2021 Report for New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to Victims of Gun Violence
Year
2021
Number of volunteers
24
Total volunteer hours
110
Number of events
6
Number of trees planted
0
Number of shrubs planted
17
Enter more details about shrubs planted
1 Virginia sweetspire, 1 diabolo ninebark, 1 black chokeberry, 1 bush honeysuckle, 1 ruby spice summersweet, 3 kaliedeoscope mountain laurel, 5 blue princess holly, 1 wine & roses weigela, 3 minuet weigela
Number of perennials planted
17
Enter more details about perennials planted
10 palace purple coralbells, 2 catmint, 4 goldsturm black-eyed Susan, 1 Cheyenne spirit coneflower
Yards mulch spread
13.50
Summary
In its fifth summer as a greenspace group, the New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing was formally dedicated on June 12. At least two hundred people, mostly the families of victims of gun violence in New Haven, attended the ceremony, which included speeches by Marlene Pratt, Mayor Justin Elicker, and Senator Richard Blumenthal. The dedication was an inspiring event, and the garden—no longer a construction site, but now a beautiful, peaceful, blooming space—has become a popular spot to visit, not only for those remembering lost loved ones but also for those simply walking through and enjoying the plants and the view of West Rock. However, the experience of this summer also showed some of the challenges that a Greenspace site of this size and complexity will face, particularly the need to attract and coordinate substantial volunteer participation and the necessity of near-constant maintenance. In subsequent years, the volunteer leaders, URI staff, and the interns will need to address these challenges. But the site is still young, and its future looks bright.
