Janet And Zena’s Magic Of Flowers In A Community Garden

Published on: 29 Jul, 2015
Updated on: 29 Jul, 2015

By Anna Valentina

Miracles definitely happen when it comes to flowers.

A while ago I saw how a tidied-up plot in Northway, near Stoughton Recreation Ground, could make community life not only visually more attractive but also calmer and safer.

Now the same is happening again, this time in Franklin Court, off Southway in Park Barn.

Two lovely friends: Janet Springer and Zena Crane are well known in Park Barn for their good nature and community spirit.

Two years ago, if you passed Franklin Court, you would see nothing but a messy plot covered with shrubs and weeds. Now it looks very different – a beautiful bed of flowers that is a joy to passers-by.

Like Northway, the garden here influences the attitude of local people and makes it less likely for anyone to misbehave, or even drop a cigarette butt.

The community garden is a result of hard work of two enthusiastic local residents – Zena Crane and Janet Springer.

Several years ago they agreed that the abandoned overgrown area just in front of their houses was not what they wanted to see every day.

That is how the plot Franklin Court used to look a few years ago.

Shrubs had gone wild. Some of them grew so badly that their roots could possibly have caused damage to the footings of nearby buildings.

Moreover, people were using the plot as a dumping ground for litter, old bicycles and even furniture.

“Once there was a person sleeping in a tent beneath the trees,” Janet recalls.

Hard at work in the garden.

Zena adds that nobody cared about the place. So, the two friends decided to take the matter into their own hands.

It took a while for them to get permission from Guildford Borough Council to take the plot under their care.

However, Janet and Zena do appreciate the support of the council, especially from a team leader, Kevin Street.

Zena says: “They came to make estimates and then decided to support us. Without their help we couldn’t have cut down the trees and renew the soil.”

As soon as the difficult work was done by the council, Janet and Zena began planting flowers.

All sorts of flowers can be found on the plot.

It is not easy to get enough plants to cover such a wide plot, but Zena and Janet saw this as an adventure. For example, the gorgeous white tulips that were blooming this spring were unwanted bulbs that had previously been planted in Guildford’s Castle Grounds.

Zena says: “Our friends told us the staff at the Castle Grounds allows people to collect some of the unwanted bulbs for free, and we rushed there.

“And these 14 bushes of lavender we bought when we saw them on offer. We just enjoy doing such things.”

One of Janet’s favorite flowers is lavender for its gentle smell and attractiveness for bees.

Zena’s voice rings with passion while she shows me an album of photographs that details the work they have done to the garden.

During the summer the plot is covered by wild flowers. The pair accidentally mixed several packs of different seeds and decided to plant them as they were. The result was impressive – a patchwork of flowers of all sorts, colours and shapes.

A foxglove among the many other plants growing in the garden.

Janet adds excitedly:“ We never know what flower will pop up next. And for me it is the most enjoyable thing to say – ‘Look, I have never seen this one before!’.”

According to Janet and Zena, their neighbors are very thankful for their hard work, even if they rarely give them a hand with tending the plants.

However, they have received some extra help from the Guildford-based charity halow.

Among the various projects it runs is one called The Building Futures Group or BFG. This is an exciting training and development programme for young people in Surrey with a learning disability,

These two pictures show some of the team from the halow project’s BFG helping in the garden.

On two occasions a team from BFG with their helpers have come to the garden, rolled up their sleeves and have done some useful weeding.

This has been arranged through the Joining In! project and community warden Tracy James.

Janet and Zena agree that now there is almost no litter, children do not climb the remaining birch tree, and it is hardly possible to imagine someone in a tent on a bed of flowers.

The criminology theory of ‘broken windows’, which states that maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may stop vandalism and its escalation into more serious crime, is certainly true here.

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