Garden Use Guidelines
EWG hosts special moments - wedding showers, baby showers, birthday picnics, potluck dinners, quiet anniversary dinners, marriage proposals and all sort of gatherings. We also host classes, workshops and photoshoots. Chairs are available, see below. The garden is a precious resource shared by many, so we can only accommodate a limited number of smaller private events. ALL parties and business uses must have a reservation, follow garden guidelines, and assume full liability for their guests and clients
If you’ve interested in using the garden - here are the steps to take:
For Private Gatherings, first, let’s check that your dates are available contact us here, then read the guidelines below.
For Business Related things (such as exercise classes or photo shoots):
Please contact the garden coordinators directly with details about your proposed use. Include your proposed days/times of use, kind of use, preferred area of the garden, and what you would charge participants. Our standard donation request is $35 for a business use of two hours or less per day. In light of the challenges of the life, we will consider your offer of reduced donations and/or volunteer hours in lieu of cash: please suggest what you believe is fair. The garden is not intended for anyone to use repeatedly for their business. If we learn that the garden is part of your business operating space, that use will be discontinued.
We require that every business using the garden carry liability insurance for all times the business is using the garden. Please send a COI demonstrating that there is insurance for your use. Any business using the garden is responsible for ensuring that its customers observe all garden guidelines. In the event of a complaint, permission to use the garden may be revoked without warning.
Please read the Guidelines below.
GUIDELINES FOR ALL GARDEN EVENTS
Emerald Wildflower Garden Guidelines 2022 – For Events
All uses of the garden – even with a reservation – are subject to cancellation based on public health changes.
We recognize the desire to hold outdoor events, but are also weighing the need to keep as much of the garden open for casual use as possible. For this reason, EWG limits the size, duration, and number of events.
Events must be 25 people or fewer (excluding lap infants/children under 2) and are limited to one time slot of 3 hours including any necessary set up and clean up times.
While there is still a pandemic at play, there will be no formal restrictions, other than those made by the City, with regard to COVID. It is the event planner’s responsibility to see that all guests behave in line with best practices and City guidelines. Please remember that all small children remain unvaccinated at this time.
Failure to observe any of the guidelines herein may result in you (and your party) being required to leave the garden, loss of security deposit, and/or exclusion from our reservation system. The garden is protected and maintained by volunteers, and is not city owned property.
Who needs a reservation?
Any event at the Garden that is planned in advance should make a reservation. Any gathering where you’d like to be more certain that there will be space should make a reservation.. This ensures that there’s enough space at the garden and that events don’t interfere with each other. Reserved events always take priority over unreserved events. Wedding proposals, showers, etc are delightful uses, with some specific issues to be aware of: please contact us for more information.
What does it cost?
A small fee per reserved use is requested to help offset the costs of garden maintenance. Volunteer hours of work for the garden are accepted in place of fees – ask for details if you are interested. The full cost of using the garden for a gathering in 2022 is almost always ~$60: see below for the details.
Gatherings are limited to 25 people during 2022. Unless the event makes an unusual drain on garden resources, we ask for a $35 donation for the basic use. Extra charges would only apply for unusual events that generate a lot of trash or that may cause damage. As explained below, we also ask for a $50 security deposit related to trash to complete your reservation.
Finally, we ask for a $50 check or cash deposit with every reservation. The deposit is to ensure proper trash removal/clean up after your party. The deposit is refundable after your party AT YOUR REQUEST. To get a refund, you must send us before and after pictures to demonstrate that you’ve cleaned up thoroughly using your own trash bags/recycling cans rather than the garden cans. Refunds are also dependent upon the Wildflower Garden not receiving complaints. Of course, if you are willing to leave any portion of your deposits as a donation, we’ll be grateful for it!
What do I get?
A reservation helps ensure that there is space for you - for your reserved purpose - for the date/time you specified. Please be sure to include time to set up and clean up your event in the reservation time. Rain dates are not automatic – a specific rain date reservation must be rebooked in the reservation system.
Access to electrical hookup is available for reserved events with prior permission.
Reserved uses have priority over unreserved uses, and if necessary, you may ask unreserved users to leave the reserved space/table area. You are welcome to mark the tables with a sign on the day of your gathering stating the time during which they are reserved if you wish, but please remember that there may be reserved uses before yours. Also please know that our garden volunteers do not place reservation signs for you.
All reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis, with special priority given only to events organized by the Garden itself.
