History

This woodland garden started in 2000 as the weekly cleanup of a piece of land which was owned by the Department of Neighborhood Development. It had been used as a dumping area for decades. Over the next nine years, neighbors and stewards of the space worked with their City Councilor, Rob Consalvo, and finally succeeded in securing the release of an RFP for green space use of the site. The proposal for a woodland garden on the site was strengthened by a petition of support from all abutters and many neighbors on the surrounding streets. The proposal was well received, but the DND could not sell the land to private individuals. Neighbors subsequently worked with a law firm who provided us pro bono legal assistance to form a Massachusetts Chapter 180 non-profit.  When neighbors resubmitted the proposal under the auspices of this non-profit — Sherman Street Green Space Conservancy (SSGSC) — the DND officially sold them the site in 2012. They have been working to improve it ever since. One such improvement has been the addition of fairy homes and mailboxes throughout the wooded site, hence the name “Fairy Hollow” for the space itself.

In 2024, the SSGSC/Fairy Hollow joined the Boston Food Forest Coalition to connect with other urban land stewards and receive the backbone support of BFFC’s nonprofit. The stewards of Fairy Hollow have become valuable participants of the coalition, helping to strengthen our network of mutual aid across Boston.

As Told By Stewards…

What has been the biggest accomplishment of your stewardship team thus far?

Other than securing the land itself, the biggest accomplishment has been gradually planting and improving the site as we work toward our goal of a true woodland garden.

Who’s who on your stewardship team? Introduce us to your team members.

The stewardship team consists of three couples from three nearby households, all of whom are enthusiastic gardeners.  

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a team over the year(s)? If there’s a story that goes along with this lesson, feel free to share!

We have learned that we should capitalize on people’s strengths and that participation will vary depending on a multitude of factors.  

What does joyful stewardship look like to you?

We are happiest when visitors — especially children — enjoy and comment on the site.  When folks tell us that they love walking their dog here, or bringing the kids to explore and play, or walking through the site and reading the postings, it feels as though we’ve done something positive for the community and for people’s mental health. 

Our team is having the most fun when…

…we’re doing a light-weight task with lots of socializing and community participation, especially when food is provided.  

Our biggest goals as a stewardship team are…

We would like to expand to include more people, especially younger members of the community.  

Our favorite event to host is…

We always have good turnout for our annual Maple Seedling Social, and we have really enjoyed hosting BFFC workshops on our site.

The dreams that bring us together are…

Getting water on our site to ensure the survival of our plants!

Successfully planting native woodland trees, shrubs, and ground covers to create a true woodland garden that will provide year round enjoyment for visitors and habitat for urban wildlife.