The Highland Garden Club of Evanston is pleased to announce a complete redesign of the community garden located at the corner of Stewart Avenue and Central Street, which the Club established in 1992 and have maintained ever since.
“Nancy’s Garden” is named in honor of Nancy Allred, a longtime member and former president of the club who took it upon herself to transport jugs of water to the garden regularly to make sure all thirsty plants were well hydrated. While members have faithfully planted, watered and weeded the garden for 30 years, the increasingly hot, dry summers and lack of a convenient water source led the garden club to consider a major change to the garden.
The new garden, scheduled to be planted in early June, features both a water source and an abundance of native plants beneficial to pollinators, butterflies and birds. It was designed by Amy Dale of Green Edens Horticultural Services, whose “goal is to re-establish the health and natural balance of the environment while creating beautiful outdoor spaces as nature intended.”
The emphasis on native plants in both the Central Street Garden redesign and the June 4 Backyard Botanicals Sale strongly support the club’s aspirations for a sustainable environment.
The Highland Garden Club has received a very generous donation from Louis Allred for this project, as well as a contribution from the Central Street Merchants Association, however the cost to install the water service and purchase new plants is considerable. All proceeds from this year’s Backyard Botanicals Plant Sale, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 4 at Independence Park, will go toward the cost of this beautiful new community garden.
Submitted by The Highland Garden Club of Evanston