Sixty-eight of our wonderful neighbors are pulling together to revive the public space gardens, planting flowers and watering at four key boulevard ends on Polk and Kingman Boulevards and a few smaller locations.
How does it work? Great! The city, through contact Teva Dawson, provides community garden training, free annual and perennial plants, compost, mulch, design support, and reduced water rates if we need to use a fire hydrant for watering. Neighboring businesses have offered refreshment coupons (Waveland Caf?©), use of a water spigot (Dr. Katherine Elsner), and a manual sod cutter (Des Moines Rental). Lucy and Gene Krauss couldn?’t plant on May 20 or 21, but Lucy baked brownies and loaned carafes for coffee for planting day, and Gene let us use a chunk of his compost pile. Barb James is babysitting a couple of perennials until we have a bed for them. The Reids are sharing their spigot and hose. Many will take turns watering. What can you do?
We have room to expand this fall as more people volunteer to identify, plan, design and care for future sites. Obvious options for additional garden bed preparations include these boulevards, islands along Chamberlain, and a Kingman Boulevard plot west of Polk Boulevard. Our large WPNA area north of University Avenue is without island boulevards, making it trickier to find good public garden spots. This makes your help important?—please seek out and suggest public land sites that would mark our neighborhood, add beauty, and welcome the community to Waveland Park.
Put your two cents worth in, or more, and join us in creating a more beautiful Waveland Park Neighborhood. Call or email Kathy Roat at 279-4050, 988-8088, or akkr@earthlink.net! New roles will include coordinators, pick-up truck owner/drivers, fertilizer donors, and entertainment/socials help.
By Kathy Roat
How does it work? Great! The city, through contact Teva Dawson, provides community garden training, free annual and perennial plants, compost, mulch, design support, and reduced water rates if we need to use a fire hydrant for watering. Neighboring businesses have offered refreshment coupons (Waveland Caf?©), use of a water spigot (Dr. Katherine Elsner), and a manual sod cutter (Des Moines Rental). Lucy and Gene Krauss couldn?’t plant on May 20 or 21, but Lucy baked brownies and loaned carafes for coffee for planting day, and Gene let us use a chunk of his compost pile. Barb James is babysitting a couple of perennials until we have a bed for them. The Reids are sharing their spigot and hose. Many will take turns watering. What can you do?
We have room to expand this fall as more people volunteer to identify, plan, design and care for future sites. Obvious options for additional garden bed preparations include these boulevards, islands along Chamberlain, and a Kingman Boulevard plot west of Polk Boulevard. Our large WPNA area north of University Avenue is without island boulevards, making it trickier to find good public garden spots. This makes your help important?—please seek out and suggest public land sites that would mark our neighborhood, add beauty, and welcome the community to Waveland Park.
Put your two cents worth in, or more, and join us in creating a more beautiful Waveland Park Neighborhood. Call or email Kathy Roat at 279-4050, 988-8088, or akkr@earthlink.net! New roles will include coordinators, pick-up truck owner/drivers, fertilizer donors, and entertainment/socials help.
By Kathy Roat
