By Mark Abromaitis
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

What started as a gardening tragedy has turned into a gardening triumph, thanks in part to the skills of a group of dedicated Maris Grove residents with green thumbs.

Residents at the Erickson community in Concordville, Pa., have donated their gardening skills to resurrect a group of lifeless potted plants and pursue a passion at the same time

Wilting weather
Due to an extremely hot summer, with temperatures reaching well into the upper 90s, the community started to lose many of its potted plants. “We watered, but we just had the wrong types of flowers for such a hot summer,” says Marie DiCostanza, director of resident life at Maris Grove.

“And then some residents stepped up and took the reins. They wanted to do it themselves.” So the community started an “Adopt-a-Pot” program. Now the once-wilted pots are overflowing with green and vivid colors once again.

‘A pot to keep me busy’
Ethna O’Connor, who lives at Maris Grove, is one of those who volunteered.

“Of course I was interested,” she says. “Everyone here knows how much I love to garden, so this was a natural for me. I guess it’s because I’m Irish. We all love to have and tend our own pot of earth.”

O’Connor says the extra pot of flowers was a nice addition to her own garden space at Maris Grove. “I had quite a bit of yard at my old house, and here I have my very own vegetable garden with tomatoes and basil,” she says. “But this was just something extra, some flowers in a pot to keep me busy—and it’s a good-sized pot.”

The gift of gardening
O’Connor says that she enjoys tending her pot, but she also gets joy out of sharing her hobby with the other residents.

“It’s fun going out every day, checking on the plants, making sure they are watered,” she says. “And it’s nice to be able to see them from the swimming pool or when I’m out walking my dog, or next to the front door of the clubhouse. It’s nice when people can enjoy what you do.”