Working together with nature

County Commissioner Xavier Suarez, along with the Coconut Grove Collaborative, Home Depot, and TENUSA, Inc. came together to make Village West more beautiful by replacing planters and plants.

“The West Grove is unique in its beauty and history.  The planters invoke Coconut Grove’s lush, tropical past, present and future," Suarez, shown here with neighbors, said.

With the Zika outbreak in many communities, the commission staff researched plants that repel mosquitoes and identified 11 plants to place with the flowers in the planters throughout the community. Plants include: Citronella, Lemon Balm or Horsemint, Catnip, Marigolds, Basil (lemon or cinnamon), Lavender, Peppermint, Garlic, Pennyroyal, Rosemary and Geranium.  

Home Depot donated materials, tools, mosquito repellant plants, and manpower. TENUSA Inc. donated flowers and manpower. The Collaborative got Coconut Grove youth involved and assisted with getting members of the community to adopt planters for maintaining. County Commissioner Suarez and City Commissioners Francis Suarez and Ken Russell provided manpower. Side by side the partners worked mixing cement, mixing paint, and setting the planters. 

A before image. Not so pretty.

Members of the community including private citizens, churches and businesses have volunteered to adopt a planter for the upkeep.  

“This initiative gave a positive lift to our community, marking the beginning of a long overdue beautification project. The 81 planters were restored, painted and filled with beautiful flowers and now mosquito repellant plants that will bloom throughout the year. Local residents, churches, businesses and organizations are committed to pride-filled maintenance and upkeep,” said Linda Williams, Collaborative Development Corporation, Community Affairs Coordinator.