Before and after...amazing what a group of volunteers can do!
Volunteer gardens are growing by leaps and bounds in the municipalities in St. Louis County. Kirkwood In Bloom, Olivette In Bloom and University City in Bloom are all successful volunteer gardens.
This past February Ron Suchanek, of Maplwood Community Betterment Foundation (MCBF) along with John Openlander, Bettye Woolsey, Cheryl Robinson and Debbie Tolstoi met with Lou D'Agrosa, owner of Garden Heights Nursery and Bill Ruppert, founder of Kirkwood in Bloom to discuss the possibilities and realities of beautifying Maplewood. It was agreed upon that it is time to beautify Maplewood!
The purpose of this project is to encourage residents and businesses to work together as volunteers to beautify the city of Maplewood, to stimulate economic growth and development by attracting quality businesses and residents, instilling community pride and continuing the growth of the city.
Fact: People will tend to shop first at a business that has flowers/landscaping in front, even if the business next to it is a similar business! Consider planting colorful containers in front of your business! Curb appeal is a great marketing tool!
This past February Ron Suchanek, of Maplwood Community Betterment Foundation (MCBF) along with John Openlander, Bettye Woolsey, Cheryl Robinson and Debbie Tolstoi met with Lou D'Agrosa, owner of Garden Heights Nursery and Bill Ruppert, founder of Kirkwood in Bloom to discuss the possibilities and realities of beautifying Maplewood. It was agreed upon that it is time to beautify Maplewood!
The purpose of this project is to encourage residents and businesses to work together as volunteers to beautify the city of Maplewood, to stimulate economic growth and development by attracting quality businesses and residents, instilling community pride and continuing the growth of the city.
Fact: People will tend to shop first at a business that has flowers/landscaping in front, even if the business next to it is a similar business! Consider planting colorful containers in front of your business! Curb appeal is a great marketing tool!
| The areas of focus: | |
| 1. | Creation of flower gardens. This project at the park area at Bellevue and Manchester, began in 2008. Volunteers have created two beds. To date the Richmond Heights Garden Club has donated $1,000 towards this project. The funds are being used to purchase plant materials and soil amendments. Mark's Magic, a Maplewood Business donated a large truck load of compost for the garden. |
| 2. | Existing containers for the Special Business District have been planted with new plant material and have been placed on street corners. The flowers selected for the containers will have a greater curb appeal than previous plantings. |
| 3. | Clean up and beautify areas in the City of Maplewood. |
| 4. | Possible brush honeysuckle eradication project. |
| 5. | Create a cohesive look on the Big Bend corridor from Clayton Road to Manchester. Possibility of purchasing containers to match/coordinate the containers that Richmond Heights has in place. |
| Other neighborhood gardening news | |
| Creation of community vegetable garden, to be located in Lindbergh Park in the spring of 2010. A joint project for Maplewood and Richmond Heights. Please contact Mary Henderson at the Heights for more information. (314) 655.3662 | |
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Area residents and small business owners spent Saturday mornings stripping grass, tilling beds and adding top soil and compost to the two beds at the park at the corner of Bellevue and Manchester. The garden beds were planted in May 2008. Many of the plants were donated from the volunteer's own gardens and purchased from the Richmond Heights Garden Club donation. Thank you to Mark Goeringer of Mark's Magic for the donation of a large truck load of compost for the garden beds. Mark's Magic sells soil amendments wholesale here in Maplewood. They are located just north of the railroad tracks at Sutton. Volunteers at the park include: Mike Fortman, resident and owner of Pride Mortgage; Maplewood residents Steve Sternberg, Dorothy Lucey, Alice Fenwick, Belle Wion, Anen Marie Bailey; Mary Kausch, resident and owner of HR Etc.; Richmond Heights resident Cheryl Robinson and Maplewood resident Debbie Tolstoi are the project coordinators. |
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As Maplewood continues to grow, so does the need to beautify our city.
Please consider joining the volunteers of the Maplewood Beautification Project!
Cheryl and Debbie will be happy to talk with you about how you can help!
By helping us, you will be helping grow your city and your business!
Please email Debbie at dtolstoi@tolstoidesigns.com for more information
or call 314-644-1707.
Please consider joining the volunteers of the Maplewood Beautification Project!
Cheryl and Debbie will be happy to talk with you about how you can help!
By helping us, you will be helping grow your city and your business!
Please email Debbie at dtolstoi@tolstoidesigns.com for more information
or call 314-644-1707.