09/02/2026
To our friends and neighbors in University Heights:
The three front beds on Fenwick are going through a massive change that saddens us.
A small group of UH volunteers began showing up at the Walt in 2020 to save dying plants from the invasive vines that had taken over the garden. This group grew and became the Friends of the Walt and we were awarded Volunteer of the Year by the City of UH in 2020 for our efforts. In 2021, we applied for and received grants to purchase hundreds of native plants to replace the invasive thistles on in the north prairie bed, filling in gaps where plants had died in the rain gardens, and filling in the large gaps in these three front beds on Fenwick. In the Fenwick beds we planted wild petunia, giant hyssop, showy goldenrod, wild lupine, scarlet beebalm, shooting star, rattlesnake master, beardtongue, and prairie blazing star, all of which succeeded and thrived. No irrigation was needed for these beds, as native plants do well without it, once established. The combination of plants created blooms throughout the spring, summer and fall.
The current administration has decided that they want a more formal look for these beds. They hired a native plant landscaper to redesign the beds. We tried to collaborate and wanted to work with the landscaper, but to no avail. So we have spent the last several weeks transplanting what we could from the front beds to the rain gardens and prairie gardens, to save these beautiful plants.
Immediately after the council meeting last week, when all present members except Brian King (a member of FOW) approved the funding to demolish and put in irrigation in these front beds, they were indeed mowed down, with the exception of the winterberry shrubs in the middle bed.
We have just read the plans for replanting. The complaint we had gotten from the city was that the look was too "weedy" and the plants were too tall. Surprisingly, their plant list is very similar to what we already had there. The plants will be just as tall, and they will re-install some of the same plants that were removed. They will spend $4267 on these “new” plants and install an irrigation system for $7361.
Our volunteers have spent thousands of hours collectively, working throughout six seasons, spring through fall. We have pulled several tons of weeds, planted thousands of native plants, dug up invasive grasses and vines, spent entire sessions tackling mugwort around the gazebo, and watered the young trees. We have organized community volunteers, hosted annual community service events with the HOBY Leadership program for high school students from around the state, and we provided our own tools and garden waste bags.
This work has been incredibly rewarding. To see plants thrive, to see the gorgeous flowers, to hear and see the buzzing bees, butterflies, and songbirds, and to free the native shrubs and trees and grasses from strangling invasives-- all has been rewarding. And to help contribute to human health, well-being and happiness! We have received countless positive comments from the public over the six years. We have gotten "thank you for taking care of our park" every single week. But it has also been hard work, and most of us work full-time. When we received an email from the Mayor last spring criticizing the look of the front beds, it changed our relationship with the city.
We have voiced our concerns to the Administration – about ripping out plants only to replace them with the same plant, about the likelihood of a resurgence of invasive plants now that the soil is disturbed and roots of invasive plants were not removed, about the unnecessary expense of irrigation, about the likelihood that some planted species will spread aggressively without care, and about the absence of a plan or budget for ongoing maintenance. The tidy look that the city intended is unlikely to be the result. Despite what is being communicated from the City about conversations with FOW, they have clearly disregarded our input. A more productive approach would have been to consult with us to make adjustments for a "neater" look, and to allocate manpower and resources to help maintain it. And yet, here we are.
We love the Walt, we love the gardens, and we love our UH neighbors that use the park. But we are not sure that we are willing to continue this work without the respect of the University Heights Administration.
