By Khalida Sarwari
Almost every Tuesday morning, Peggy Kimball gets in her car and makes the 16-mile drive from her home in Mountain View to Big Basin Way in Saratoga. It’s a commute she has made for five years, and every week it’s the flowers that keep bringing her back.
Tuesday mornings are particularly special for Kimball, because not only do they give her a chance to tend to the plants she looks after on Big Basin Way, but those days also give Kimball an opportunity to see some of her dearest friends in the Village Gardeners group. The team is a mix of folks from the business community and residents of Saratoga and other nearby cities, as well as Saratoga Mayor Jill Hunter, who formed the group in March 2005. Many of the volunteers didn’t know each other, but quickly bonded over a love of gardening and goal of beautifying the city.
Hunter created the group with the intention of rallying members of the community to in the time to help enhance the beauty of Saratoga’s downtown, which at the time was mostly dirt and bark.
Today, the gardeners can look back on their work and take pride in the 68 treewells, 20 hanging baskets, 16 urns and 37 flowerpots on Big Basin Way.
“It’s so special and so beautiful,” Kimball said. “This is the last showcase for the valley.”
On any given Tuesday morning, anywhere from five to 10 gardeners can be seen toiling away on the route. Each of the members have their own designated spot to water, weed, sweep, trim, plant and prune. Some of the group members are so dedicated they’ll set aside time even during the week to drop by and check on their plants and flowers.
Laurel Perusa, a retired schoolteacher and community volunteer who joined just a few months after the group was formed, said she continues to come on Tuesdays because she loves the group.
“This is one of the most rewarding and fun volunteering opportunities I’ve ever had,” she said.
There have been times when she’s been on the ground gardening and people have stopped to thank her, Perusa said.
“The people here really appreciate it, and they realize what we do is really unique.”
The most dedicated of the bunch are presented with a “Golden Broom” award.
“We used to spray paint an old broom and present it to merchants who work hard to keep the outside of businesses looking great and who plant their own flowers,” Hunter said.
One recent recipient is Mary Anne Serpa, who owns Skin Prophecy Boutique on the corner of Big Basin Way and Fourth Street, who Hunter noted has taken care of her own flowers and pots with great enthusiasm.
The upkeep of the downtown by local volunteers, Serpa said, is necessary. “There is no agency in the city that does this,” she said.
Arguably one of the most dedicated volunteer is John Towler, who has been with the group since the first day. Before he joined the Village Gardeners, Towler worked as a gardener at the homes of some of the women in the group. He receives a monthly stipend to tend mostly to the hanging baskets and weeds and other tasks that the ladies aren’t able to do, such as digging.
“My mother was a gardening nut, and now I just love plants,” the gardener of 35 years said.
Because money has always been tight for the group, it isn’t unusual for members to contribute out of their own pockets. The volunteers will sometimes bring plants from home or go out and buy plants. For the most part, the group relies on the generosity of the community for funds as well as flowers. They’ve hosted a couple of garage sales over the years that raised about $1,300 each time. Throughout the past few weeks, they have received an outpouring of donations from the community, to the tune of nearly $700, according to Hunter.
“The community has been very good to us,” Perusa said.
The money may come and go, but the group’s strength has always been its workers and volunteers. Kimball, whose only connection to the Saratoga community is an art group that she’s a part of, said she will continue to make the commute as long as it doesn’t interfere with her part-time job.
“I just love to be with the people,” she said. “We’re almost like a big family.”
To make a donation to the Village Gardeners group, submit a check to Loren Cook, who serves as the group’s treasurer. The check should be made out to the Village Gardeners and sent to Cook, care of Coldwell Banker, 12029 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Saratoga, CA 95070.
The Saratoga Village Gardeners share a love of gardening and of friendships with each other
