ReWild Garden at Dodge
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Rewild garden at dodge
Located at the Thomas Dodge Homestead in Port Washington, NY
Our vision for the ReWild Garden at Dodge was to create a community space where the residents of Port Washington can learn about the historic and environmental importance of native plants while also understanding their role in sustainable landscaping today. When we started in March 2021, the grounds of the Thomas Dodge Homestead needed a lot of restoration. Invasive vines, poison ivy and emerging trees had choked several areas and threatened historic structures. The fencing and architecture of the space restricted volunteer and public access. The layout of the organic farm was not conducive to the community activities we conduct there including our annual native plant distribution and youth activities.
ReWild embarked on a transformation project developing a broad vision that is now crystallizing as the ReWild Garden at Dodge.
Our volunteers (adults and students) worked tirelessly to remove invasives, place cardboard and mulch to suppress regrowth, plant natives and create a beautiful garden. The design of the garden was spearheaded by Dianna Facci, a volunteer with design skills and an eye for detail. This evolved over several years as we experimented with the actual use of the space.
Our current mature design has an herbal plant wheel in the center of the garden to honor the contributions of native people and native plants in preserving biodiversity. On one side of the garden, we grow organic vegetables fed by compost made from local kitchen and yard waste. On the other side of the garden, we are trying out different ideas for landscaping aesthetics around native plants.
Our garden, like ReWild Long Island, is ever-changing, ambitious, experimental, and created by a lot of people who care deeply about working together!
Get involved with the Rewild Garden at Dodge by emailing kathy.coley@reewildlongisland.org (Kathy Coley).
