Common Ground: Community Garden at St. John's

Common Ground: Community Garden at St. John's Located on 4th Avenue SE behind St. John’s Episcopal Church between Jackson Street and Gordon Driv Our garden began in 2012 as 10 raised beds.

With the hard work and dedication of many people and financial assistance from the Diocese of Alabama, we continue to grow and change as all good gardens do. This page will document the history of our garden, keep people informed about what's growing and what's going on in the garden.

September advice for gardeners! As summer wanes, Common Ground still has blooms here and there. Get ready for the gold...
09/01/2026

September advice for gardeners! As summer wanes, Common Ground still has blooms here and there. Get ready for the goldenrod! But soon, the garden will take on a slightly unkempt look. That's on purpose since we are feeding the birds and creating winter habit for some of our smaller creatures.

Your coneflowers are probably dwindling now as are those at Common Ground. If you leave those seed pods, the birds will ...
08/17/2026

Your coneflowers are probably dwindling now as are those at Common Ground. If you leave those seed pods, the birds will love them. And some of those seeds will find new life as they sprout next year and bring you another crop of native pollinator nourishment, not to mention their beauty.

If you are looking for a quick-growing, native ground cover, frogfruit is a great choice. It's low maintenance and has t...
08/04/2026

If you are looking for a quick-growing, native ground cover, frogfruit is a great choice. It's low maintenance and has tiny white blooms all summer and fall. And it is a pollinator magnet! https://nativebackyards.com/frog-fruit/

Our native Ironweed (Vernonia) with its purple flowers is just beginning to bloom and looks so nice with the Blackeyed S...
08/04/2026

Our native Ironweed (Vernonia) with its purple flowers is just beginning to bloom and looks so nice with the Blackeyed Susans in the background. Both are pollinator magnets! Both are easy to grow; low maintenance.

Several things are blooming at Common Ground in these hot days. Stop by and take a look. These happy faces of Blanket F...
07/13/2026

Several things are blooming at Common Ground in these hot days. Stop by and take a look. These happy faces of Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia) are among those dancing in the wind. Lots of good things to be said about this attractive and easy to grow native. https://www.almanac.com/plant/blanket-flowers-gaillardia

If you want to attract pollinators, plant Mountain Mint. Shown here is Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), a...
07/01/2026

If you want to attract pollinators, plant Mountain Mint. Shown here is Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), and our large planting is swarming with various pollinators. Buzzing around from flower to flower are a Great Golden Digger Wasp, an Eastern Carpenter Bee, and a 4 Toothed Mason Wasp. Many smaller flying insects are in the congregation! We also have fairly new small plantings of Narrow-leaf MM (P. tenuifolium) and Virginia MM (P. Virginianum). For more information on these native plants, see https://extension.psu.edu/mountain-mint-a-pollinator-powerhouse

"God is our word for the ultimate ecosystem that holds all things in positive relationship. (see Colossians 1:17)" Fr. R...
06/15/2026

"God is our word for the ultimate ecosystem that holds all things in positive relationship. (see Colossians 1:17)" Fr. Richard Rohr

Gardeners are always on the lookout in nature! This expired Polyphemus Moth was found by a local gardener on a daily walk. Wingspan of about 5". Fun Facts: The caterpillars can eat 86,000 times their initial body weight in less than two months, but the adults eat nothing over their short life of 7-15 days. https://www.mothidentification.com/polyphemus-moth.htm

Agastache 'Meant to Bee™ Queen Necatarine'One of our newest adds to the garden is this perennial, a long blooming plant ...
06/10/2026

Agastache 'Meant to Bee™ Queen Necatarine'

One of our newest adds to the garden is this perennial, a long blooming plant that works well in a garden setting or in a large planter as a filler. Its unusually delicate flowers of peach and mauve have nectar that is a big draw for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. We hope the two we planted will thrive and spread!

These early summer blooms of this native Bottlebrush Buckeye are something to wait for! So intricate! These shrubs can...
06/01/2026

These early summer blooms of this native Bottlebrush Buckeye are something to wait for! So intricate! These shrubs can grow up to 8' tall in the right environment. Ours here at Common Ground is in a rather dry, shady spot so it has not grown appreciably but holds its own in spite of that. (Don't those blackberries look good enough to eat? Hurry down and get a couple before they are all gone.) To learn more about this native shrub, click here: https://www.southernliving.com/garden/shrubs/bottlebrush-buckeye

Address

Decatur, AL

Opening Hours

Monday 6am - 8pm
Tuesday 6am - 8pm
Wednesday 6am - 8pm
Thursday 6am - 8pm
Friday 6am - 8pm
Saturday 6am - 8pm
Sunday 6am - 8pm

Telephone

+12563539615

Website

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