A $2,500 Grant Brings a Native Plant Garden to WARM

WARM is grateful to receive a $2,500 Community Backyards grant from Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Sustainable Columbus, and Columbus Water and Power. The grant funds WARM Up to Native Plants, a new native plant garden on the front lawn of our building at 150 Heatherdown Drive.

The garden will be filled with native flowering plants, shrubs, and fruit trees chosen to bloom all season and bring pollinators to WARM's campus. Those same pollinators will visit the garden that grows fresh produce for our neighbors.

A Garden That Grows Food for Neighbors

WARM's community garden started in 2014 and became a Master Gardener project in 2018. Today, Master Gardener Volunteers and other volunteers tend raised beds full of fruits and vegetables for WARM's food pantry. In 2025, they grew 1,465 pounds of organic produce for our neighbors.

The garden keeps growing. In 2025, the volunteers tried hydroponic towers and GardenSoxx for the first time, and both worked. This year, they're doubling the garden and have planted a new orchard of apple and cherry trees.

More pollinators on campus means more support for the fruits and vegetables our neighbors take home.

What the Grant Provides

• Native Perennial Pollinator Plants that bloom from season to season and stand up to deer

• Native Fruit Trees: Serviceberry, Pawpaw, and Elderberry

• Bed Preparation and Fencing

• Educational Signage

The garden also does quiet work for the land. Our front lawn sits on a slope, and planting it with native trees, shrubs, and plants will reduce stormwater runoff and pollution.

Come See It for Yourself

We chose the front lawn so neighbors, volunteers, donors, and anyone driving down Heatherdown Drive can enjoy it. Signs will share each plant's name, what it needs to grow, and how it helps pollinators and the environment, with a QR code for more. You're welcome to stop by on your own, and guided tours will be offered too.

We're also planning to work with the Westerville Garden Club, and we hope to become a stop on the WesterFlora Garden Tour. Our hope is that this garden sparks native plantings at homes and businesses across the Westerville area.

Thank You

Thank you to Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Sustainable Columbus, and Columbus Water and Power for investing in WARM's garden, and to our Master Gardener Volunteers who make it grow.

Together, we can provide food for today, and support for tomorrow.