Community, by its very nature, relies on language. During the third year of Cultivating Connections, we explored our long-term interest in the ways gardens convey ideas, stories, and hope.

Let me begin by sharing gratitude for Stephanie Fagan who volunteered with me to carry the dream of this program forward. Being life-long gardeners, we came into the program year with a mutual respect for our individual ideas alongside a common passion for elevating our communities by amplifying the voices of others.

We titled our program year “The Language of Garden Design” to reflect our commitment to human stories held by participating members along with our commitment to exploring the translation of shared ideas into future three-dimensional spaces. While this year’s project ended at the 2-dimentional design phase (see Stephanie’s beautiful work below!), the process illustrated a deep importance of collective ideation and the challenge of blending multiple visions with place-based physical constraints. We aimed to balance the parameters set by community interests as well as the prospective beneficiary organization. At times, these factors conflicted due to the complexity of maximizing public accessibility, educational value, food production goals, and more. Thankfully, the results were well received by the WHEAT Food Pantry in West Haven and the landowner exploring reuse of the parcel.

The process leading to the design result was equally valuable. The premise that garden designs can function as expressions of human stories was central to this program year. Unpacking this required a close look at the nature of language and the co-creative process of garden making as a variation of more commonly recognized modalities of communication.

Of course, language is the most essential tool for learning, productive engagement in social settings, and a basic ingredient to advance wellness. Simultaneously, and less commonly considered, language is also the most fundamental ingredient to gain historical insights or to describe future opportunities. Just as we use (and re-use) shapes as letters (and then letters as words and those words as sentences for more complex layers of meaning), garden designers curate shapes, colors, textures, flavors, and even sounds to curate places. In the end, our fundamental and constant goal is to enable emotional and intellectual activation for positive human experiences.

On the topic of language…
If traditional languages are a result of a co-creative process, then shouldn’t we embrace the idea that gardens can be the published outcome of a designer’s expressive intent?  And if we agree on that, shouldn’t we also agree that expressing intent and the use of garden related ingredients is also an expressive form of language?
Of course, we worked to advance these ideas as part of our contributions through the project.  In addition to supporting the CT Garden Collaborative program, we also honor the value we gained thanks to the year three cohort members of Cultivating Connections.

One of the highlights for this third year of the program was a community gathering of local seniors and friends where we outlined the design challenge, the community goals, and the call to creative action.  To activate participation, one group exercise led to the creation of a new song (thanks to the help of an AI music composition model). It joyfully incorporated key phrases and ideas from the group into the new composition we named “Petals on the Pavement”.  This expressed the imagination of our group – hoping for a garden that could propagate value more widely in the community than the limited bounds of the gardens’ edge.  This song beautifully addressed the fundamental idea that public gardens are uniquely focused on public accessibility and amplifying community value.

As we look ahead, continuing the Cultivating Connections program can certainly help others flex their creative muscles as the program support team and the Artist(s)-in-Residence help enable more joyful moments. These experiences, occurring at the edge of our built environments and inspired by the immense beauty of our natural world, help lift individuals from isolation in important ways. Each program year will continue utilizing its own unique artistic approach and media – while all will continue sharing a common inspiration from beautifully cultivated spaces.

We want to thank the community supporters who have helped uplift the CT Garden Collaborative, the artists-in-residence who came before us, and all those who participated as engaged neighbors. We also wish the future program artists great success in their learning and community experiences. It’s clear that the cohort of senior participants bring significant value in their contributions as artists and advisors. A few have participated every year, and a few have moved through the inevitability of personal passing. Those realities have already made the work of Cultivating Connections particularly poignant – and remind us of the value for our continued mission with the CT Garden Collaborative.

May your inspirations come to life through long-lasting gardens.
 

-Dan Camenga

June 20, 2025

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P.S.  We salute our fellow gardeners near and far!  Gardeners are “place makers”. We know the act of designing green spaces can only occur when we believe our ideas and the lasting value of our efforts. Garden making embraces the role of partner with natural forces that go beyond our control. May you continue finding joy in the stewardship of YOUR garden adventures!​

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