Gonna make this garden grow
It turns out that many people had the same goal to “do SOMETHING about the Plaza”—the Garden Club, Arlingtonians / landscape designers Melissa MacDonald and Clarissa Rowe, the area’s merchants and the Chamber. If you have been following this column, then you know that Kathleen Keady of La Ladybug Boutique’s call to the Chamber about the Plaza’s condition was the catalyst for to make this garden grow in all four planters.
Til the rain comes tumbling down
Rain tumbled Friday night and early Saturday morning, and while it threatened to continue, by the time planting started, we were rain free.
Someone warm them from below
It took several meetings, a gazillion group emails, garden design by the Garden Club’s Nancie Richardson and Melissa, along with plant purchasing by Barbara Popolow of Derby Farms. It meant rallying the merchants by Kathleen, poster creation and posting by Carole Katz and Randy Buck of Watertown Savings Bank, the ferrying of plants to the site on Saturday morning by many of the volunteers. Just look at the list of businesses and individuals who made all of this possible: Arlington Garden Club, Arlington High School students, Arlington Optique Boutique, Body Mind Systems , Clarissa Rowe (Board of Selectmen), Dahn Yoga & Healing , Derby Farm Flowers & Gardens, Divinity's Splendour-Glow , European Hair Design, Gail Ann's Coffee Shop, J. Chakrabarty, Janiak's Unique Shoe Boutique, Krazy Karry's Backyard Grill, La Ladybug Boutique, Leader Bank, Line & Stone, Maidpro, Melissa MacDonald, Mission Trophy, Pink Dolly & Inside Co., Ripples Beauty Salon, Ron Riesz Dispensing Optician, Starbucks, Tambone Associates, The Book Rack, The Chilly Cow , The Radocchia Family, The Regent Theatre, Town of Arlington, Watertown Savings Bank and the Chamber.
A piece of fertile ground
The Town’s DPW, under Jim Dodge’s direction, made sure that the four planters were cleaned out and prepped with good soil so that we had fertile ground. Working together, the DPW and Clarissa discovered a nearby water source that will make it much easier to take care of this task throughout the summer.
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The Design
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
On Saturday morning, Melissa and Nancie arranged all of the ferried plants in their respective planters and directed the volunteers, armed with trowels, shovels, rakes and hoes. At 9:00am, a large contingent of Garden Club members, several Watertown Savings Bank employees, Kathy Keady, Charles DiVirgilio of Body Mind Systems and some of his students, teenagers, young children and even more grownups set to work. Coffee and lemonade supplied by Starbucks and Krazy Karry’s kept the crew hydrated. Jeanne Keenan from The Costume Company loaned us flower pot hats sprouting bright yellow flowers to brighten the day. Even Lily Lu helped with the digging!
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By noon, the volunteers were finished. The Plaza looks fabulous. I ask all of you to bless these plants and thank every member of this community effort—business owners and individuals, garden club members, town employees and officials—for making this happen. (You’ll find the names on the signs planted in each planter). Last and not least: Help us keep it looking like this!
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Four of the folks very involved in the effort, from left to right: Barbara Popolow of Derby Farms Flowers & Gardens, Kathleen Keady of La Ladybug Boutique, Melissa MacDonald, Arlingtonian (and lucky us, landscape designer) and Nancie Richardson of the Arlington Garden Club. Three of them wearing hats provided by Jeanne Keenan of The Costume Company.
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