Shawna Coronado digging in the garden she built for the community in Warrenville, IL, a suburb of Chicago.
A garden is more than a garden. This realization came in 2006 when I began
removing grass from the shared easement property behind my fence on Batavia Road
in Warrenville where I decided to plant a new garden. Since my back fence faces
a very public street, bike route, and biking path, I thought I might cheer a few
people up if I put a garden around the back entry gate. Little did I know that
this garden installation would inspire a transformation in my life of such
magnitude that it would touch people around the globe.
When I contacted the City of Warrenville to ask if I could plant on city
easement property, the individuals I spoke to had never heard the question
before. They were surprised, but the answer was "yes," as long as I did not
plant a tree or a large bush that the city would have to maintain.
One day while removing the sod in the easement area, I was surprised when I
looked up to see a little man standing in front of the garden staring at the
progress. Without even a hello, he said, "Hey! You can't plant anything here!"
A view of Shawna Coronado's garden from the shady side where a park bench and creative planters sit.
Raising an eyebrow and putting my hands on my hips, I smiled and said, "Why
not?"
"Well, it's just crazy to do it -- 'cause no one has done it before and the
city won't let ya! Besides, you can't see this from your house, so why build
it?"
With that statement, I realized why this exercise in sweat equity was really
important to me, and replied, "This is not for me; it is for the community."
Returning to my task, I put my back into it, and so began my journey.
That first year, by the time I had finished planting the small area around my
back gate, I began to experience something amazing. Neighbors I had never met
before came out to speak with me whenever I was laboring in the garden. They
smiled, hugged me, asked about my life and my family - complete strangers. Soon,
the garden-behind-the-fence became a personal refuge of sorts. When I needed it,
I knew I could always go behind-the-fence and get hugs and acceptance. Although
I had been living a greener lifestyle and gardening for my health for years, the
discovery of touching community was one of the most powerful things that ever
happened to me. With the garden's community inspiration pushing me, I began
writing a book.
That winter, away from the garden, I struggled with my health. A stressful
sales/marketing job had me gone before dawn and back after dark every day. When
my boss asked me to work more hours, I walked off the job, fearing that if I
stayed, it would kill me. That spring, I down-sized into a new career making far
less money, began to expand the behind-the-fence garden, and continued writing
the book.
The public response to the garden was more than amazing. Sweet neighbors left
me gifts and "love letters" telling me stories of their lives and thanking me. I
fell in love with these people and became addicted to my behind-the-fence
passion. I had little money, so asked every friend I knew if they could donate
plants from their gardens to enable me to expand.
Late summer view of the community garden - filled with native and drought tolerant perennial plants as well as vegetable plants to help feed the hungry.
In the process of building this particular garden, I learned about proven
studies which show that landscaping and beautifying your community reduces
crime, increases health, and builds community. Without a doubt, this garden had
turned into a "community garden" which gave joy to others and improved my
neighborhood.
By 2008, I had expanded the garden to over 200 feet and stretched it behind
my next door neighbors' fence line. It was, for me, a herculean accomplishment;
a triumph over all the naysayers. I knew all the dogs in the neighborhood
personally, waved at every car that passed, met hundreds of people - who hugged
me sloppily whenever we saw each other - and that year I also published my first
book, Gardening Nude. My health had improved 100 percent, my outlook on
life had changed, and I had never been happier.
Writing a newspaper column on gardening and greening began several years
before I ever envisioned this behind-the-fence community garden. Because of my
garden, however, I was inspired to do amazing things I never ever imagined -
which went far beyond a newspaper column. Right now I make a living by touring
and keynote speaking on green living, and just returned from spending two weeks
in Ireland where I spoke on how doing good for others by gardening can change a
community for the positive.
This year I also traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico with a
television crew to discuss the world's sustainable practices. My message is that
green living is healthier, and that a garden is more than a garden; it is about
improving health or building community or feeding the hungry - not simply about
plants.
My websites and blogs receive thousands of views every week, and I have
followers in more than twenty countries. Currently, with over 12,000 followers
on Twitter, over 1,800 followers on Facebook, and over 28,400 uploaded views on
YouTube, my little Warrenville garden is being seen by the world in ways I never
could have imagined just a few years ago.
Because I built this garden for my community, I learned that it is possible
for one person to make a difference both in an immediate community and globally.
Reduce crime, feed the hungry, improve health, and build community: all
possible for you to do in your neighborhood like I did. Get out today and build
your own garden for your neighborhood. Put on your old shoes, start drafting a
landscape plan and begin to make a difference for your neighbors and for your
life today.
Remember that building a garden for your community is not about the plants;
it is about making a difference for the world.
**This post was originally published in the Village Chronicles
Newspaper, but is being published simultaneously on The
Casual Gardener Blog and Gardening
Nude blog to show readers how one person can and has
made a difference.
