LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – Community members came together last week to prepare the Lexington Manor Passive Park Community Gardens for its Cherry Blossom Festival ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Cherry Blossom Festival and ribbon cutting ceremony for the community gardens will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 12 to 4 pm at Lexington Manor Passive Park.
At the community garden ribbon cutting, participants are invited to paint a fence post that will decorate the garden path.
The fence post painting will be hosted by Professor Carrie Patterson and the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Community Art Class. Supplies for painting the fences will be provided at the St. Mary’s County Arts Council table in the park.
Community gardens seek to promote health and exercise, provide fresh produce and create a community gathering place, according to the garden’s website from the Community Development Corporation of St. Mary’s County.
Community gardening days, also known as volunteer hours, allow anyone to come to the garden and help work the community garden, according to Carla Wilson, garden manager at the Lexington Manor Passive Park Community Gardens.
“People will come in, and I the garden manager will be there,” Wilson told The BayNet. “I can guide people in certain tasks, whether it’s watering, preparing the land, planting or something like that.”
Hours for the community gardens will be 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday and 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday, according to Wilson.
The community gardens feature ADA-accessible tiles and paths, as well as garden beds on legs to allow community members to garden while seated, according to the garden’s website.
Plots are also available for rent for those who want personal gardening and to participate in community gardens.
“It’s really great,” said Carol Faxon, a tenant at the community gardens. “They provided all the tools for us, they did all this work for us … so we just come and plant.”
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