WESTFIELD-While the plants, herbs and bushes lay dormant for the winter, a crisis is looming underfoot for the future of Grandmothers’ Garden, according to volunteer coordinator John DeFeo.
Volunteers are desperately needed for the 2019 season at Grandmothers Garden. (Submitted photo)
“We were in desperate need in 2018 for volunteers and that need has increased greatly for this year,” said DeFeo, adding that currently he only has two women who have been loyal volunteer gardeners throughout the years.
“We lost three volunteers in 2018 due to health issues so the garden looks neglected,” said DeFeo. “Once we lost those volunteers we fell behind and the garden is now in rough shape.”
The most significant feature of the Chauncey Allen Park along Smith Avenue is Grandmothers’ Garden, a half-acre formal flower garden that was constructed in 1933.
DeFeo explained he would be elated if he could recruit a minimum of six volunteers this year to help with a variety of tasks on a rotating basis, from weeding and planting flowers and bulbs to trimming trees and bushes.
“People are aging out so we are struggling to keep up at Grandmothers’ Garden,” said DeFeo. “We are looking for volunteers to donate two to three hours of time when they can and schedules can be very flexible.”
Christine Brown leads a workshop at Grandmothers’ Garden in Westfield – one of the popular events hosted at the Smith Avenue site. (Submitted photo)
DeFeo expects that by the end of April or early May, volunteers would be able to start getting their hands dirty in the approximately 36 beds of various sizes that now “need a lot of work.”
“We also encourage groups to ‘adopt-a-bed’ which we will designate with signage,” said DeFeo.
Popular features each year at Grandmothers’ Garden include the free workshops offered by DeFeo and other gardeners, ranging from topics on cooking with herbs to composting.
“I do want to expand on the workshops this year because we had more than 20 people attend each session,” said DeFeo, adding he was hoping that some attendees might have taken an interest in getting involved as a volunteer at the garden.
DeFeo said that volunteers each receive a brief orientation to the garden which includes learning the mission of Grandmothers’ Garden.
“There is no set time limit to volunteering after your orientation to the garden,” said DeFeo, adding that orientation is typically 60 to 90 minutes.
“Since I first started volunteering at Grandmothers’ Garden, it has become a labor of love,” said DeFeo. “Last year was not our best garden year due to weather conditions and lack of volunteers.”
Patricia Steele-Perkins, a Grandmothers’ Garden board member and lead master gardener, echoed those sentiments.
“When my family moved to Westfield in 1969 we lived near Chauncey Allen Park and spent a lot of time enjoying all it offered including the pool, floating boats on the pond, flying model airplanes, and tobogganing and skating in the winter,” said Steele-Perkins, who has been volunteering for more than 20 years. “Gardening is my hobby; I like the physical work, being outdoors, the people involved, and satisfaction of seeing our work blooming.”
Steele-Perkins noted that the adopt-a-bed program can be done at any time and no expense is involved.
“Beds range from very small to quite large and the work is just weeding, dead-heading, really just grooming,” said Steele-Perkins.
Board member Joy Bunnell, who will begin her 20th year of volunteering this spring, shared a similar sentiment.
“I started in 1998, the year the garden was renovated,” said Bunnell. “It has been wonderful to see it mature and change. I have learned so much about plants by gardening with knowledgeable people and there are a few master gardeners that help out and they are willing to share advice. I have made some wonderful friends and it is a good exercise.”
For more information on volunteering, visit www.grandmothersgarden.org.
