Ellendale Receives Neighbors Naturescaping Grant
The Ellendale Neighborhood has been awarded one of 29 greening projects in the St. Louis area to be funded by Brightside St. Louis (formerly Operation Brightside) through its Neighbors Naturescaping effort. This grant award will be used to create a community garden for the dead-end street of Ellendale Avenue, adjacent to the staircase leading to Southwest Avenue.
Neighbors Naturescaping is a program offered by Brightside St. Louis designed to help neighborhood groups enhance their community by planting native gardens in public spaces. The Ellendale Neighborhood Garden will take this one step further. In addition to being a beautification effort, this community garden has been designed also as a pollinator garden. This space will attract beneficial wildlife - such as birds, butterflies, and bees - many species of which are vulnerable and currently at risk. And it is hoped that the plants chosen will help to further restore Missouri's native plant communities.
This was a competitive grant application process, and the Ellendale Neighborhood Association is truly grateful to have its proposed garden project selected for funding. The work will be completed October 14 & 15 as part of an Eagle Scout Service Project for Josh Sisul, candidate for Troop 62 in St. Louis City.
Schedule of events that weekend are as follows:
Saturday, October 14: 9am - 5pm
Clear existing vegetation (approximately 4 to 5 hours)
Create border, edge garden, and soil preparation (approximately 2 to 3 hours)
Sunday, October 15: 12pm - 5pm
Laying weed barrier and planting (approximately 3 to 4 hours)
Topsoil and mulch (approximately 1 to 2 hours)
Residents and other interested parties are welcome to assist the volunteer efforts to create this community garden space for the Ellendale Neighborhood.
At its September general meeting, the Ellendale Neighborhood Association agreed to accept ownership of the garden when completed - handling all watering, weeding, and general cleanup duties in the future. Anyone interested in assisting with these efforts are encouraged to contact Matthew Sisul (President, Ellendale Neighborhood Association).