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Gardening: Indoors & Out A year-round garden for Vermont? That may be precisely what's in store if we're lucky. ... The National Gardening Association [NGA] {See this issue's links page for info on their web site.} is out to make a botanical garden for our area a reality. As most folks know, the NGA works tirelessly at promoting the beauty and benefits of gardening. But the biggest emphasis is on education. As the NGA notes, their mission ...
The NGA is certainly aware of the broad interest in gardening in our area. And they acknowledge that there are already a number of gardening events, as well as other programs already in existence, like those at the Friends of Hort Farm, Shelburne Farms, and Intervale, operations the NGA plans "to work with and complement." However, as they put it, "there's no one public space for gardening and education." So, now comes one of their grandest efforts to date ... The Vermont Community Botanical Garden. 20 Acres of Gardens on a 100-Acre Estate: When it comes to fruition, the Vermont Community Botanical Garden will occupy about about 20 acres of the 100 acre city-owned Calkins estate, on the corner of Dorset and Swift Streets in South Burlington. The remaining acreage will contain hiking and skiing trails. Current plans are that the site will be free and open to the public. The initial design for the Garden was rendered by landscape architect, Jane Sorensen. That design includes flower gardens, vegetables gardens, a rose garden, a winter garden, a children's garden, a maze, a secret garden, and more space for community gardens. In addition, there is an orchard, an herb garden and plans for ethnic heritage gardens. For the long term, the aim is also to have greenhouses for year round growing, as well as an amphitheater for outdoor performances. A Co-Op Venture: The Garden project, with kick-off funds in the form of a planning grant from the State's Community Development program, is a co-op effort among a broad group. The Board of Directors is includes volunteers from the National Gardening Association, the City of South Burlington, and other community residents and organizations. In addition, the Gardens already have more than 300 members, and have begun to raise additional funds to see the project through. Evidently, the City of South Burlington was looking for a way to preserve the 100 acre Calkins Estate. They were interested in what they termed as a "passive recreation" use, and they wanted to balance the growth of the city's nearby downtown with open space. They were also hoping that a non-profit might be interested, especially if they were in a position to renovate the century old Calkins House. As the NGA Garden web site notes: "The missions of the NGA and the City of South Burlington meshed perfectly. NGA pays the city $1.00 a year for rent in exchange for NGA spending $50,000 on renovating the 15 room house." More than this, however, the NGA emphasizes again and again its desire for community feedback and participation in the planning process, as well as in the overall design and use of the facility. The funding has begun, but only barely. The estimated cost of the project once it is fully completed will be in the neighborhood of just over $2,000,000 dollars. But, as the NGA is quick to point out, "This is not a city owned project, so no property taxes are involved." Instead, some of the money will come from members, some, from individual contributors, and some, from local and national foundations. While there's no hard timeline yet {much will depend upon the success of fund-raising}, the NGA estimates that "it will probably be 3 years before all the pieces come together." The NGA is "the nation's largest member-supported nonprofit organization devoted to gardening." Residents in and around Greater Burlington are probably already familiar with a number of their projects, including the Children's Discovery Garden at the Ethan Allen Homestead, and a number of community gardens, including two for Vietnamese residents, as well as gardens with the Burlington Boys & Girl's Club, the King Street Youth Center and others. The Vermont Community Botanical Gardens is a non-profit organization and is presently applying for 501(c)3 status. Those interested in becoming members, or simply finding out more, can visit the web site. ******* ******* |
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