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The Garden's Beginning
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of The Woman’s Club during its 1995-96 year, the Club came up with the idea of establishing a Community Garden and immediately began work to make its dream of a beautiful garden become a reality.
From the beginning it was truly a community project. Watershed Improvement District (WID) approved the placing of the garden near the Woman’s Club Bridge on land owned by the WID. The Lake Barcroft Association agreed to assume responsibility for the actual installation and future planting and maintenance of the garden through its Improvements Committee. The Woman’s Club budgeted and provided a substantial amount of money to be used for the first three years to get the garden off to a successful start. In addition, members made donations of plants and money, and the Woman’s Club hosted a major fundraiser during the garden’s fourth year, when the Club officially turned over the garden to the community.
A view of the Lake from the Garden, 2013.
Today, the Community Garden serves as another lovely visual entrance into our community as well as a quiet place to delight the eye and soothe the soul. All residents are invited to enjoy the delights of this lovely lakeside garden and to participate in its continuing development, for a garden is never finished. It is always changing, growing, renewing.
All are invited to contribute money to the Woman’s Club Community Garden fund: perhaps to celebrate the birth of a child or grandchild, to honor a graduation, celebrate a wedding anniversary, or in memory of a departed friend or neighbor. The donations help fund plant purchases and maintenance of the garden, which continues to be the responsibility of the Lake Barcroft Association Improvements Committee.
The Woman’s Club maintains the names of fund donors in a special commemorative book and will notify honorees of gifts in their names, if desired. Contact the Woman's Club President here if you wish to learn more about the Woman's Club Community Garden.
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A Garden Transformation
Excerpts from an article in the July 2020 edition of the Lake Barcroft Newsletter by Kay Cooper, Special to Barcroft News:
Last summer, the Lake Barcroft Woman's Club (LBWC) partnered with the Watershed Improvement District (WID) to renovate the area in the Woman's Club Community Garden, which formerly contained a pond and waterfall. In summer 2019, the WID dismantled the water feature, and reconfigured the boulders into an elevated rock garden, not far from the footbridge. The WID's responsibilities include maintenance of the area bounded by Dearborn Drive, the Lake, and Holmes Run stream; this includes the rock garden. The LBWC donated funds for the plants and agreed to work with the WID on a native plant design. Marcia Grabowski, past president of the LBWC, led this effort with WID principal George McLennan. India Walsh, Sunny Greene and I [Kay Cooper], all Master Gardeners at Green Spring Gardens agreed to be on the advisory committee.
The planning and planting crew, from left to right, India Walsh, LBWC President Merri Brown, Kay Cooper, Marcia Grabowski, Tim Cogswell, Sean Kiser, Davis Grant, Kameron Kopka and Ken Kopka, 2020. Sunny Greene was not present.
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We then researched native plants that could thrive in the sunny, rocky environment. Our mission was to respect the environment, selecting native plants that would support bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
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Native plants are uniquely suited to survive without extra maintenance and expense, and they provide food and habitat for animals. The committee selected the following native plants which are appropriate for the site conditions: Trees - Forest Pansy Redbud, Cherry Daybreak Dogwood and Brackens Brown Beauty Magnolia; Perennials - Daubs Frosted Juniper, Adagio Miscanthus Grass, Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower, Junior Walker Catmint and Butterfly Weed.
