Garden Club

What It Is

Participants gather together to care for a communal space

Why We Do It

Nothing in Nature is superfluous, and the same is true in Gardening Club. This is a place where everyone has the ability to contribute something meaningful. One person can twist the knob of the faucet while another can hold the nozzle of the hose. The person capable of picking up a stick can dispose it in a wheelbarrow, which someone else’s wheelchair can tug away. There is a natural incentive to include everyone because the work of caring for living things is year-round and non-stop. The seasons come with their own curriculum of things to do — planting in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in fall, garden planning in winter — as well as opportunities to celebrate at turning points like plantings, harvests, and solstices. And yet, the garden can also be a reprieve from work. Whether by looking at the way ice laminates the trees in winter or feeling the waxiness of grass in the spring, growing things captivate all five senses throughout all four seasons and restore both mind and body.