Dixon's Meadow Community Garden

On the 14th October 2023, we officially opened the community garden. This newly imagined space has been restored, repurposed, landscaped and planted as an edible garden and reflective space.

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The Tidy Towns were intrinsic contributors to the development of the overall regeneration plan for Enniskerry as part of the Town & Village Renewal Scheme and its Part 8 Public Consultation process in 2020. This site, with a historic Well and an adjoining old village Fair Green, was highlighted by us as an important highly visible space that could be re-imagined for a more interactive community use. Using SDGs and the principle of Leaving No One Behind, we began planning and designing our new community garden. The work began in 2022 and is now completed with all signage now in place. The garden has been restored, repurposed, landscaped and planted as an Edible Community Garden and Reflective Space using the theme – Everyone Eats! We officially launched the garden on the 14th October 2023 with music, poetry and speeches.

We have incorporated numerous heritage apple trees, herbs, a wildflower meadow and flowers, some of which are edible and others medicinal, all of which are available to eat, use and enjoy by the public. All edibles are now clearly marked with newly installed plant signs. The additional plants are not edible but have been chosen to feed an array of beneficial and pollinating insects in line with our ethos of conserving and improving biodiversity in our community. By creating this biodiverse space, we are encouraging people to form a closer connection with nature which in turn improves our physical and mental well-being. As members of Leave No Trace and supporters of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, we ask the users to adhere to its principles and leave the garden at its best for the next visitors to enjoy. The hard landscaping was completed using repurposed granite removed from the wall opposite the site, when the 44 Bus Terminus was re-located there in 2022, and sections of the wall had to be demolished for the entrance and exit of the bus. Additional old red bricks were located in the community, which were 160 years old and repurposed as wall capping’s so that the public could sit comfortably on the walls and enjoy the garden at its best. We designed an extension to the existing well that created a rill, using repurposed old granite kerb stones, which brought the sound of flowing and falling water to the fore, helping create serenity and calmness. Sitting on the new wall or the large rock beside the water is very appealing and a great spot for lunch or reading.

This garden was planned, designed, hard landscaped and soft landscaped specifically with the Sustainable Development Goals as our guide and inspiration. In doing so, we have created a unique biodiverse space that we are immensely proud of and which we can add to in the coming years with additional edibles for visual aesthetics and practical edible gardening.

Photos subject to copyright.