In its Thursday, Sept. 26 meeting, the Ridgefield City Council approved a plan to replace flowerbeds in Davis Park in downtown Ridgefield’s Davis Park with native plants.
The Ridgefield Garden Club, who proposed the project, will install native flowers, ferns and shrubs in the park’s two western flowerbeds. The native plants will attract pollinators and be easier to maintain for city staff.
Heather Gordon, head of the Ridgefield Garden Club’s project committee, emphasized that the native plants will occupy significantly more space than the non-native species currently in place. The redesigned flowerbeds will feature a mix of short and tall shrubs, as well as various blooming flowers that will add color to the park throughout spring, summer and fall.
“We’re going to see more plant life and less bark because, a lot of times, what public landscaping looks like is individual plants with lots of bark, and so you have as much bark as you have plantings. And this is kind of an opposite concept where … in the long run, you’ll see lots and lots of plant life and not so much ground space covered with bark because it will be layered,” Gordon explained.
The first flowerbed, located around the Davis Park sign, will replace the current non-native shrubs with a carefully designed arrangement of 20 native plant species. Among the plants, coastal strawberry will encircle the park’s dogwood tree, while goldenrod and Douglas aster will be featured around the Davis Park sign itself. These changes aim to improve the park’s aesthetic while benefiting local pollinators.
The second flowerbed, which borders North Main Avenue, will replace non-native plants with 12 species of native flora, including Oregon sunshine, Camas and Douglas aster — all of which are popular with pollinating insects. The existing dogwood trees and Oregon grape plants will remain, ensuring the flowerbed retains some of its established structure while also supporting more local wildlife.
The project will be funded by the Ridgefield Garden Club, which raised over $5,000 in donations for native plant initiatives last year. The Ridgefield Garden Club will provide the plants and assist with their planting and care for the first two years. Gordon said the plants will require more attention during this initial period as they adapt to their new environment. Starting in 2027, the City of Ridgefield will take over responsibility for maintaining the flowerbeds.
Native plants are expected to offer significant benefits to the city, requiring less ongoing care once established. Since these plants are well-adapted to the local climate, they will reduce the need for regular watering and maintenance. The current non-native flowerbeds require 30 to 40 hours annually. Ridgefield Parks Manager Corey Crownhart estimates the city could save between $2,000 and $3,000 per year in staff expenditures once the native plants take root.
“We think that that’s gonna cut down on the maintenance they have to do and the amount of water … Initially, of course, when you’re establishing the plants, they do need care and water, but once they’re more established, there’s less maintenance. It looks a little different,” Gordon added.
In addition to the landscaping improvements, the Ridgefield Garden Club will install signs identifying each native plant species for educational purposes. Gordon expressed excitement about the potential for attracting more native pollinators to the park.
“We can inspire local residents to see how beautiful these plants are, to see how productive they are [and] how many more insects, especially native bees, they will see on these plants because it’s pretty astounding. I’ve got them all in my own yard, many of these [native] plants, and you just can’t believe how [much] they’re covered with beautiful insects,” Gordon shared.
The Ridgefield Garden Club has a long history with Davis Park, having originally donated the land to the city in 1963. Gordon is excited to partner with the city once again to introduce more native plants to downtown Ridgefield and raise awareness about their importance for local ecosystems.
“We just hope that we can continue to collaborate with the city, if not by donating all the plants, at least by even being on [an] advisory basis with the city. So when they have to invest in plants, instead of investing in plants that really came from other parts of the world that don’t provide any pollinator support, we actually make different choices. That’s what we want, different [landscaping] choices,” Gordon concluded.
In other meeting news, the City Council approved a $200,000 contract with private developer Bluerock Ventures to finalize the building design and secure permits for the Ridgefield Community and Recreation Center. The center will operate independently but integrate with the upcoming YMCA. Completion is anticipated by 2026. The City of Ridgefield plans to purchase the community center for $10 million, while Bluerock Ventures will handle construction of the YMCA portion, valued at $20 million. Construction is set to begin in February next year, with a projected completion in July 2026.
