I've been giving thought to placemaking, "third places," and community commons, particularly to how plant-y places and support for pollinators and other species are part of what make such spaces all the more welcoming and supportive.
I've lived a number of differently scaled places from villages of under 4000 people on up to cities like Baltimore, Maryland, and sought neighborhood greenspaces in each.
An important, yet often overlooked "third space," particularly in cities are sometimes cemeteries. In Washington DC, for example, the historically important Congressional Cemetery had fallen into disrepair until local dog walkers managed to enter into relationship with the cemetery, offering to support and volunteer (as well as keep an eye on things) in order to be allowed access to walk their canine companions.
Congressional is along the Anacostia river, in the South East neighborhood behind the U.S. Capital, a neighborhood in the city where green community spaces were somewhat hard to come by. Their efforts led to a revitalization of the cemetery, such that today it's a hub of ongoing events from an book club and movie nights, to Autumn "soul strolls" where you can 'meet' those reenacting some of the long term residents. There are also a number of self guided tours, from "Civil Rights Heroes", to "LGBTQ+ Community" to "Suffrage" and "Women of Arts and Letters." They host death cafes and a writers' group.
Congressional's focus on their mission of providing Urban Green Space extends into Green burials in the nature sanctuary, use of native plants and no harmful chemicals. Congressional remains an active burial ground, though they are focused upon greener possibilities these days. There are bee hives on site, and an annual honey sale of their "Rest In Bees Cemetery Honey" with the DC Beekeeper's Alliance.
Today's little field trip though, was too a local Howard County, Maryland historical cemetery, that while no longer active as a burial ground, has become a community treasure, the Whipps Garden Cemetery.
While a far smaller cemetery, and nearly forgotten and bulldozed, it was saved through community preservation work, and being adopted by volunteers, among them, notably, the University of Maryland Howard County Master Gardeners. They provide a backbone to maintain the grounds in a late 1800's garden style, while replacing invasive plants with period appropriate natives. Whipps even holds a native plant sale every May.
Whipps Garden Cemetery had first come up on my personal 'radar' in that it's a nearby seed library I can share my native seeds with. Similar to Little Free Libraries these are places where we can "take a seed, leave a seed!" This one was a scout project.
It's a certified "Baywise" (Chesapeake Bay) site using appropriate conservation practices, and the butterfly garden is a certified Monarch Waystation. It provides habitat with stumps (where I found a chipmunk) and birdhouses, as well as a beehive.
There are various other features, such as period ironwork (Mr. Whipps was a county blacksmith), an herb garden dedicated to Barbara Sieg, who was instrumental in saving the cemetery, a riparian border along a streambed, a compost and tool
yard, and a lovely 'woodland theater' of outdoor benches used for horticultural education.
While my schedule makes programs like the Master Gardeners or even adopting a corner of the cemetery difficult, the Master Gardeners are out weekly as a volunteer time when anyone can lend a hand. That ability to step in or out without expectation or commitment is part of that third space ethic, you're there when you can be, you meet and work alongside others and learn from one another.
These are forms of community and green spaces that aren't obvious, but can be very much part of placemaking when we decide these places matter to us and that we have something to give. The industry itself has not been very environmentally aware until relatively recently, particularly with 'consumer' demand for natural burials, etc. When these spaces begin to take on multiple uses by providing habitat, or pollinator food, or community gathering spaces, they begin to grow into parts of our neighborhood.
Sort of in some same vein as the rural cemetery movement from the early to mid 1800's. Greenmount cemetery in Baltimore was part of my neighborhood for a number of years and provided that urban green space in a place where every bit of forest or parkland was at a premium. It has its own plant nursery history. Much as it's difficult to envision people 'coming up from the city' with picnics on weekends now that the city has surrounded it, if one squints on a foggy morning, one could ALMOST see Greenmount as a community celebratory spot once more.
Whipps Garden Cemetery
Entry and map-
Seed library-
Ironwork-
Compost yard-
Replantings-
Woodland theater-
