Saratoga Village Gardeners celebrate 19th anniversary

Group works to beautify Big Basin Way.

The Saratoga Village Gardeners celebrated 19 years of working to help keep the downtown green at a luncheon on April 2.

Once a week for nearly two decades, the group has gotten together to plant flowers and maintain the greenery in the Saratoga Village. Jill Hunter, a former mayor of Saratoga who first began the beautification effort in 2005, said the group has helped foster a small-town feel.

“It definitely builds a sense of community, getting all these people volunteering together,” she said. “They’ve all made friends; they see each other even when they’re not gardening. They frequently walk together or hike together.”

Hunter said she started the group when she was serving on the Saratoga Planning Commission and heard about the city of San Jose embarking on a similar effort. She submitted a letter to the editor to the Saratoga News advertising her plans to start planting flowers in the Village, and started out gardening with just a handful of fellow volunteers.

Now the group has a listserv with at least 50 volunteers who hail from Saratoga but also from throughout the South Bay. Volunteers have joined from cities like Campbell, San Jose, Los Gatos and Boulder Creek, either because they’re former Saratoga residents who wanted to stay involved in the group or gardening enthusiasts looking for a chance to get their hands dirty.

Hunter said city officials have been supportive of the group’s efforts over the years, helping to provide plants or gardening materials they may need in addition to donations they receive from the community.

Mayor Yan Zhao called the group a gift to the community.

“With their consistent attention to beautifying the Village by maintaining flower beds, tending tree wells, selecting seasonal floral baskets and helping businesses prepare for special events, we are very grateful for this group of dedicated volunteers for helping keep Saratoga as beautiful as it is,” Zhao said.

The gardeners’ presence on Big Basin Way has also resulted in strangers stopping to thank them for their work or chat about the plants currently growing. Hunter said whether they’re Saratoga residents or tourists passing through the area, the gardeners are sure to greet them with a smile and a hello.

“We always enjoy talking to them,” she said.

Anyone interested in joining the Village Gardeners can likely find the group with their signature yellow buckets working along Big Basin Way at 10 a.m. every Tuesday.