Dorval topiaries return in 2019 at more locations

The City of Dorval has expanded its topiary project this summer with imaginative creations in more places across the area.

Sixteen floral arrangements in the shape of animals have been set up at parks and green spaces. The figures include a crocodile, frogs, flamingos, a giant peacock at the entrance to Windsor park and even a dragon standing guard at the entrance to the Aquatic Centre at Surrey Park.

“It’s fun for the kids. They love it,” said Caren Noriega, a resident in the area. “They say hello, goodbye, how are you, every time we drive past them.”

The summer floral project is carried out by city workers and Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau says it was designed to bring people to the area and to provide a different way of entertaining residents.

The figures became so popular, the city added more of them this year and created a map on the Dorval website showing where these creations are located.

“Because we had a lot of people calling city hall, we’re coming and asking where they were,” Rouleau said.

Residents say the project does add something special to the landscape and that it brings people together and stirs the imagination.

“I’m a big storyteller,” said Dorval resident Matthew Leclerc-O’Leary outside the Aquatic Centre. “I love stories so, to see a structure like this, it makes you wonder about things, right?”

In 2017, the city received a prize and special recognition in the Communities in Bloom National and International awards in Ottawa.

“We were proud but also our employees were proud because it’s like, you acknowledge the work that everybody did,” Rouleau said.

Rouleau estimates the production costs around $50,000. He says they plan to continue doing them for as long as residents find them intriguing.