History of the Intergenerational Garden

The garden at 30 Whittier Court was created and maintained as a memorial garden since 1980 by the Village Garden Club of Andover. Over the years the Club has made many improvements, with club members sharing in the maintenance, plant selection, and care of the garden.  Many residents remember enjoying their stroll through the garden, delighting in its quiet beauty.

Gardeners across the country, however, have become increasingly aware of the dangers posed to pollinators, and in September 2024 the garden was re-designed through a collaboration with the Village Garden Club, Andover’s Pollinator’s Pathways, Andover Elder services and through the efforts of many community supporters. Andover resident Sue Curtis was instrumental in obtaining funding for the project through a Participatory Capital Budgeting Grant. The present garden is a mixture of elements of the original garden, coupled with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly native plants and public education.  Garden designer Dee Secor created the design. Jane Burns, Andover’s Director of Elder Services, helped in the overall design and currently manages the garden with the assistance of the Village Garden Club, the Andover Pollinator Pathway, the Youth Center, Andover schools, and community volunteers.

Two of the goals for the beautifully designed new garden were maximum accessibility and enhanced community education about pollinators and their importance in the ecosystem. There are ADA compliant pathways and raised garden beds for produce and flowers. The raised beds facilitate ease of access and partnerships with Andover Schools and student gardeners.

Plants are labeled with both common names and Latin, and in keeping with the compact dimensions of the garden, labels are unobtrusive and blend well with the overall design. Some visitors in wheelchairs, on walkers, or with low vision issues, however, could have difficulty reading some of the signs that are at ground level.  The Andover Commission on Disability looked at how signage had been used in other area gardens to facilitate easier reading but realized that larger signs would overpower the garden and detract from the overall experience.   The answer was a QR code linked to the Commission on Disability website that would allow a visitor to read the signs, narratives, and other information on their own phone so that size and accessibility could be customized.

 Three small signs, seen below, were designed for the Commission by Suzanne Korschun of Pollinator Pathways with high contrast content, informative visuals and QR codes to this site and to Andover Pollinators’ Pathway. The signs emphasize the importance of pollinators, specific plants that attract and nurture them, and information on what the home gardener can do to provide habitats for pollinators.

Enjoy the new Intergenerational Garden!