Grassroots club reshapes River Market with native gardens
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The Le Fou Frog Sidewalk Garden. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
A "plant heist" might sound silly to some, but it's a common activity for a small community of gardeners with a penchant for street beautification and habitat restoration.
Why it matters: The River Market Garden Club's roots extend well beyond their retaining walls, with spinoffs in adjacent neighborhoods, a growing network of plant enthusiasts and backing from the city.
Deborah Reiman, who heads the group, says it all began in 2017 along Main Street when she saved a bunch of perennials (plants that come back every year) from the landfill.
- "Some people felt like they were weeds," she tells Axios. So she cold-called local businesses and said, "Hey, got some plants. You want some in your sidewalk garden?"
So began the garden club, a small group of volunteers organized by Reiman that plants and maintains trees and native gardens across the River Market.
- Reiman has since become chair of the River Market Community Improvement District and is on the board of the River Market Community Association.
By the numbers: The club maintains 14 neighborhood gardens, per the association website.
- They've planted 130 trees, many of which have plaques with names to make them more appealing.
- Reiman cares for the trees and gardens with a 65-gallon water tank that she hauls around on a golf cart, which was funded with the help of a $20,000 Neighborhood Empowerment grant from the city.
Between the lines: Everything they plant is native, Reiman says, which is good for pollinators and the ecosystem.
- "And maybe there's a little bit of vanity in it. I want things to look good," she says, adding that she thinks of the neighborhood as her front and back yard.
What we're hearing: "Plant heist" is Reiman's phrase for taking a bunch of plants that would otherwise go to waste, as was the case with a native rain garden at the Kansas City Water Department.
- And some folks practice guerrilla gardening, or planting on neglected lots without permission. "I love that concept," Reiman says, but she's learned that getting buy-in creates more lasting gardens.
Zoom out: Bill Sheets, a garden club volunteer, began guerrilla gardening by spreading wildflower seeds in downtown's ugly patchwork of parking lots. "If weeds grow here, why can't actual flowers?" he tells Axios.
- He now maintains a couple of small native gardens, marked by Garden Club signs to deter the mowers.
- A spin-off group called the Downtown Garden Club has established gardens at the Garment District park near 8th and Broadway.
- And another ad hoc group repairs iron tree enclosures. Reiman says dog urine is a big problem for keeping plants and trees alive.
What's next: The club has morning meet-ups most Saturdays at 10am. Submit a volunteer form to learn about the next one.