St Fiacre Guild:
What’s “growing on” in the church gardens?

The Grace Church garden ministry, St. Fiacre Guild, gathers about once a week to tend the gardens and
each other. This year our efforts began in earnest later than usual. Spring seemingly arrived after Easter
Sunday with three days of 80* sunshine. Alas, a dusting of snow occurred twice more through the end of
April. Since May 10 we’ve been digging in the dirt. A summary and welcome are detailed below.
In the Garden of Remembrance, also known as the Memorial Garden, we established 3 goals for this
season and seasons to come:

• make space for cremains, reduce maintenance and maintain beauty.
• On the Washington Street side of the church one goal is:
• to replace 11 dead and failing yew bushes (The Vestry approved this project which will be
  executed by a professional landscaper & crew sometime this summer of 2023.)

With the construction of the new sanctuary in 2005, the growing environment surrounding all campus
buildings was thoughtfully designed, lovingly planted and nurtured for the next 17 years. Many
volunteer hands and hearts provided an enhanced environment for parishioners, visitors and the
surrounding downtown community. Indeed, more than 1,000 guests toured our Memorial Garden in
2014 as a stop on the Friendly Garden Club’s summer walk.

But, if you garden at all, you know that growing plants isn’t carefree. Just one growing plant may need
more or less water, suffer from too much or too little sun, be moved to a better spot and may require
treatment for pests, deadheading, fertilizing, pruning and clean up or disposal, if it’s not thriving. That’s
9 decisions for just 1 plant! Our campus planting is abundant!

Since 2005, the church landscape has changed; however, the needs (and goals stated above) remain
similar. But they are prioritized this year. Like many ministries since the pandemic, the number of
volunteer caretakers of the landscape has diminished. In order to meet those goals, the Guild is
concentrating mostly on 2 gardens for the present time-the Garden of Remembrance and Marion’s
Garden at the west end of the parking lot. Earlier we did clean up the fenced yard of the Brown House
and planted flowers under the church sign at the corner of Washington & Boardman.

Care to share in the effort and learn some gardening techniques? St. Fiacre Garden Guild is open to all.

• Work bees: Wednesdays, 9am working intentionally and together for about 2 hours.
  • Option: help out when you can; variables of weather, household visitors, festivals,family vacations all play a role in the time we can commit
  • Tools: We have them, if you don’t; we’ll give you a tour of the garden shed
  • Experience: We have that too to varying degrees and are glad to share it; we welcome your energy
  • Adopt a Spot A spot on campus can be adopted by you or your family. Make it beautiful! 

Several areas need some brief attention on and off throughout the growing season.

Contact: Ann Hackett, Coordinator for St. Fiacre Guild