When my friend Sharon Richardson and her husband Ward realized it was time to downsize, Sharon knew that she had a very specific requirement for a new home: it had to be a place that would continue to support and nourish her need to be out in the sun and soil.
Leaving their lovely house and neighborhood was nothing compared to having to leave behind the two-and-a-half-acres landscape that Sharon had planted and tended for almost 30 years. Sure, she could dig up and relocate some of the plants, but not very many. Like most retirement communities, Hershey’s Mill — their new home in Chester County — has restrictions on what, where, and how much plant material owners can install around their homes.
Last month I finally had the chance to visit Sharon and Ward in their new digs, though the house wasn’t the focal point. Sharon wanted to show me the community garden, a big factor in deciding to relocate to this gated community.
Sharon had told me a bit about the garden, but I was stunned to see the extent of it. Along a central, grassy corridor with side lanes, were large, neatly ordered, fenced-in plots — 170 of them — that stretched on as far as I could see.
Resources in the community garden are set up to make everything as convenient as possible. There are water stanchions and hoses at regular intervals. There are great piles of mulch, wood chips, and shredded leaves available, a dumpster for disposing of garden debris, and two sheds outfitted with garden tools to borrow. The setting itself is lovely, situated along a small stream. Adding to the ambience and community feel is a screened gazebo for gardener gatherings.
Within each garden plot residents are free to grow what they wish, whether that’s vegetables, annuals, perennials, herbs, a pollinator garden, or whatever. Gardeners can make decorative gates and arbors or create sitting areas.
Sharon’s own garden was full of dahlias — her favorite, sort of signature flower. She had also transported three peonies and three mallows, bought several varieties of asters, hollyhocks, phlox “Jelena”, a variety of salvias, some Mexican sage, and larkspur. Existing plants in the space that remain are yarrow, bee balm, and iris. She also transplanted some of her asparagus crowns to grow down the middle of the dahlia rows. It was beautiful, and bees were everywhere in her garden.
On the mid-October day that I visited, it was sunny and hot and there were plenty of folks out tending late-season vegetables and doing fall clean-up. I liked seeing that just because many seniors either choose or are forced to downsize, there are places where they can still cultivate the soil and bring beauty and sustenance into being.
Of course, there’s more to the community garden than just growing things. Says Sharon, “The social aspect of being with other gardeners is wonderful. We help each other, tend each other’s gardens if one of us is on vacation or has an injury, and share seeds, cuttings, veggies and fruit. I love to share my flowers, and I love receiving fresh veggies!”
She reflects, “Gardening at our old house was a labor of love, but there was no camaraderie or extra hand when you needed one. It was pretty much a solitary affair. Any literature you read about aging includes the importance of a social component — as people age, they can become isolated and/or lonely. That just wouldn’t happen here at Hershey’s Mill.
“Between our periodic barbecues and our winter and summer solstice parties, I have already made many friends. I especially appreciate that Hershey’s Mill has a robust Garden Club that offers regular programming, has installed both a pollinator garden and a rain garden, and is raising money to build a boardwalk along our creek. I’ve really found my ‘peeps’!”
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to [email protected], or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. To learn more or to sign up for Pam’s “Rambles” newsletter, visit her website: pamelabaxterbooks.com.
