May 22, 2025 by Seward Folly Staff
Volunteering for your city’s Adopt a Garden program isn’t just about planting flowers, it’s about growing community pride, creating beautiful spaces for everyone to enjoy, and making a real impact right where you live. Whether you’ve got a green thumb or are just looking for a way to give back, joining this program is a simple, hands-on way to beautify your city.
No gardening experience? No problem. Whether you’re a practiced plant enthusiast or just hoping to give back, this program makes it easy to make a difference right outside your door. Volunteers are asked to “adopt” a small concrete planter, garden box, or flower bed for the summer months. The job is simple but important: plant a selection of flowers (provided by the city) alongside existing perennials, and help keep your bed or planter looking its best by watering, weeding, and deadheading old blooms. A visit every couple of weeks is all it takes — less if the summer is rainy, a bit more if the sun’s out.
If you need to leave town for a stretch, you’re not alone. Volunteers can ask a friend to step in or reach out to Seward Parks and Recreation for a backup helper. At season’s end, a quick tidy-up gets the garden ready for winter.
Before June 6 (we’ll let you know when the starts are ready), volunteers can pick up their flowers at the old animal shelter on 6th Avenue between Madison and Jefferson Streets, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You’ll also receive a trowel, garden gloves, and a bright little bucket for bone meal as a thank you for your service.
To make things even easier, the city has assembled a “Garden Bible” — a detailed guide with pictures, plant suggestions, and descriptions of each garden spot. This resource lives at the Parks and Rec Office in the Annex Building (the old library) and is available Monday through Friday. Volunteers are encouraged to review it before collecting their plants.
Seward’s gardens are already in great shape, but with your help, they can become true showcases for the whole community to enjoy.
To sign up, contact Melanie at 907-224-4053.
Here are the locations of the gardens:
- Benny Benson Sign Bed – Tri level garden
- Whale Tail Corner of 4th and Port – 2 concrete rounds
- Van Buren – 2 concrete rounds by north start of bike path
- Wellington Picnic Area – 2 wooden boxes
- Waterfront Entrance Sign – Tiered garden
- Concrete rounds: Mt. Alice CG Entrance – 2; Marathon CG Entrance – 1 concrete round and 2 rock gardens; Resurrection CG Entrance – 1 concrete round; Iditarod CG Entrance – 1 concrete round; City Hall – East and South – 2 concrete rounds; Old GCI Building – 2 cement rounds
- Obihiro Park – Main garden
- Tom’s Garden – Big garden by the beach (adopted by Cathy Gillespie)
- Waterfront Sign Garden – By the shower house
- Resurrection CG South – 2 rock gardens
- Urbach’s Garden behind City Offices – 4 wooden rounds
- Branson Pavilion Handicap Access – 2 planters
- Parking Shed – 2 flower boxes
- Harbor Planters – 7 large concrete rounds
- Williams Day Use Area
- Pat Williams Garden – Across from Williams tent site (adopted by Lori Draper)
- Adams Bathroom – 1 flower box, 2 planters
- Kawabe Park – Most Kawabe beds have perennials and a watering hose
- Forest Acres Garden – Near outdoor basketball court
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