Common Area Gardens

This post is for you GHIers out there – especially the ones who’d like to see more plants, more biodiversity, more sustenance and shelter for pollinators and birds, and of course more beauty around their neighborhood.  Another benefit from additional perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees will be retaining more stormwater in the soil where pollutants are removed, while reducing run-off that goes untreated down our drains.

Even nongardening neighbors enjoy the extra color and signs of care that result from small gardens in the most visible places in our neighborhood, like the examples above and below. Common-area gardens might even include a place for croquet and a bench for watching. And landscaping with trees, shrubs and perennials has been proven over and over to increase property values.

And wouldn’t it be great if we could find a good spot for a Monarch Butterfly Waystation?  Nature-lovers of all ages get involved in them.

GHI’s Woodlands Committee, which oversees our common areas, is now looking for members interested in greening and beautifying their neighborhood to brainstorm with us about spots that could use some improvement. In some spots a single member may already be gardening while other spots are being neglected and several neighbors  may volunteer to adopt them as a team. Anyway, it’ll be fun! And a great way to learn to garden. Contact me with your ideas or to set up a good time for members of the committee to visit your neighborhood, and get the greening started.

• For every site chosen to green-up and beautify, we’ll offer design ideas, suggest plants that will do well there, especially free ones. Some spots may have potential as pocket parks with seating and maybe a place for Boce ball.
• We’ll train members new to gardening in planting, watering and upkeep using easy and eco-friendly gardening techniques.
• We’ll provide markers with member names painted on them to give credit and a sense of ownership.
• Pruning will be taught! It’s hard to learn from a book or online, so hands-on training will be available for everyone.
• It’s hoped that inner walkways that are now blocked or dangerous because of overgrown vegetation will get the attention they deserve, and get cleared – through pruning by the member responsible or with their agreement, a neighboring volunteer.  (Some people actually love to prune!)
• We’ll be compiling and publicizing a “wish list” of plants, benches, et cetera for which donations will be sought.
• We’ll assemble photos and descriptions of common-area gardens within GHI online, to inspire more of them and give credit to the volunteer gardeners.
• We’ll also compile online a list of best sources of gardening information for our area.

Find out more by stopping by the Woodlands Committee booth at the November 2 Farmers Market. Or contact me directly to schedule a visit to your neighborhood.

But it’s not just common areas that could use some more plants. Many of the individual yards are empty except for the lawn and hedge and could sure use some small understory trees (like dogwood), shrubs, and smaller plants like grasses and perennials.  And how about someplace to sit outside, and some plants for screening?

Help for Member Yards

• Members who volunteer to create or improve a common-area garden (above) will learn how to create more beauty, biodiversity, stormwater management and pure enjoyment in your own yards.
• Some of the free-plant sources members will learn about for common areas are also available for member yards.
• Members with hedges and other shrubs in need of pruning can ask for a pruning demonstration on those very plants, and we’ll provide that.  Neighbors will be invited so they can learn, too.
• Free garden design, plant and maintenance suggestions are available for member yards through the Greenbelt Time Bank  (by yours truly, a retired gardening “coach,” and possibly by others).