I Wonder Garden

Tucked away at the edge of a parking lot behind the now-defunct FAST school is one of Canton’s best-kept secrets. The I Wonder Garden is a 7,000 sq. ft. urban oasis run by community volunteers.

Launched in 2013 with the support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Blue Water Baltimore, the I Wonder Garden helps keep our urban landscape a little greener and filters stormwater run-off to keep the harbor cleaner.

The garden, which features native plants and community plots, is currently undergoing a bit of a renaissance. With renewed interest from local volunteers, the support of the CCA, and help from Councilman Zeke Cohen, an MOU is in the works with the city of Baltimore to keep the garden safe and accessible to our community. We recently chatted with Canton neighbor and new CCA Business Development Committee member, Hayden Wyatt. He’s what he shared about the garden.

Garden History: A little about the start of the garden and pictures:
https://bluewaterbaltimore.org/blog/unpaving-paradise-in-a-parking-lot/

Things to do in the garden:
Visit often and feed the birds natural birdseed, take a break from the cityscape and see some green, get your hands dirty and volunteer some of that energy to help us keep the weeds down along the perimeter, and/or join our waitlist for a garden bed to be used to grow your own fruits, veggies, herbs, and more!

Donations:

●Monetary Donations: to be used to purchase materials and install a Community Bee Hive (self-contained), water retention tanks, tool shed, and larger compost bins for community use. Please make any donation to our Paypal account: Amy Purtill Iwondergardenbaltimore@gmail.com

●Donations of materials such as pressure treated wood, intact hardscape materials, wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, wheeled trash cans, wheeled recycling cans, for community use, would all be greatly appreciated! Please coordinate delivery with us prior to dropping anything off at the garden.

Volunteer Efforts:

●Lifting and repairing the water retention tanks (connected to the school’s gutter/downspout system)

●Hand and light machine digging in the garden to plant new trees and hardscapes

●Handling the trash/litter control in the garden, walkways, stairs, and where the garden meets the parking lot

●Repairing and maintaining the fence/weeds

●Maintaining the garden and preventing overgrowth along the pathways and perimeter

●Reminder: Please no dogs allowed in the garden as it is an Audubon and the birds and wildlife nest here throughout the year

Please join us on Facebook to receive updates on garden meetings and volunteer opportunities or email us at Iwondergardenbaltimore@gmail.com if you have questions. For more info visit our website at www.iwondergarden.squarespace.com and check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/178754502296081/. Thanks!