, and it made me wonder why Windsor couldn’t do better.

University Ave. in front of City Hall is a disgrace. Our planters look cheap and crappy, while Goderich’s planters look nice, and solid.

There were little plaques on the planters noting that they were a gift of the Goderich BIA.

Ours look like laundry tubs.

There’s no problem throwing $65 million (and counting), at a new arena on the edge of town, but no money for nice looking planters. For all the time and effort spent on attracting visitors to Windsor, we sure don’t make much effort to leave a lasting impression. You would think someone could have done better than going to the dollar store to get the planters that grace a main road through the downtown.

Andrew

View Comments

  • Aren't those gray things the so called "self watering" planters that caused a minor stink about three months ago? I agree that they look pretty cheap. but the placement of them in the second photo is the worst ever!

  • You didn't show the planters on Maiden Lane. I saw Betty Wilkinson's friend out tending to them yesterday. Personal ownership is a wonderful thing. Mrs. Wilkinson's plants all look pretty good and she's quick to replant and clean up after the dumbasses pull them out late at night.

  • Worse yet are these awful washtubs being put all down Dougall Ave. It is disgraceful, especially with the decent landscaping job done by the Rail-yard entrance. They looked like they were randomly placed and on top of that the median looks like it hasn't been repaired in the past 30 years. Maybe they are waiting to replace the median with more canals, then I can boat from the burbs - yes I live in the burbs, when I get my own place I promise I'll change - to downtown.

  • Try it this way. Even if Windsor had gone out an purchased the planters that Goderich did, what would you end up with?

    Well, you'de end up with what you've got, basically some planters sitting by the curb in what looks like a biike lane, looking for all the world like an illegally parked car. Goderich's planters are part of a landscaped park and look very pretty there. Windsor's, no matter how you dress them up, look like a tack on.

    But, look across the street in the first photo. What Goderich has attempted to do is work out a landscaped streetscape that includes trees and hanging baskets on the lamp posts. They've done an effective job of it by the pictures. Frankly, what Windsor has apparently done by putting planters on the street without considering the entire street scene looks, well, cheap......

  • James, I skipped Maiden Lane, becasue the ones on University Ave. were the closest I could find to find to planters in the same kind of setting. The ones in Goderich circle the County Court House, while the Windsor ones front City Hall Park.

    Doug, point well taken. The curb along University looks harsh. However some nice planters like the Goderich ones, I think would go a long way to softening the harshness of the streetscape. Given the amount on concrete, maybe black wrought irones one of a similar style would look better. Either way the laudry tubs look terrible.

  • Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like the Windsor planters better. They hold water better, and for me that is top priority. The last thing I want to see is plants being watered. They were created naturally, let them get their water naturally. Don't waste more water on man-made artificial crap. So, the Windsor ones win, period.

  • Don't waste more water on man-made artificial crap.

    Like a canal plan that will have the canal filled with municipal tap water? :)

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Andrew

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