Help Upkeep the Gold Park Pollinator Garden

You don’t have to be a master gardener or even have a green thumb to volunteer. 

“There are people that just like the garden and come out to help,” said volunteer and Hillsborough resident Kay Johnson. “It’s a sociable group, and you will learn about plants.” 

Johnson didn’t grow up with a love of gardening but developed an interest in growing native plants once she became a homeowner. Her morning runs through Gold Park led to meeting one of the workday coordinators, Master Gardener Frances Harris. In 2020, Johnson became a master gardener through Orange County’s master gardener program.  

She regularly helps out at the Gold Park garden workdays, now offered the first Saturday of each month from March through October. 

The workdays are about “believing that the world is a better place with bees, enjoying beautiful flowers and working in the garden,” Johnson said. 

Volunteers work from 8 a.m. to no later than 10 a.m. at the garden, located near the train trestle at the town park, 415 Dimmocks Mill Road. The garden was created in 2014 to help pollinators as a partnership between the Orange County master gardener program and a local Boy Scout troop. It is now maintained by the county program and serves as a demonstration garden, giving people an area to observe and learn about pollinators.  

The garden nourishes local pollinators, while a bee hotel, dedicated in 2017, provides a home for the 90 species of bees native to the area. The garden also helps the town maintain its status as a Bee City USA, working to raise awareness about the role pollinators play in sustaining more than 75% of the world’s plant species. 

At the beginning of the gardening season, the Gold Park garden workdays focus primarily on light pruning, pulling weeds and spreading mulch. Summer involves weeding while avoiding the heat. Sometimes volunteers divide plants and get to take some of the plantings that have outgrown their spaces. The garden is not worked on in the fall and winter to benefit birds and other creatures.  

“Volunteers are welcome to join us on the first Saturday of the month at 8 a.m.,” Johnson said. “Bring your garden gloves and favorite weeding tool!” 

If you’re going, also bring a water bottle, sun protection and any additional gardening equipment you might need.