Garden shelter on its way

The Docklands Community Garden pavilion will soon be under construction, a year after the garden was officially opened.

According to a City of Melbourne spokesperson, the garden shelter is a pergola-like structure that will provide a sheltered, flexible space for gardeners and locals.

“Ground works are expected to begin on-site in early August, with an estimated three to four week construction period,” the spokesperson said.

The pavilion, to be built on the western boundary of the garden, is hoped to provide a venue for community events such as art projects and music performances.

Garden committee volunteer Greg Wise said the pavilion would also host gardening presentations about topics relevant to Docklands, such as creating balcony gardens and vertical gardens.  

“We want the community garden to encourage the greening of Docklands,” Mr Wise said.

The garden committee also hoped the garden will become a model for other community gardens.

Volunteer Chris Koehn said the group was planning for the future of the garden.

“We want this to become a showcase for community gardens,” she said.

“We’re excited about the prospects of the garden as an educational and social hub.”

The group has also formulated a vision statement outlining the values, goals and mission of the garden.

The values and goals of the Docklands community garden are;

To become and exemplar 21st century garden for a 21st century suburb;

To inspire pride and a sense of place and involvement in the community;

To inspire others to plant and maintain gardens in their own micro communities;

To maintain and expand on the ground-breaking sustainable design principles on which Docklands is based;

To generate creative solutions to food sustainability for a modern urban community; and

To be known as a place of connection and a pleasant haven for a wide range of community members at all times during the year.

The small but committed garden committee has faced some challenges over the past year, namely gaining access to their council community grant without being incorporated, and tackling a rat plague that threatened to destroy the garden.

Mr Wise said that, although the rat issue was ongoing, the group was involved in continued discussions with the City of Melbourne about proposals for dealing with the problem.

The garden volunteers met with City of Melbourne last month and, although no concrete solution has been reached, Mr Wise said council was taking the issue seriously.

“It was indicated to us that it was being taken seriously by the City of Melbourne as they’ve received complaints from residents,” Mr Wise said.

The garden committee is currently planning its spring planting activity for the first Saturday in September and invites the Docklands community to get involved.

And if you’re keen to get involved before then, the committee welcomes new members at anytime.

Contact [email protected] to express your interest or see the garden noticeboard for more information.