Gardening for Community

The community gardens that make the news are often those that fill entire vacant lots with individual plots of tasty pesticide-free vegetables and herbs. That sounds wonderful and all, but for gardeners like myself with few connections or social skills it all sounded a bit daunting. How could a shy and bookish type like myself manage to get a whole community of non-gardeners to rally behind a garden?




Little did I know that when I hastily relocated my dying mother's garden to my apartment complex, I was doing just that. My compassionate property manager was more than happy enough to give my plants a home, and as I scrambled to plant palms and gingers between trips to the hospital, neighbors that I hadn't met in the five years I've lived here were suddenly introducing themselves and asking questions about gardening. I can't begin to tell you how much that interaction meant to me during such a heartbreaking time. I desperately hoped that the garden could someday bring my neighbors as much happiness as they've given me, but so far I think I still owe them a lot. They still make me smile after every minor interaction.

Coneflowers thriving in the hottest and driest spot on the grounds
Colocasia (elephant ear) covers up AC units without blocking airflow and access
Bright pink and green foliage bring drama to a boring area

From bark filled parking lot medians to a narrow strip of grass near the laundry room, I added gardens. To make the most of a raised bed between two buildings, I planted sweet potato vines to trail over the edge. To add excitement to a boring service area, I planted an outrageous combination of plants with lime green and hot pink leaves. Where an air conditioner unit created an eyesore, I masked it with elephant ears, and in one of the driest and hottest heat traps on the property I planted drought tolerant native coneflowers. I wanted to do more than add a pretty garnish of plants; I wanted to solve problems.

Even though I was the one doing the planting, my community became involved and invested in the garden - and much to my delight, they began to see it as their own. When the mow and blow crews hacked down the plants as if they were privet or pulled them up like weeds, my neighbors cry fowl. If plants are missing leaves or flowers, I'll find out all about it from concerned neighbors before I even make it to the garden myself. This attention to detail is useful if you value your community's safety, and their vigilance extends to the rest of the property and its residents too. No matter what happens, we feel safe here.

After the landscaping crew used roundup on about seven of my seed-grown fruit tree saplings, my property manager actually took the time to print and laminate signs and placed them all over the garden! The woman is amazing. I rarely walk by the office without finding her chatting in her office with one of her tenants, and whenever somebody is struggling she goes out of her way to help them through their setbacks. 

A neighbor's artful display of containers
Another neighbor uses her entire staircase to grow plants!
Every now and then a neighbor might even give me a prized passalong plant to place in the garden, and I'm often seeing other neighbors adding their own lemongrass or aloe to their own dry and sandy beds. I see plants hanging from many of the balconies and sitting along the walls, and one resident even has plants and veggies going all the way up her stairwell. Another has used timbers and stone to beautifully stage her many container plants in unified and appealing way, as if she were showcasing books on a shelf. Yet another neighbor took it upon himself to plant a maple seed just to see it grow into a tree. When I see all of these creative ideas mere feet away from my apartment, I can start every new day with new inspiration.

This lemongrass was planted by a SE Asian neighbor. Yum!
Gardens strengthen ties to the neighborhood, giving residents an emotional investment that can't be gained from mere beds of grass. Gardens are what make home - a home. Now that my wife and I have the garden and the wonderful relationships that came along as a result, we have little reason to follow the 'American dream' and own a home anytime soon. After all, what good is a garden if nobody else gets to enjoy it?

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10 comments:

  1. Hey Steve,

    You are such an inspiration. I am moving into a house with roommates in a couple of Weeks and bringing my container garden with me. The new place had landscaping once upon a time but it is sadly neglected. I will be spending much of my spare time finding out what is there and doing a significant amount of needed pruning, weeding etc... I hope to get my house mates involved. Since I do not know how long I will be sharing that house before saving up for a place by myself, I would like for them to become invested in the yard and garden too. That way it will have someone to love it after I have left. Which might be any where from a few months to a few years depending on the economy and my work situation. It is wonderful to see that it IS possible to get the community involved.

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    1. Sorry I'm so late to respond! How did the move go?

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  2. Sounds like you live in a wonderful place with amazing neighbors! Thank you for sharing your story, it touched my heart. As I smiled and cried knowing from similar experiences that sometimes out of sadness comes good things and happiness. Excited to see the garden flourish!

    Happy Gardening & best wishes,

    Sheri
    www.pompanobeachgardening.blogspot.com

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    1. It's true! The world is too beautiful to stay sad.

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  3. A lovely post, Steve. I am working and travelling in South East Asia at the moment and it's wonderful to see how the locals love their potted gardens, whether they are on a tiny apartment balcony or overhanging a canal.

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    1. I so want to visit SE Asia someday, mostly for the foods, garden and wonderful people! I hope your trip went well!

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  4. Hi Steve...Love your story. You have given your neighbors so many wonderful gifts...a beautiful landscape...friendship...and a spark of interest in plants and gardening. With such a beautiful landscape your landlord is going to have people lining up to rent an apartment. The pink and lime color combination is spectacular. Great job!

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    1. Thanks Susan! These apartments are so great that people are already lining up to get an apartment! Residents tend to stick around.

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  5. Wow, your community garden looks fantastic!!! So beautifully tropical! Even though you were probably just trying to satisfy your need to garden on a grander scale, it sounds like you have helped to make the complex a nicer, safer community by your actions. And you've become a professional landscaper in the process! I admire your courage, being shy and bookish myself as well. Goodness knows I worry enough that my neighbors are judging the eccentric, crazy jungle I've packed onto this half acre. There is a huge, sandy, weedy circle in a cul-de-sac the next street over from me that I have longed to sneak out and plant in the middle of the night. I dream up all sorts of things every time I walk 'round the cul-de-sac.

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    1. Fantasizing about planting stuff in new places is what gets us gardeners through the day! Regarding the culdesac, I'm sure nobody would notice if you planted some wildflowers... wink wink, nudge nudge.

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