When I contacted the City of
One day while removing sod in the easement area, I was surprised to look up and see a little man standing in front of my garden, staring at my progress. Without even a hello, he said, “Hey, you can’t plant anything here!” 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?”
That statement made me realize why this exercise was important to me, and I 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 when 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 downsized into a new career that included expanding the behind-the-fence garden, and completion of 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 I asked every friend I knew if they could donate plants from their gardens to enable me to expand.
In the process of building this particular garden, I learned about studies that show that landscaping and beautifying your neighborhood reduces crime, increases health, and builds community. Without a doubt, this garden had turned into a “community garden” that gave joy to others and improved my neighborhood. By 2008, I had expanded the garden to over 200 feet and stretched it behind my 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, 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—far beyond a newspaper column.
Now I make a living by touring and keynote speaking on green living. I just returned from two weeks in
This year I also traveled to the
My websites and blogs attract thousands of views every week, and I have followers in more than 20 countries. Currently, with over 11,900 followers on Twitter, over 1,700 followers on Facebook, and over 23,500 uploaded views on YouTube, my little Warrenville garden is 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, locally and globally. Reduce crime, feed the hungry, improve health, and build community—all are possible for you to do in your neighborhood as 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 your life. Remember, building a garden for your community is not about the plants; it is about making a difference for the world.
You Too Can Do It
You, too, can do a community garden on your street next to your property in Warrenville with the completion and approval of the Landscape License Agreement and a landscape plan.
Go to the city website www.warrenville.il.us, look under Forms and Documents and download the Landscape License Agreement.
If you have questions, contact Sonya Shearer at the city’s Community Development Department at (630) 393-9050, ext. 3034.
