WOODRUFF PLACE gardening engagement
User Manual
WOODRUFF PLACE Woodruff Place is a historic community recognized as Indianapolis’s first planned residential suburb. It has a beautiful park-like setting, lovely Victorian era homes, esplanades with fountains and statuary, and an ambiance that is unlike any other. Woodruff Place residents strive to sustain, improve, and maintain the neighborhood and its many amenities.
GARDENING ENGAGEMENT Think about the way you feel when you are a part of people engaging with each other. It promotes an experience of learning, inspiration and growth together. Combining engagement with the act of gardening creates a unique environment of handson learning, creativity in fun projects and a growing community that works together towards sustainability and beauty. This is a guide to becoming an engaged member of a gardening community.
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SHARING PROGRESSION
The Opportunity to Share There are many reasons to engage in gardening. You can teach others, you can learn new techniques and you can become inspired. Whatever the reason, sharing can combine all these aspects; teach, learn, inspire. That is why the opportunity to share creates a more engaged community through gardening.
The Concept of Progression Have you ever participated in a “progression dinner�? If you have, you probably remember how great it was to connect with others, get to know where they come from and share the comforts of food. Now imagine that same concept for gardening. Getting together with others that have similar interests as you, hearing their gardening stories, learning from others and all while completing fulfilling gardening projects. Putting it all together, it makes a tight knit combination of sustainability, improvement and beautification as a united team.
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Let’s Get Together 5
WHO IS WHO Where Do You Fit In? Every smooth running system has roles for every person to calmly rest within. The Sharing Progression system also maintains audience levels. The audience levels should not be constraining but rather form a structure that will ensure everyone engaging in the gardening system can get the most out of the experience. Among all the levels there is the ability to share knowledge of the area, advice on gardening and inspire ideas and innovation.
Audience Level Prompts These questions will prompt you to determine your experience level in this gardening system. How many years have you lived in the neighborhood? Less than one year
One year or more
How many years have you been gardening? 0-1 years 1-3 years 3 or more years
Do you practice any gardening techniques? (ie. Companion Gardening, Square Foot Gardening, Vertical Gardening,etc.) Yes
No
No, but am familiar
Do you participate in showcasing your garden or landscaping aesthetics? Yes
No
No, but I attend
Do you have the resources to lead communication for planning? Yes, I enjoy planning and contacting others No, I do not prefer these tasks
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Audience Level Engagement Chart
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The Beginner Gardener The beginner experience level has the role of the learner and the inspiration of inquiry. You are either new to the neighborhood, new to gardening or both. At events you will have the opportunity to learn from the more experienced levels, inquire further learning and work towards engaging with gardeners for increased sustainability.
The Advanced Gardener The advanced experience level has the role of the teacher of topics to other members and learn an expansion of gardening techniques. You have lived in the neighborhood for a year or more and have a sense of familiarity with the area and gardening conditions. You have the opportunity to continue expanding techniques, inspiring others through teaching and projects, and sharing gardening engagement with the members of the system.
The Expert Gardener The expert experience level has the role of the advisor for planning and contact and continued exploration of sharing. You have lived in the neighborhood for many years and have grown your own “native knowledge� of the area and it’s gardening practices. You have the opportunity to share those lesson with other members and plan activities for inspiration and learning.
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Let’s Grow Together
GETTING STARTED
Sharing Tags Now that you have decided the audience level you feel comfortable with, let’s share that with others. This is time to get creative, share a piece of your personality, and define your role in the system. Simply make a sign, a painting, a decorated pot or whatever you can think of and write your audience level on it. Place this tag in the front of your house for the neighborhood to reach out and engage with you. See this is easy, right?
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Sharing Your Profile These questions are to promote sharing and gardening engagement. Please return the answers to these questions, any additional fun facts and a photo of the gardener(s) of your residence to the Woodruff Place Gardening Engagement box at the Town Hall.
Here are some questions to get you started.
How many years have you been gardening? What is your gardening background? Do you practice any gardening techniques? If so, which ones. If not, are you interested in any in particular? What are your favorite foods and flower that come from the garden? Where are your favorite resources to go to for gardening questions and ideas?
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Getting Connected Now that you have shared your own information, it is time for you to see others and for others to see you. The digital age has made it easier than ever before to share connections. So go ahead, pick one, use them all, just get connected!
Facebook Join the Woodruff Place Garden Engagement group on Facebook. Each member can send instant updates, ideas and inspiration.
Pinterest Follow Woodruff Place’s Garden Engagement board on Pinterest to be inspired by creative finds and neat pins.
Woodruff Website Calendar
The website has many helpful resources including an events calendar. Many Woodruff Place Garden Engagement events will be posted here.
Newsletter Subscribe to the Woodruff Place Newsletter to keep informed of updates around the community. You may find your way to share or find others sharing just the tip you needed to hear.
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HAPPY GARDENING
Each and every member of the Woodruff Place Garden Engagement group are pleased to have you apart of our “sharing progression”. Never be shy about asking questions and contacting neighbors. We like to think that if we don’t indicate a person to contact that you may be forced to ask a neighbor and reach out! If our hypothesis is off we have at least given you our social media connections to find a contact. We look forwarding to digging, planting and growing with you.
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WOODRUFF PLACE gardening engagement
“Sharing Progression”