Resident Betty Edson enjoying the serenity of the landscape.
Nearly three years… that’s how long it’s been since the first residents moved into Strode Independent Living. And in that time we’ve seen not only the community come to life, but the very ground it’s built upon.
The Morgan Orchards campus is nestled on 30 acres of scenic meadowland, most of which contains rich, beautiful soil – a quality that’s benefited Vermont’s agricultural industry for centuries.
And the tradition of working the land isn’t one that’s lost on us or our residents.
They’ve formed two key groups to help shape the environment around our campus. And both have been busy these past couple of years bringing both Gifford’s vision for the community and their own, to life.
A Campus-Wide Vision
The first group steering the direction of the grounds is the Landscaping Committee. While all residents are encouraged to participate, this group of around fifteen residents typically meets monthly (except in the winter) with members of the Morgan Orchards’ staff. Here they discuss the community’s wish list for outdoor amenities, from walking trails to garden needs, patio spaces, and more.
Many of these ideas are on display in the library at Strode Independent Living where two large bulletin boards are posted along with a map of the overall landscaping plan. These physical Pinterest boards are where all residents can share their ideas for the landscape around their home.
The overall landscaping plan for the campus is on display in the main lounge for all residents, and visitors, to see how the landscape will develop.
The Landscaping Committee reviews the full community wish list, including the bulletin boards, and outlines which projects are most important, attainable, and manageable for residents, staff, and the community as a whole. After each meeting, all of the residents receive an update and are given the opportunity to weigh in before projects are put to a community-wide vote to see which they would most like to see created.
As an active member of the Landscaping Committee, Al Wilker sees the group’s work as planting seeds for additional thoughts, designs, and participation in other outdoor activities.
“Our thoughts are to allow Morgan Orchards’ residents to participate not only in the gardening activities, but more importantly in planning and designing what they want. The concept of participation is very important to making Morgan Orchards ‘our own’ rather than having a corporation doing something without resident participation,” Wilker shared of the committee’s goal. “Seeing people doing activities out and about, with 30-acres of some of the most beautiful land in Vermont… we all are blessed with an amazing opportunity.”
And while the committee, and the entire community, has grand plans for the landscape, all are taking it slow.
“The residents have run with it, taken the lead,” shared Doug Pfohl, Gifford’s vice president of support services whose team plays a vital part in bringing these projects to fruition. “I enable them with the resources, they do the rest. But there is a balance that we all strive for. We want to develop a plan to move the landscape forward at a sustainable pace, to make sure we’re not just moving forward but we’re also able to maintain what’s been done.”
By taking this measured approach to the quantity and timing of projects they implement, the committee is also able to leave opportunities for the future.
“We’re striving to continue moving forward but to not move too quickly so new residents can have the opportunity to weigh in and contribute,” added Wilker.
And with each step forward, the landscape and the community, continue to evolve.
In the spring and summer of 2019 alone, the residents focused on six major projects:
- Establishing the apple orchard
- Building a garden shed for the fenced-in ground garden
- Adding additional tall planting boxes on the west side of the building
- Installing a sunshade over the patio
- Beautifying the canal garden area to improve resident views
- And expanding and establishing a formal entryway into the ground’s designated agricultural area.
As 2019 came to a close, four of these projects were underway or had been completed. Today, the residents are forming small task groups to focus on the projects, and others, that haven’t yet begun.
On display in the library is a scale model (created by Al Wilker) of the sun sails residents’ designed for the patio and the completed sails that were installed this summer.
“This community is special because residents are making decisions, contributing. It’s community-driven, choice-driven,” expressed Pfohl. Exactly the type of community we had hoped to create when we first envisioned what this property could be.
Adding a Touch of Color
The Garden Club’s impact is felt both inside and out. This group of about ten residents meets monthly and is responsible for planning, planting, and maintaining many of the flower and garden spaces around the property – from the flower pots at the front entrance to the lovely vases scattered throughout our many common rooms, and the tall planting boxes on the west side of the building to name a few.
“I so admire the energy and expertise of our gardeners,” shared Betty Edson. “Their efforts are a huge gift to the landscaping and to all of us.”
The work of the Garden Group brings color both inside and out.
Functioning as a sub-committee of the Landscaping Committee, this energetic group of residents is the key to developing new flower beds around the property.
One individual who’s been heavily involved with both the Landscape Committee and the Garden Group is Vance Smith. Smith grew up with formal gardens and took her first landscape architecture class in 1972. She’s been hooked on it ever since and is eager to share ideas for both landscape spaces as well as various plants with her neighbors.
“I consider the whole campus a potential garden,” commented Smith. “I envision multiple pleasant garden experiences outside. I’d love to organize the outdoor space into formal and informal gardens and have different areas, or “rooms”, like pergolas for vines, walkways through berry bushes, a croquet course, cutting gardens, long vistas, and water gardens by the pond.”
Recently she and several other residents planted around 500 naturalized daffodils around the property – near the pond, by the flag pole, along the edge of the rock creek bed, and on top of the berm. They hope the daffodils will reproduce each year and offer a nice pop of color in the early spring.
And while she enjoys planning gardens and their hardscapes, her favorite project on the property so far has been the orchard.
“The apple orchard promenade has the most potential to develop into a formal vista, with an entrance, a story in the middle, and a focus at the end,” she shared when asked about the vision for the orchard, whose young saplings are just beginning to bud.
Like the apple trees, the landscape at Morgan Orchards has quickly blossomed thanks to the hard work and dedication of these two groups and individual resident contributions.
Seeing them embrace the campus and dedicate themselves to making it their own ensures a healthy and active future for not just the community, but the residents who choose to call Morgan Orchards home.
This is the first in a series of articles on the development of the Morgan Orchards landscape. Check back next week as we take a closer look at the community’s connection to nature.
Read the other articles in this series:
