Public parks are great for lots of reasons: afternoon picnics; watching the kids play Frisbee with the dog, or run wild through the playground; lazy lunches with your friends. Having access to this green space is a privilege, and it's always wonderful when members of the community take it upon themselves to make a pretty public place even prettier.
The Woodland Garden Committee, a division of the Aylesford Neighborhood Association, decided Woodland Park should have a flower garden and started the planning two years ago.
"Woodland Park is a well-used, well-loved park: the skate park, the huge playgroundÖbut we wanted to add another dimension," said Chris Strecker, local clay artist and chair of the garden committee. "What we're going to do is put in a flower garden."
Strecker said there have been several flower gardens on the grounds of Woodland Park near Chevy Chase, although none seem to have made it into the 21st century.
Acquired (and created) by the Woodland Park Association in 1882, Woodland Park has been used for all sorts of activities, from political rallies and lectures to theater shows and art fairs. Thanks to some concerned citizens who expressed their fear that the park may someday be developed, the city of Lexington purchased the land in 1902, making Woodland Park the city's first municipal public park.
Municipal public parks are now maintained by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government's Division of Parks and Recreation, and the new garden plan had to first be approved by Director Chuck Ellis.
"It is very important for neighbors and neighborhood associations to get involved in their parks," said Ellis, who became director in 2002.† "It is impossible for park employees to be at every location every day.† We depend on these associations and the people who live near the parks to be our 'eyes and ears,' to help us maintain the parks in a safe and acceptable manner.† When they take ownership of their parks, we all benefit.
"It was fairly easy to get the garden plan at Woodland Park going since we have very talented people in this neighborhood, who know plant materials, the maintenance issues, and the work involved to help get it planned.† The neighborhood [residents] brought their initial thoughts about what they wanted and the space needed for it with an outline on paper. †We met, made some minor changes, and met with another group since there are other activities this space is used for.† They were a great group to work with."
"Chuck was great about it; he's been really supportive," said Aylesford Neighborhood Association President Lisa Johnson. "The garden will be so good for the community. There was so much vandalism there and I think the garden makes a statement that this is ours. I'm trying to get more neighborhoods to get involved and take back their parks.
"I think the project has really taken off because Chris is real ambitious and full of energy, we all are--that's why I like Aylesford," added Johnson. "It's our park, we pay for it, and we took it back."
"Several people have wanted this flower garden to happen over the years," said Strecker. "But it was myself and John Michler [of Michler Florist, Gardens & Greenhouses] who got all excited and our eyes got full of beautiful colorsÖThe neighborhood was really all for it. The garden will be a joy for everyone."
Michler has been a member of the Aylesford Neighborhood Association for many years and has helped accomplish some important projects.
"Our biggest accomplishment was getting the neighborhood historically zoned," said Michler. "Then about three years ago or so, we formed a street tree committee, which I was chairman of. We planted 63 trees--which was right after the ice storm--throughout the Aylesford area. All of them except one have made it."
He has also been invaluable in organizing and designing the new garden. "The garden project sort of came off the success of our street tree project," said Michler. "We wanted to do something to make Woodland Park special. The trees there are the royalty of the park, and our garden is hoping to decorate, or accent, the trees. That's why the style of garden we're using is a naturalistic garden. There's going to be quite a few native plants, along with other plants we feel will look good and fit that theme."
"John Michler is very good, he does fabulous gardens, textures, and colors, and the garden is designed so that it looks good in all seasons," said Strecker. "This is going to be a perennial garden, all native plants. One thing about perennial gardens is that even through the seasons, they look good."
"It will be more or less a low-maintenance garden. It will have all natural elements--no rocks, no hard borders--all made out of materials that break down, like mulch or wood chips. It will basically be a 25 x 120-square-foot stroll garden. There will be one central path in the middle so strollers and wheelchairs can pass through."
The garden will be situated in front of the pool, facing High Street, and groundbreaking is scheduled for April 1 & 2, while planting is scheduled for April 8 & 9 and May 7. The planning, organization, and labor are all being done by volunteers, and funding has come from in-kind donations.
"The site that was chosen is going to also help the very hard concrete element of the swimming pool," said Michler. "By running the garden along the pool, it will have the benefit of softening the hard concrete. The garden will be a transition between the soft and hard elements of Woodland."
This first phase of the garden plan will be the ground preparation process--the hardest part--and the committee members are hoping for lots of volunteers.
"We have solicited people in the neighborhood for funds; people have been very generous but we could always use more help," said Strecker. "We'll always be seeking some contributions, financially, in volunteers, and the maintenance and execution of it."
"We really depend on the neighborhood associations to keep the flowers weeded, watered, and maintained throughout the year," said Ellis.† "We would really like to offer a flower garden and other like-gardens in all of our parks; however it is impossible due to the time needed to maintain them with all of the other maintenance issues in each park. †In my opinion, a badly maintained garden is worse than having no garden at all. †They give an impression that no one cares about a particular space or park and we require that the site is rested back to a grassy area if this happens. However, this is what makes this kind of relationship so special.† The neighborhood associations plant and maintain the gardens and we all receive better aesthetic and more inviting parks to visit and enjoy."
If you're free during the hours of 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and you want to help out, grab whatever garden supplies you have and head to Woodland Park April 1, 2, 7, and 8, and May 7, weather permitting. To donate funds to the committee, mail checks to: Woodland Park Garden Committee, 268 Clay Ave., Lexington, Ky, 40507.