My Favorite Campus Corner: The Adam’s Garden

Joy

My favorite place on campus, is also a place that I get paid to work in, it’s the Adam’s Garden. It’s a triangular garden, park, resting spot, haven at the corner of N. Boundary St. & Richmond Rd. It’s right beside Sorority House 1 & across from Merchant’s Square, but it surprises people that it’s part of William & Mary. Here are some pictures that I took while working this morning, a quiet St. Patrick’s Day in the ‘burg. To share some joy.

Gratitude

Something happens in this garden that NEVER happens any where that I have ever worked as a  gardener EVER. People thank me. They tell me they have been visiting this garden for decades. They tell me they remember Madelynn Watkinson, the volunteer gardener that ruled this roost for many years. They tell me about a plant she shared with them & how it now flourishes in their garden at home. They tell me that plant was smuggled back to Virginia, by Madelynn, in her bra, when she returned from vacationing in Hawaii. They are grateful.

Support

Newcomers to this oasis assume it’s part of Colonial Williamsburg. It could be the picket fence & proximity to Merchant’s Square, but this is part of the university & part of Williamsburg at large. This garden has wonderful community support. We have lovely volunteers who make this place more beautiful with their hard work. Local Garden Clubs have supported the Adam’s Garden with time & funds for many years. W&M is grateful for their  generosity, investment & support.

Hope

It is a happy place, not just for me, but for others too. During this time of isolation & time indoors, I hope to share some blooming joy with you. Get some joyful blooms for your own garden. Most of the flowers shown here are bulbs & we buy them from local growers, Brent & Becky’s in Gloucester. (They have a wonderful shop, but also deliver in these times of social distancing!) Because, every time I plant a flower in the Adam’s Garden someone thanks me for doing it. And in times like these, I want to pay it forward in my own gardening way. Planting is hope!