Rake & Hoe Community Garden Clean Up
Submitted by Betty Round
Despite the pandemic a masked trio of members of the Rake & Hoe Garden Club of Westfield recently got together to clean up the community garden at the north side of the Westfield Train Station. The activity was led by Kay Cross and supported by husband and wife team Jeanette and Richard Pelikan. Kay provides horticultural oversight of the garden by organizing clean ups and maintaining appropriate plantings.
During the year members of the club also maintain community gardens at Shadowlawn, Miller-Cory House Museum, and the Clare Brownell Wildflower Garden at the Westfield Historical Society’s Reeve History and Cultural Resource Center. The garden at Shadowlawn includes a Butterfly Garden which is designed to provide a nurturing habitat for butterflies and other pollinators. This section of the garden is maintained by the Rake & Hoe Juniors. All the gardens are open to the public.
The Rake and Hoe Garden Club is affiliated with the Garden Club of New Jersey and the National Garden Club, Inc. The club meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 12:00 p.m. at the Scotch Hills Country Club. Membership is open to residents of Westfield and surrounding towns. The Juniors, ranging from kindergarten through high school students, meet monthly, after school during the school year to work on projects focused on flower design, gardening and community service. For more information about the club, call Beth Siano (908) 233-4150 or visit the club’s website, (rakeandhoe.org) or Facebook page.
