The Garden Club of Hartford Helps Public Library Convert Outdoor Garden into a Living Classroom

An Urban Pollinator Teaching Garden Sprouts at Hartford, CT, Library

August 13, 2025

By: Al Gatti

In Spring 2024, The Garden Club of Hartford (GCH) and the Hartford Public Library initiated an educational program to teach children about gardening and pollination.  The project, financed by proceeds from a club fund-raising auction, is sited at Hartford Public Library, Park Street @ the Lyric, the library branch serving the Latino community in the city of Hartford, Connecticut.  
 
GCH collaborated with the children’s books librarian who is developing the curriculum and purchasing Spanish-language children’s gardening books. Members of GCH developed the garden design and teamed with the library staff to install the initial plantings for the pollinator garden.  In the Fall, GCH, library staff, and community members of all ages planted tulip and daffodil bulbs.  

The program and garden have grown: This year, the children will be planting vegetables—tomatoes and mini bell peppers--and herbs—oregano, mint, cilantro, thyme, chives--used in Latino cuisine. Four additional rectangular planters were added to the garden space. 
 
The GCH’s vision is to continue partnering with the Hartford Public Library to bring this educational gardening experience to more Hartford communities via the library’s eight other branches.