Garden Partners
Have an interest in beautifying our city?  Do you enjoy gardening?  Do you appreciate the flower pots and gardens throughout Toledo?  You are invited to take an active role in supporting this effort through the Garden Partners program. 

Join in Toledo’s efforts to beautify our City by volunteering or providing financial support of the public gardens located throughout the City of Toledo.  These gardens enhance the quality of life for all residents of the city and contribute to the growth of Toledo Pride.

How you can help:

• Volunteers can sponsor a garden by contributing money to pay for the installation and care of a particular garden. 
• Volunteers can actively plant and maintain a garden.

All volunteer care-givers or sponsors are asked to make a commitment for the entire season, through the Garden Partners program.  Volunteers shall be recognized by signage located in or near the planting beds.

If you or your group are interested in adopting or sponsoring one of these gardens for the 2008 season please contact Doug Trueman at Urban Beautification (419-467-1841).

Sites are available at the following locations:

• Cherry Street
• Children’s Park near the Train Station
• Downtown Toledo (Pots/Planters and Gardens)
• Erie Street Market
• Five Points 
• Harvard Circle
• International Park
• Kenwood Blvd
• Kleis Park
• Monroe Street (Pots/Planters and Gardens) 
• Ottawa Park
• Sleepy Hollow Park
• Willy’s Parkway

Garden Partners
Guidelines For Adoption

City of Toledo Urban Beautification Responsibilities

1. Provide an approved site and flowerbed design that specifies the variety of flowers, the quantity of flowers required for the bed and the appropriate spacing for the plants. The Chief Horticulturist must approve all designs.  Plant selection must take into consideration street height restrictions to avoid causing visibility problems for traffic.

2. If at any time the Urban Beautification staff deems the installed flowerbed is unsightly, contact will be made with the adopter group.  If identified issues are not corrected within ten (10) business days, the Urban Beautification staff will remove the flowerbed.

3. Where an automated irrigation system has been provided, the city will maintain the system in a timely manner including spring startup and fall shutdown.  Repairs or
adjustments to the system will be made as necessary.

4. Notify the adopter of any utility and/or irrigation lines prior to startup

Adopter Responsibilities

1. Meet with the Urban Beautification staff to identify a site or secure a sponsorship and review guidelines. Call Doug Trueman, Chief Horticulturalist at 419-467-1841 to set up a meeting and to answer your questions.

2. Spring bed preparation shall include the removal of all weeds, trash and winter debris. The soil shall be turned over to a depth of 4 to 6 inches with a spade or rototiller prior to planting and then raked smooth.

3. Provide and administer a 12-12-12 granular fertilizer to the soil according to instructions after it has been turned over and raked but prior to planting.  Adopters may use a 9-month osmocote formulation if they prefer.  If Osmocote is used, a small amount according to directions should be placed around each individual plant.

4. Must follow planting designs provided or agreed to in consultation with Chief Horticulturist.  All flowers should be installed between May 15th and Memorial Day.

5. Shall be responsible for irrigating the site.  Plants should be watered immediately after planting and 3x a week thereafter.  If an irrigation system is available the adopter shall coordinate the planting date the Urban Beautification Division to insure the irrigation system is operating and the timers set.  The adopter will notify Urban Beautification of any problems occurring with the system over the course of the season.  

6. Visit the adoption site twice weekly to weed, dead head, trim, replace plants where needed, and remove and dispose of litter and weeds.

7. Any vandalism and /or theft of flowers will need to be replaced in accordance with the design.

8. Flowers will be removed and disposed of between October 1 and October 29 of the given year.  The remaining bed will be raked clean by October 29. 

Garden Partners
Guidelines For Sponsorship

City of Toledo Urban Beautification Responsibilities

1. Urban Beautification staff will provide a list of active sites to be sponsored.

2. Urban Beautification staff will prepare, plant, fertilize, water, weed and otherwise
maintain the site.

3. Will install a sign recognizing the sponsor for the year.

Sponsor Responsibilities

1. Sponsors will identify the site they wish to adopt.

2. Sponsors reimburse the city for the cost of the annuals used in the beautification of the site.  They may participate in the planting of the flowers and in any other aspect of its maintenance but the Urban Beautification staff will be responsible for its care.