“I just like being outside, digging in the dirt!” That’s how Mary Nell Hill sums up her longtime love of tending plants, and it’s a sentiment shared by many fellow Glenridge members at the community garden.
From eggplant, broccoli, parsley, and fresh tomatoes off the vine … to zinnias, pentas, glorias and sunflowers, the variety of fresh vegetables and flowers in the 20 raised-bed plots is a reflection of the gardeners who tend them. Each plot is allocated to one member to tend, with a small waiting list.
Mary Nell, who studied horticulture at the University of Delaware, says she enjoys growing cut flowers. “Right now, it’s cosmos and coreopsis.”
Beyond the garden itself, the Gardening Club hosts informative monthly meetings to share tips and advice for raising healthy plants – and in The Piper, a monthly community newsletter, member Sue Scully catalogues different plant species found around campus, from the bald cypress to the Bismarck palm.
Gardening is good for the earth, and it’s also good for the gardener: All that digging, planting, weeding and watering can be a form of fitness – improving cardiovascular health, muscle strength and flexibility, immune function and balance. At the same time, community gardens like those at The Glenridge bring people together over shared green spaces for better emotional well-being and connectedness.
“Nurturing plants is about much more than growing food or beautiful flowers; it’s a powerful way to grow connection with each other,” writes Eliana Huffman in a 2025 article for Harvard Health. “Growing a garden … helps us appreciate our interconnectedness and underscores the importance of healthy environments for all.”
At The Glenridge, nature-lovers like Mary Nell find themselves in good company. “Especially these days, we spend so much time inside, looking at screens – so it’s great to remember that we can get out and enjoy nature,” she says. “Most of the members here like to stay active. They like to be outdoors birdwatching, walking, gardening … it’s part of the culture.”
From wildlife conservation at The Glenridge’s NABA-certified butterfly garden to informative speaker programs hosted by the Glenridge Green Team, members are putting their green thumbs to work to create a more beautiful environment for all.
Discover an environment that gives you more ways to flourish – indoors and out. Send us a message or give our Life Planning Team a call at 941-552-5369 to schedule your personal tour of The Glenridge’s stunning 150-acre campus.
Or, to learn more about what life is like at The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch – once again named the best senior living community in Sarasota (for the 16th year in a row!) – visit our other blog posts or find us on Facebook.