Dirty Hands, Cleaner Earth: A New Native Garden Crops Up at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Several months of figurative and literal plotting culminated in the communal native garden planting event at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, led by Bedford 2030’s Rooted Solutions program last weekend. This installation was one session of a three-part native garden workshop.

To prepare the garden, a fresh, aromatic layer of wood chips (provided by our friends at Terrapin Tree Care) was laid down to smother the pre-existing and environmentally unfriendly turf grass last July. Then, the garden was designed in the September workshop. For the October installation, native plants were donated by Copia Home and Garden, Bedford Farms, Hilltop Hanover, Potted Katonah, and The FlowerHouse. 

With the garden plot ready, community members dug into this little corner of our environment during a complimentary hands-on planting session guided by Bedford 2030 Rooted Solutions Coaches Caroline Saxton and Fiona Mitchell. The Rooted Solutions program assists local community members in transitioning to healthier, more sustainable, climate-smart yards, creating a thriving ecosystem for plants, pollinators, and people. 

“It’s heartening to see how many people in our community are open to re-thinking what they plant and how they garden to invite more life into their landscape.” 

—Caroline Saxton, Rooted Solutions Coach.

“I am a new student of non-invasive and sustainable gardening (and gardening in general.) I was blown away by the knowledge displayed by the workshop organizers. The workshop and the [Rooted Solutions] personal property consultation with Caroline Saxton were invaluable. My property has already changed so much!”

—Rose Goldfine, Workshop Participant

Trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants regulate stormwater run-off, improve air quality, reduce heat, and store carbon. Native plants are especially beneficial since they provide a much-needed boost to biodiversity and generally require fewer resources (water, nutrients, etc.) to survive. 

The third and final workshop in the series, “Putting Your Garden to Bed for the Winter,” will be held on November 17th. For more information or to register, visit the link below. Participants will leave the series with the skills to take climate action by creating and caring for their own native gardens. 

We are grateful to Rusticus Garden Club and Susie’s Smart Breakfast Cookies for their generous sponsorship of Bedford 2030’s Rooted Solutions program.