The Thomas Crane library has been kind to offer the Girl Scouts a location for their meetings at the Adams shore branch on Sea St. There are now many troops that meet there.  Two of Quincy's Girl Scout troops decided to plant some flowers and herbs at the Adams shore library to thank them for the use of the space. The Wollaston garden club made a generous donation of various plants.  After seeing the plants, the girls decided to plant 3 different gardens.

Troop 68282- Brownies decided to add more perennials to the front area ,around the Adams shore sign. The girls prepared the bed by trimming the area and adding more soil. This troop is one of our largest with 17 girls. Each girl was able to choose a plant and plant it herself. the girls were so excited to learn about all the different kinds of plants and gardening tool. the girls assigned watering days for when they each visit the library. Seeing them working at the garden, a neighbor donated mulch and the girls spread it.

Troop 69220 - Brownies were working on their garden badge. They decided to plant the whisky barrel to show families that you can garden in a small area. Some of the plants donated were mint, chives, and strawberries. They also received a Canna plant for the center of the barrel,which the squirrel keep digging up. The girls in this troop are new to the United states. It was the first time that some of them had ever planted a plant. They also enjoyed smelling the plants to see if they could figure out what plant it was. The wollaston garden club has also donated some yellow and orange day lilies. The girls planted these around the whiskey barrel. the girls also received a native plant called False Indigo which will help the bee pollinators

The girls have been watering every week to insure that the plants will stay healthy, and are planning to plant a Baptisia Australia (Blue False Indigo) in support of the Save an Heirloom Plant project.

In 2013 the Wollaston Hill Neighborhood Association (WHNA) along with Walter Hubley, then Vice President of the WHNA submitted an application for Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for the preservation of a passive neighborhood park known as Safford Park.  The association was awarded funding to preserve the passive nature of the park, and provide for improvements that enhance its use by the community for leisure, activities, and welcoming community assembly.

After funding was approved, Walter Hubley of the WHNA and then Ward 3 Quincy City Council member Kevin Coughlin met with the Wollaston Garden Club to present preliminary plans for the park to seek the club’s input and potential participation on the project.  The club provided some preliminary input to the project and were excited about potentially participating with entrance way plantings at the park, pending final design and site study.

The Wollaston Garden Club took on the important task of beautifying the North West corner of the park over the course of 2015.  Civic Beautification Chairs Jo Costello, Ann Foresman and Kathleen Ceurvels lead the effort at Safford Park, and members Carol Fischer, Ruth Griffin, and others from the club assisting.  After a study of the area and design work, the club repurposed some unused granite blocks to frame in a multi seasonal garden area at the corner of the park.  The Park and Forestry Department leveled the ground, placed the granite blocks in place, and delivered the compost to the location.  The Wollaston Garden Club began their work.  Pink Knockout Roses line the back row, and ground cover was planted in the front corner.  Grasses will be planed in the middle in the spring of 2016 as the cold weather subsides.  Water facilities were installed for garden irrigation.

Safford Park was reopened on August 31st, 2015 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a family movie night at the park.  Neighbors attended to celebrate the park’s reopening to the neighborhood.  Mayor Thomas Koch praised the project as a community effort, including members of the Wollaston Hill Neighborhood Association and the City’s Park and Forestry Department, with contributions from the Wollaston Garden Club.

To read the full story

http://www.wollastonhill.com/Hill/Safford_Park_Project.html