New gardens the result of community effort

What looked like fun and games at Yahoola Creek Park last Wednesday was actually some serious landscaping business…mixed with plenty of fun and games.
That was the vibe behind the all-out, dirt-digging effort to bring more than a dozen new plants of all shapes and sizes to the stretch along the All Abilities Playground.
“I was just most excited about the collaboration between so many different organizations,” said Dahlonega Womans’s Club (DWC) Conservation Co-chair Alison Alhadeff after all the plants were in the ground. “Everybody came together.”
Those organizations included the members of the Lumpkin County Elementary School Garden Club, ConnectAbility, DWC and The Little Village Montessori.
Volunteers of all ages grabbed shovels, spades and seeds and got to planting a variety of additions ranging from thornless blackberries to juneberries to blueberries. There’s also a special raised bed garden planned with feedback from the folks at ConnectAbility.
“Maybe somebody can come by there in a wheelchair and be able to touch and feel because everything there is the sensory garden,” said Alhadeff.
ConnectAbility communications intern Paul Nickles roamed the planting sites with a camera and liked what he saw.
“I think it was great to see a lot of the community come out and take part in such a great event,” he said. “The accessible garden really was a great idea and pushes the ability for the community of Lumpkin/Dahlonega to be welcoming to all.”
Alhadeff originally spearheaded the project with the intention of capturing a little bit of her childhood backyard at the downtown park.
“As a kid I grew up and could walk in the backyard and pick oranges, tangelos, grapefruit, key limes,” she said. “ … A lot of these kids can’t pick fruit in their backyard but they might come to play sports and come over and eat fruit while they’re here and just have that same experience.”
The project received added support from Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation as well as a large donation from Anderson Feed and Seed.
“They came to the table for us which was awesome,” said Alhadeff.
Lumpkin County inmate trustees also helped prepare the sites prior to the arrival of volunteers.
After an intense hour of planting and playing, the area was transformed. But that’s just the beginning as the new additions begin to take root.
“I’m excited to see all the plants in the ground,” said Alhadeff. “In a year from now hopefully we’ll be harvesting some blueberries.”