I’ve blogged about tending my five adopted gardens, which tending I’m earnestly trying to reduce by making the gardens as low-maintenance as possible. In some instances there are actual maintenance crews I hope to turn the job over to, with instructions. You know, I’m not young anymore.
All the gardens would continue to benefit from volunteers and my co-op has a new program to encourage them. The “Pocket Garden” program makes garden-adopters like me fill out an online form about the adoption, which I’m fine with because it takes these spaces and their maintenance seriously. The program includes posting these cute signs in the gardens to give us credit, while publicizing the program. (And there’s a list of common spaces in need of adopters.)
So suddenly there are signs like the one above in the common area near me, just past our parking lot. First, I was nervous that neighbors would think *I* had put the sign there, claiming total domination of the site, so I moved it to a less visible place. Another effect of the sign was to shame me into doing some overdue weeding and mulching.
And in a more public spot in front of the co-op offices there are now two “Susan” signs embedded. (Details and history of the new garden here.) In its third year since the make-over, I gotta say it’s looking good. Especially now with so much in bloom, passersby are noticing, commenting, and sometimes starting conversations.
I was wary of the whole sign idea at first but now I’m thinking maybe there’s something to crediting volunteer gardeners. What do you think?
Best of all was seeing this post on the extremely popular fashion blog Wardrobe Oxygen. I was surprisingly delighted to see my garden chosen for a summer photo shoot. (Oh yes, in my mind it’s MY GARDEN.)
Interesting! Yes, I think it can be effective to “thank” volunteers by noting their names. But I would also suggest that at least three names be on each sign, with room/blank space left for a few more. That would show it’s not only Susan, or only anyone, but an ongoing cycle of different individuals. More likely to get more volunteers in my opinion. Also, thanks for placing purple “species” phlox in front of black-eyed Susans, as I am going to transplant some phlox this fall in the same arrangement, serves as a good preview for me!
Bravo for adopting gardens!
I do the same thing here, but with only one , though (a small traffic island).
I have enjoyed following along with your adventures in tending gardens in your town, where I have spent a bit of time. I would love to hear more about how you are making them less maintenance. Good plants that reliably deliver long blooming with little care. Ha! I help maintain a few gardens in my downtown in NC with a few volunteers from our local Garden Club. We generally do some tending about once a month and I have focused on bulbs, perennials and a few hardy annuals (dianthus and Victoria salvia). I will do a wander through next time I am in MD to see what you’ve got.
I was just at a shopping plaza yesterday, and in the parking lot strip they had 3 plants that always look terrific, and certainly do not need much maintenance at all: Russian Sage (Perovskia), ornamental grass, and daylilies. There they sit, baking in the hot sun, none the worse for it.
Awesome! Your pocket garden are gorgeous. Thank you for volunteering to do this.
What a great scheme, I love the serendipitous idea of not knowing what you might find growing in the plots and that some have a give-a-plant-take-a-plant exchange opportunity(?) It reminds me of the Little Free Libraries on boulevards in neighborhoods — literary blooms and floral blooms both, enhancing community life.
Susan,
Volunteer gardens, I believe, would be a blessing for all concerned no matter how organized or run. Why not leave naming up to the people volunteering? They could, for instance, choose semi-anonymity by using monikers of their choice, e.g., “Introverted Gardener” or “Stealth Planter”. Then, he/she could to disclose to whomever he/she/it wished. Or not.