How to Keep a Public Memorial Garden from Looking Hodge Podge

15 years ago

I’ve volunteered to be in charge of the memorial garden our local garden club installed near the town hall about five years ago. My question is, are there any guidelines for designing public spaces such as this? Any books? Websites? Forums?

What’s there now is a good start, but I am in a position to make suggestions to people who want to donate either plants or money. I guess it is the nature of a community memorial garden that is open to donations to always be changing, so I want to create a sense of order and permanence. I want to guard against it looking like a plant collection, or is that simply what it is? Should I give up my ambitions to make it inviting, cohesive, even transporting?

The space is a somewhat irregular semi circle containing about 700 square feet. One side is bordered by a playground, and the opposite side by a parking lot. There are sidewalks on the other two sides, and a six-sided gazebo measuring about 12 feet across sits towards the front center. On either side of the gazebo are thick and healthy boxwood hedges, kept trimmed, that lead people through the gazebo on a narrow sidewalk. There is also a set of concrete stepping stones that makes a y-shape path through the area behind the gazebo.

There is a sprinkler system, good mulch, and volunteers to tend to deadheading, pruning, and weekly cleanup. A handsome wooden sign with a plot map under glass identifies plants and donors..

On one side is a border of six indian hawthorne shrubs. The other side has no border. The largest trees are two rose of sharon and a crepe myrtle. We are in coastal North Carolina, zone 8. The site gets full sun in front and part sun elsewhere. In winter, it’s all sunny. A large rose bush centers the area in front of the gazebo. Some medium sized shrubs are a buddleia, a forsythia, and two more roses. Of course, for five months of the year, all these are leafless. We also have a camellia, an acuba, an azalea, a gardenia, two spirea, and a yaupon holly.

Additionally, there are gerbera daisies, amarylis, asters, a clematis, daylilies, daffodils, assorted iris, coral bells, cone flowers, artemesia Powis Castle, mums, perennial blue salvia, and hostas. All of these are in clusters or drifts. Most are healthy and well-sited. It sounds crowded, but it's not. We usually pop in some red and white annuals near the blue salvia in time for our Fourth of July celebration (parade, speeches, games, concert, barbecue), the time of year the garden gets most of its public attention.

Does anyone have basic advice for managing a space like this? I think that signage and hardscape are taken care of, but I wonder if I should encourage more variety (like specimens), more borders, annual beds of color, or more shrubs. I would like to see a hedge along the open side border, maybe rosemary, and I dream of a Japanese maple! I have an annual budget of just $50 in addition to what is donated. I have a $50 donation now that will go towards a hedge of hollies between the playground (where there is a low, jumping-off kind of fence, not ideal), and a $25 donation for a witch hazel.

If you have read this far, thank you. I’ll appreciate any comments and advice.

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Comments (3)

Frankie_in_zone_7
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Upfront, I don't no nuthin' about such gardens per se.

But I do know something about charities and donations--

Sounds like what you could bring to the table is a design and vision--the more you've got it actually sketched out, phase 1, phase 2, etc, according to practicalities, site development, the better.

Then what you do is recruit people to donate toward this vision--here's a JM going in over here, there's a bench (with plaque!) going in over there; would one of these be something you'd like to do in memory of your loved one?

I take a lesson from laag The Great on this forum (kind of just ribbing there), but he's been so helpful. The more order and strong design you can get into place with the hardscape and larger plantings, you can then tolerate more randomness in, in front of, and around that.

Also, you can, and should, even PLAN for randomness- 'cause you can expect it--so you could figure out what areas and what sorts of plants lend themselves to smaller and more idiosyncratic memorials.

Think of building or remodeling a church (well, the typical modern-era church)--people don't just bring in stuff from home or that they've gone out to buy or everyone bring his own pew and book. Some folks donate toward the organ, the church ladies's auxilliary funds the new kitchen appliances, the pews may be dedicated to loved ones, folks buy hymnals and a dedication is placed inside. But it's all part of a plan.

It's aslo kind of like getting listed with a store for a wedding or baby shower--you're giving some guidance for things needed, with some big-ticket items, but very important to include lots of smaller-ticket items (so really, a good "range"), and also expect some folks to show up with stuff you never imagined.

Another aspect might be maintenance. You know how different organizations take on a section of road? Will it be likely or possible that a person or group would volunteer to spruce up or maintain an area?

A final aspect is the difference between "memorial" and general public garden. Memorial in terms of plantings implies to me some kind of pemanence (the bench, the oak, the JM, for example). So that could be the kind of randomness to avoid, or you'll have random trees and shrubs competing with each other. But also, cash donations are memorials, just like to a charity, so you'd like to encourage non-itemized donations.

So the other aspect to the overall garden is the ephemeral aspect, with seasonal plantings and displays, which will be suitable for a lot of donors who realize that garden plantings come and go (e.g., people subsidize theater, symphony performances that are not "permanent" things).

And really, no one has to die (for the garden!)-you will be encouraging living "in honor of" donations as a counter to the need to buy things for people. This approach is very popular with older people who have finally figured out we all have too much stuff.
Embothrium
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What is the organizational situation there? You've said you're in charge, who else is involved and how does that effect what you are doing to do? Is there a committee? A monthly work party consisting of yourself and whoever else feels like showing up?

If it's really all up to you, then just do what you think is a good idea. Adding shrubs is probably a good idea, these are less work than flowers.
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laag
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The best way to do this, quite frankly, is to put someone in charge who has the education and experience to do "this" already. By "this" I mean the whole package of skill sets that include knowledge of the plants and materials, maintenance, design, dealing with committees, dealing with fund raising, setting up a comprehensive plan of long term design and maintenance including phasing, and more.

Part of building that comprehensive plan is to facilitate and build consensus of the people involved and potential donors. That makes everyone feel like it is "their" project and it shows potential donors what they can be investing in. It is more productive in raising funds when the donor sees what they will be making happen. The project is only subject to willy-nilly design if it is the absence of a solid design and program being in place.

What often happens is that people fail to recognise the multiple facets of what is necessary and they select someone who is highly skilled in only one of those facets.

The problem starts with the original committee either failing to have a wider view of what is necessary, or failing to effectively build a comprehensive that matches that wider understanding (and giving you the program that you need to follow), or failing to hire the right person to pull it all together.

You are left in the position where you have to grasp that wider view, build a consensus within that committee to at least outline a comprehensive plan, then to design a master plan, a maintenance plan, a phasing plan, a fundraising plan, and promotional material for that fundraising plan. There is a lot of politics involved and you have to be able to deal with it, or control it better yet.

You have to assert or continue to be the victim of the lack of planning. When you are asking for the kind of help that you are asking for, you are a victim of the absence of a plan whether it is because they don't have one or your inability to get them to make one, or because you are not up to the task of making one on your own.

Its in your hands. Accepting the lack of a plan leaves you to manage willy-nilly. Getting them to make a comprehensive plan gives you direction to design and manage the garden which may be your skill set. Taking full control is a lot more work requiring a wider skill set that you may or may not have.

Lee Iacoca made the quote "lead, follow, or get out of the way" (while he had the feds bail out his company).

How to Keep a Public Memorial Garden from Looking Hodge Podge

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Frankie_in_zone_7

Embothrium

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