Special Requests
In general, areas of the garden can be reserved for 3-hour slots per day (morning 9-12, afternoon 1-4, and evening 4-7). This is to ensure that as many people can use the garden as safely and peacefully as possible and that larger gatherings do not occur at the same time. During the summer, no reservation should go past 8:00 p.m., including clean up time. The garden is closed after dusk. If you have any questions about your event please contact emeraldildflowergarden@gmail.com.
Condition of Garden and Trash/Clean Up
A reservation does not guarantee the physical condition of the garden on the day of your use. While garden volunteers do their best to keep the lawn mowed, trash picked up, and gardens weeded, limitations of time, money, and weather may affect what the garden looks like any particular day. If your event requires certain conditions (such as a recently mowed lawn), you may be able to make arrangements with our volunteers to schedule (and pay for, as necessary) those conditions to be met. This will not always be possible, but earlier notice makes it more possible.
While recycling bins and trash cans are at the garden, we ask parties to supply separate trash bags for their event so that the garden trash cans are not overwhelmed. . All garden users are expected to clean up after themselves and to make a sincere effort to recycle their disposables. There are extra recycling bins available - you are encouraged to use them.
What else?
Event organizers should ensure that their guests observe all garden rules and guidelines.
All garden users should be respectful of and courteous to the residents who are the garden’s immediate neighbors. Please honor their requests about volume or nature of activities.
Garden users assume personal liability for any injury or loss that they may sustain during their use of the garden. The organizer of an event assumes liability for the actions of and injury to any one attending that organizer’s event at the garden.
Allowed but restricted
Alcohol may be consumed in the garden within the legal restrictions of the City and State and with discretion. Alcohol-based events (such as “beer olympics”) are not allowed and public drunkenness is illegal (and obnoxious).
Party equipment such as chairs, tables, and tents are allowed but require specific permission – please note on your application if you plan to bring more than one or two chairs or tables. Please be aware that rental companies may try to drive onto the garden to deliver the equipment and may not have specific delivery and pickup times. The garden renter is responsible for ensuring that companies observe garden rules AND is responsible for any damage to the garden grounds that may be caused by rental companies or their agents. Be sure that reservations include time to accommodate equipment set up and cleanup – access to the space is only guaranteed for the reserved times.
Acoustic music is allowed during daylight hours only. Musicians should be considerate of neighbors in terms of volume. Amplified music is NOT allowed except for specific, special occasions.
Prohibited:
Off-leash dogs. Period. No exceptions. Owners must also pick up after their dogs in all locations at the garden..
Amplified music of any kind, including bluetooth speakers, is not allowed except with specific prior permission. The acoustics of the gathering and its surrounding buildings mean that amplified music is annoying to neighboring residents and other garden users even when the volume seems barely audible to those near it. “Background” music just doesn’t work at the Garden. Sorry.
Electronic amplification other than music (i.e.: microphone-amplified voices) is allowed only in special circumstances and with specific prior permission.
Motorized vehicles cannot be in the garden AT ALL, even to deliver or pick up party supplies.
Slip-and-slides are prohibited.
Bonfires or other fires may only be held at Garden organized events.
Damaging plantings by picking flowers, pulling on or breaking tree limbs, or walking off garden paths.
Always be considerate of others in your use. In particular:
Control your dog.
All dogs must be leashed at the Garden at all times. Period. No exceptions.
Pick up your dog’s poop wherever it falls. There is no location in the garden where volunteers don’t work or children don’t go, and there is no excuse for allowing those areas to be fouled.
Control your humans.
Nature is full of hazards. Children should be under appropriate adult supervision at all times.
Be gentle to our plants. Don’t pick the flowers; don’t pull on or break tree limbs; don’t walk into garden beds.
Some garden facilities are for maintenance use only. Please do not use the hose outlets, electrical outlets, compost bins, or any equipment/materials without specific permission.
No bicycles, scooters, or motorized vehicle may be used in the garden..
Control your trash.
Take your trash and recyclables with you! .
Control your noise.
There are residences around the garden including some with babies! If your noise is in their houses, you’re too loud. Amplified music – even boom boxes – is forbidden for this reason.
Go home at night.
The garden closes at dusk, the neighbors, birds and insects can all rest or do their thing, before the next day’s activities.
Schedule your event.
The garden is used by many people, mostly on a drop-in basis. If your event is planned in advance, make a reservation to ensure that there will be space for you. Because this garden receives no city funding for its operations, we ask for a small donation per reserved use to help offset the costs of garden maintenance.
Donate to the garden.
If you are using the Emerald Wildflower Garden now and then for your business purposes (photography, group workouts, visits during daycare), you should really make a donation to the garden to help support it! A little goes a long way to keeping this space available to you and your clients.
