Volunteer opportunity: Garden Planting & Maintenance

2405 West Forest Home Avenue,Milwaukee WI 53215

11 May, 2023

Description

As the Upper Midwest’s finest example of a rural garden cemetery, Forest Home boasts dozens of garden beds and thousands of annual and perennial plantings. We rely on volunteers to plant and maintain these gardens from April through October. With staff supervision, volunteers will perform general gardening chores including pruning, planting, weeding, deadheading, watering, and harvesting. Ideally, gardeners would be able to serve at least 3 to 8 hours a week. This is a great project for Master Gardeners seeking volunteer hours. We also welcome groups of students looking for service hours. Email [email protected] for more information. This beautification project is part of the Forest Home Historic Preservation Association. Volunteers can expect to be working on uneven cemetery surfaces. FHC will provide the tools and equipment. Volunteers should bring drinking water, sunscreen, gloves and garden kneeling mats or kneepads. At the start of your shift, meet at the maintenance buildings behind the main office. You may park there or on any of the cemetery roads. The parking spots in front of the office are reserved for cemetery business Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. ABOUT FOREST HOME CEMETERY & ARBORETUM Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery is Milwaukee’s oldest operating cemetery, open to all since its inception. Forest Home Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is the finest example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest. In 2021, Forest Home became the city’s first accredited arboretum, Milwaukee’s largest green space with more 2,600 trees on nearly 200 acres. Our 189 acres are open daily to the public. Leashed dogs, jogging, strollers and bicycles are welcome. Each year, we host public and private historical and nature-based tours and wellness events, birding opportunities, Doors Open, a Memorial Day event, a Dia de los Muertos 5K and festival and our new Spirits of the Silent City after-dark historical tours. Sign up for our newsletter on the website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (use #foresthomecemetery) so you don’t miss any of our tours and events! If you enjoy our beautiful space, stay longer! Stop in the office Monday-Friday 8-4:30 and Saturday 10-3:30 or call a counselor (414) 645-2632 to find out about our many burial options.