Volunteer gardeners beautify city medians; who will take over as they age?

MANSFIELD — From sunny June days to the shifting colors of autumn, the tree lawn looks like a miniature park. A crabapple tree rises, surrounded by boxwoods and rings of bold zinnias and marigolds. 

For 10 years, a group of volunteers has cared for the triangular median where Woodhill Road forks into Marion Avenue.

Now, that group is looking for a new leader and additional volunteers. The core members are now in their mid-to-late 70s and looking to pass on the responsibility to the next generation. 

“I think there might be a couple of members of the team who would be willing to continue to work,” said Debbie Schenk, the group’s de facto coordinator. “But I’ve asked all of them if they want to take over and none of them want to take over the leadership of it.”  

Planting flowers, sowing friendships

It all started with a couple of friends. 

Jane Meese had moved back to Mansfield after more than two decades when she saw a childhood friend standing in the tree lawn.

“She was out working at the garden. So we stopped and had a chat, and she asked if I’d be willing to help her out,” Meese recalled. “That’s how I became involved.”

Meese eventually convinced her friend, Debbie Schenk, to join the small group of guerilla gardeners caring for the treelawn. By that time, Meese’s childhood friend had moved away. For a while, a local garden club stepped in to fill the void, but the group later disbanded. 

The garden was in need of an overhaul. 

So they pulled out the overgrowth. They planted the tree and bushes, then secured a bit of funding to plant flowers. An informal group of six gardeners continued to care for the plot each year. They shared the responsibilities of planting, watering, weeding, trimming and mowing. 

Together, they’ve nurtured more than flowers. New friendships have bloomed and old ones have grown stronger.

“It’s really a chance to get caught up with people that I don’t see very frequently, and you also come away with such a sense of accomplishment,” Meese said. “It’s a real team effort. It’s very rewarding.”

Schenk agreed. 

“We’ve been friends for a long time. It just felt like something we could do for the community,” Schenk said. “For me, it has become more than the flowers. It’s just been fun to get together, to be there, to be working on it together.”

Mayor: City may help volunteer gardeners with mowing, mulch

The Woodhill Road volunteers aren’t the only people volunteering their time and efforts to beautify curbs and medians across Mansfield. 

Mansfield mayor Jodie Perry estimated there’s at least a half dozen “mini gardens” maintained by volunteer citizens and garden clubs.

“It’s certainly really appreciated, not just by the residents in those neighborhoods, but by the city itself,” she said. “They’re pretty lovingly maintained.

“I think it sends a really great message about our community, that people are willing to step up and help in these situations.”

The Men’s Garden Club maintains several plots, including one at the Richland Carrousel Park and another at the corner of Lexington Avenue and Cook Road.

“Every time we have a little work party, we can always get between eight and 15 guys,” said Doug Versaw, the club’s president.

Versaw relishes feedback from the community.

“Every time we work at Cook and Lexington Avenue, people are honking and saying ‘thank you’ because it looks really nice,” he said. “We get a lot of good comments about the Carrousel.”

He said it’s been common for garden clubs to take on public projects over the years. But membership in garden clubs in general is on the decline and members are getting older.

At its peak, the Mansfield Men’s Garden Club had around 250 members, according to Versaw. These days, that number hovers around 45 — and the average age is around 70 years old.

“It’s tough to find new members,” he said. “We’ve only been getting one or two a year.”

What does it take to maintain the Woodhill/Marion garden?

Schenk said she usually begins planning for the garden in February or March. The group typically purchases plants in mid-May and plants them in June.

The summer months require regular mowing and watering — the City of Mansfield provides a hose adapter for a nearby fire hydrant.

Schenk said the group has managed to purchase the materials needed for the garden by hosting a small, neighborhood fundraising campaign in the Woodland neighborhood every few years. 

She also said the garden has been purposefully designed so it will be beautiful with or without flowers. A group of gardeners with less time on their hands could simply focus their efforts on maintaining the boxwoods and mulch. 

Schenk said she is willing to provide advice and insight, including previous garden plans, to whomever takes over the median maintenance.

Perry said the city doesn’t have a full-time landscaping crew, but her administration is open to supporting volunteers in other ways, whether it be mowing or providing mulch or flowers.

“One thing that I would like to do is find a way for the city to support them more,” Perry said. “Partnering with these smaller groups is really important.

“If people have interest, they can reach out to the mayor’s office,” she added. “If they want to talk to us about a project idea that they have, I’m more than open to sitting down.”

For more information on how to get involved, contact Perry’s office at 419-755-9626.