While the origin of the proverb “It takes a village” is unknown, the importance of volunteerism, of neighbors helping neighbors and of giving back to our communities, has long been a valued staple of American life.
Happily, the spirit of volunteerism thrives in Granby. A prominent example is the beautiful garden in the center of the roundabout that was completed at Notch Road and Salmon Brook Street in 2020. It reflects the spirit behind the Welcome to Granby sign first planted there.
“When the Department of Transportation first proposed the roundabout, I thought it was a great solution to slow the traffic at that intersection,” says retired civil engineer Harry Jones, who lives on Notch Road. “The state had a landscape architect on staff who designed a low maintenance garden that was almost all shrubbery, making it very green and dense. In a short time, it became very crowded and overgrown, and I knew the maintenance of it would fall on the board of selectmen and public works department.”
Jones and his wife Sally, a social worker who later owned a flower shop in town, moved to Granby in the 1970s, raised their four children here and are now retired. Avid gardeners, they have the knowledge and knew they could find the time to take on this community project. So Jones pitched his idea to gather a group of volunteers to plant and maintain a three-season garden at the roundabout. “Selectmen liked the idea and referred me to Kirk Severance, Department of Public Works superintendent, who was happy to give me his approval,” Jones recalls.
A post on the Granby Gardeners Facebook page was successful in recruiting a core group of volunteers. “I was lucky. People were willing to help,” Jones says. “The biggest issue initially was weeding and spreading mulch, which DPW provided, along with safety vests so we don’t get hurt.” Each spring, DPW dumps mulch along the garden’s apron, and Jones and his volunteers spread it to keep the plants moist while discouraging weeds.
“We then introduced flowering perennials and a few annuals at no cost by transplanting them from our yards,” Jones says. He and Sally, whose property in spring is a field of daffodils, dug up 300 bulbs that they and their volunteers planted. Every spring, the flash of yellow at the roundabout grows as the bulbs naturalize.
“The soil in the roundabout is very rich, so the cone flowers, black-eyed Susans, cleomes and evening primrose that we planted are flourishing,” Jones says. “To me, it’s a highly visible asset to the town, but if it weren’t maintained, it would be a jungle.”
The roundabout gardeners meet about a half-dozen times a year for work parties that last 60–90 minutes each. “Many hands make light work and doing it as a group, giving back to our town, gives us a sense of pride and fulfillment,” Jones adds. With plenty of planting having been accomplished, the occasional addition adds color to a season, and most of the work now involves weeding, deadheading and spreading mulch.
This year, at Sally’s suggestion, the Joneses brought seedlings from the cleomes in their own garden down to the roundabout. The tall pink and white flowers will reseed themselves each year, adding to the roundabout garden’s beauty. “The circle has to be splashy with lots of color because people just drive by, and we want them to notice it. It’s a nice welcome to Granby,” Sally says.
“The crew of volunteers that we have are all good workers,” Jones adds. “Despite all their life demands, they do this. We could always use a few more volunteers who would like to join our garden parties. Some volunteers have become too busy with jobs and families, and my hope is to recruit new volunteers to help carry the mantle. We have people who grew up in Granby but have moved to nearby towns. I would like to get more Granby people involved.”
As for Severance, he couldn’t be more pleased with the effort. “I hope Harry and Sally and all the volunteers know how much we appreciate what they have accomplished there,” he says. “It is a beautiful welcome to Granby.”
Anyone who would like to join this enthusiastic team may contact Harry Jones at hrj1946@cox.net or text him at 413-297-1259.