2023 Report for Peace Garden At West River

Neighborhood:

West River

Type of Site:

Park Friends

Address:

Ella T. Grasso Blvd. and Legion Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511

Year

2023

Number of volunteers

8

Total volunteer hours

44

Number of events

8

Number of shrubs planted

1

Enter more details about shrubs planted

winterberry

Number of perennials planted

15

Enter more details about perennials planted

‘heavy metal’ switchgrass (4), ‘silver sunrise’ big bluestem (2), coreopsis (6), butterfly milkweed (3)

Yards mulch spread

3.50

Other Infrastructure or Materials

Category:

Bricks

Details:

~1 pallet of bricks from the yard to line the back of the large garden bed 1 bucket + 2 lids for bringing water to the site, for Aaron and Frank 1 stone bench!

Summary

The West River Peace Garden was established in 1988 with the creation of the City of New Haven Peace Commission. New Haven was named a Peace Messenger City by the United Nations in 1990, as one of the first cities in the world to engage in the UN initiative to promote a city-wide culture of peace. Among the garden’s memorial trees is a gingko tree donated by the City of Hiroshima, which was one of the few saplings to survive the atomic bombings. The Friends of West River Peace Garden worked to weed, water, and beautify the garden this summer! We weeded and mulched the garden beds, added bricks to outline the back of the large garden bed, and planted several new native plants including switchgrass, winterberry, and coreopsis. We also installed a stone bench by the ginkgo tree, where we hope visitors can rest and reflect upon the garden and the ginkgo tree.