DENVER — Dr. Hayley Schroeder and her partner, James Warren, saw an opportunity to grow something new when the city decided not to plant flower beds as part of budget cuts earlier this year as it tried to respond to the influx of immigrants from the southern border.
“I think a lot of people, when they heard that a lot of these beds were not going to be planted, there was sort of an outpouring of interest,” Schroeder said as she pulled weeds from the city flower bed in her neighborhood of Villa Park.
When Schroeder and Warren found out that their neighborhood flower bed would not be planted, they sprang into action. Schroeder and Warren petitioned the city to let them, and their neighbors, plant and maintain the flower bed themselves.
“I think we pushed really hard that we have the interest in our community, the expertise, the desire to make this happen,” said Schroeder.
Schroeder has a PhD in entomology, the arm of zoology focused on the study of insects. With this expertise, she wanted to do something unique with Villa Park’s flower bed: Replace the usual, annual plants with native plants.
“There’s a bunch of benefits that largely come back to the fact that these plants evolved here in this landscape. So, they’re really specifically adapted for the climate that we have here and the specific community of wildlife,” said Schroeder.
Many of these plants predate Denver.
“If you came back 300, 400 years ago, you would be able to find many of these plants in and around the Denver area, which is so cool. I think it’s so fun to carry on that tradition and maybe in a little bit more of a managed way,” said Warren.
Eventually, the city agreed with their plan.
“The city was really generous and provided us with all of these plants. They’re a mix of native and just xeric, drought tolerant plants. I think in the future, we want to continue pushing for the native perennials," said Schroeder.
Schroeder and Warren worked specifically with Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR), who grew these native plants in their City Park Greenhouse. The department is also keeping tabs with the work being done in Villa Park.
“We have a whole volunteer portal online where we’re able to record our hours, and the city knows how much we’re contributing to the site. It’s been a truly great collaboration,” said Schroeder.
Schroeder and Warren also want to collaborate with our landscape in a more mindful way. The water that they use to nourish these plants comes directly from their roof. Collected rainwater is returned to the ground to give these young plants a strong start.
“After they establish, they really require very little to no water. They come back each year, better and better,” said Schroeder.
The two even haul the rainwater, in five-gallon buckets, by bicycle. “It’s great to use rainwater from our roof to take over to the site. We bike it over there so it’s very low emissions, a very climate friendly trip,” said Schroeder, laughing and looking at the heavy trailer attached to her bicycle.
Residents of the Villa Park neighborhood have rallied around the idea, coming together to see the project through.
One such resident is Kim Ramirez.
“I’ve been here 28 years”, said Ramirez. “This is just going to help our community immensely. And we’re just happy that we’re just a small part of helping our community."
Schroeder and Warren said that many members of the neighborhood help with the watering, planting, and weeding.
“It’s a small site, but there is plenty to do, and our neighborhood has shown up in a big way to keep it beautiful. The whole Villa Park Green Team is really what makes this possible,” said Schroeder.
Keeping the neighborhood beautiful is just one of a few benefits the Villa Park Green Team hopes the native plants provide. The flower bed sits just off West 8th Avenue and Grove Street, near Federal Boulevard.
“This is the entrance to Villa Park. And so, we really want this to be a special welcome as people are entering our community. To represent, sort of, the beautiful and very environmentally focused residents that live here,” said Schroeder.
“Hopefully this is a space that is home for insects, and birds, and squirrels, and also humans too,” says Warren. A small site with big impact.
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