Holly Hills Community Garden
The summer of 2007 was the inaugural season for the Holly Hills Community Garden at the corner of Bates and Arendes on what was once a weedy vacant lot owned by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District.The garden first started to grow when Holly Hills resident and unofficial neighborhood gardener, Tim Bolt, secured the lease for the lot with assistance from 13th Ward Alderman Fred Wessels. Then, about 25 Holly Hills residents – adults and children alike – helped clear the lot of debris and build raised beds. Another Holly Hills resident, Mark Groth, worked with Gateway Greening, the outreach arm of the Missouri Botanical Garden, to get funding to pay for the materials to build the beds.
Gardeners, who must be members of HHIA, pay $25 per raised bed for the chance to grow their very own plot of vegetables, herbs and flowers in the middle of the city.
Since the garden’s inception, HHIA has donated money to build beds and purchase a storage shed. In the spring of 2012 Tim and garden manager Dan Haag won a grant from Gateway Greening to install a water line. Previously, gardeners had relied on a neighbor for water. A loan and donation from HHIA supplied the required matching funds and the water line was installed in late summer 2012.
To secure a bed for the summer, email Hannah Erlich.
Common areas
While Holly Hills is known for its tree-lined boulevards, you can’t help but notice the abundance of flowers throughout the neighborhood – along the boulevards, in street corner pots and in the park. One man is primarily responsible for this bounty of beauty: Tim Bolt.
For as long as he’s lived in Holly Hills, Tim has spent much of his free time planting bulbs and bushes, shoveling mulch, weeding flower beds and a multitude of other tasks that make our neighborhood one of the most beautiful in all of St. Louis.
Another important person in the beautification of Holly Hills is Victoria Chechik, the Holly Hills coordinator for the Flora Conservancy. In addition to their physical labors, Tim and Victoria have solicited donations of tulip bulbs, rose bushes, trees and more from organizations like Operation Brightside and the Flora Conservancy. Our deepest appreciation to Tim and Victoria for the countless hours they have spent bringing beauty to our neighborhood!
If you’d like to join Tim and Victoria on the next planting project, contact Tim at 922-6220 or by email.
Holly Hills Garden Plot
Your very own Holly Hills community garden plot! Gardeners must be HHIA members. UPDATE: Our apologies but all of the garden plots are currently reserved.