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The Project:

Holliston Recycling Center Entrance

The Problem:

The entrance to the Holliston Recycling Center on Marshall Street is not a pretty site. On this lovely tree-lined, stone-walled country road, hundreds of people pass by on their way to soccer fields most days of the week, and to recycle on Saturdays. The entrance is a curved drive 82 feet long, bordered on each side by barren land at the edge of woodland. At the widest points, the land on the right side is 42 feet wide and the land on the left is 27 feet wide. At the end of the drive, a high wire fence visible from the road marks the Recycling Center entrance. Behind this fence, and also visible from the road, are mounds of recycled waste, compost, shrubs and stored materials.
The Holliston Garden Club, with the assistance of the town and other volunteers (see Cast below), has taken on the landscaping of this area, with the goal of Xeriscaping—in other words, planting the area so that it will self-maintain, requiring little effort by either the Club or the town to keep it looking good. This is not an easy site. Deer are in the nearby woods. Water is not close by; road salt may be a problem.

The Resources:

First, the HGC needed help to remove old mulch down to soil, add compost and new mulch. We felt large rocks placed in a natural way would have the benefit of protecting the plants while giving a design focus in certain areas. We asked the Highway Department for help, and they did much of this preparation and hardscaping with good will and good humor (certainly it’s not every day they are asked to drop large boulders from a backhoe in various spots). The Garden Club is grateful to all the “cast” members—see below.

The Plantings:

The first tree was selected and planted on Arbor Day, April 28th, in the pouring rain with members of the Holliston Garden Club, neighbors, Highway Deptartment helpers and town officials in attendance. (See picture #2.) A low-branched, multi-stemmed Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry Dogwood) was planted which will bloom with thousands of yellow blossoms next March. It was followed by the planting of several grasses in May that came from members' gardens. This September and October, the remainder of plants donated by Ahronian Landscaping and others will be installed. We will be posting a full listing of the water and deer resistant plants on the Web site after planting is complete.

Barbara Gentiluomo — suggested site for tree planting on Arbor Day. Deb Mastrangelo — designer, plant chooser, hole digger, waterer, Round-up sprayer, renderer of artistic representation of finished product and working design, co-coordinator of planting. Joan Butler — designed the plantings after the expansion of the project, edited the grant application, purchased, delivered and dug the hole for the first tree with Deb, spokesperson at Arbor Day 2007. Jill Malcolm — wanted the project to enable more members to participate and learn, got High School kids to pull weeds. Encouraged others to sign up as diggers and planters. Carol Holly — made first measurements of site and consulted on everything. Carl Damigella — supported the project from the first, showing up and thanking us for Arbor Day 2007, calling a meeting and directing the Highway Department to help with mulching, cleanup and stone placement; arranging for the municipal discount by the town with Paul LeBeau, getting the Fire Department to deliver water. Tom Smith, Scott Estey, Keith Banks, Rob Walker — Highway Deptartment guys that planted the Cornus mas in the rain. Scot Estey — made us a 30-gallon barrel with fixtures to haul water to the site. Added and spread mulch. Guardian of the site. Alice Foote — supplied her truck to haul water to water the plantings in summer, and beyond. Evan Malcolm, John Mahon and Patrick Mahon — High School students who pulled weeds several times in August. Mark Ahronian — graciously donated a large amount of the shrubs on our plant list. Ron Sharpin — will supply 55 gallon drum for water reservoir. And last but not least. Carol Meritt — Wrote grant application to club and for Civic Grant. Took pictures, documented, acted as the spider that connected the web strands.