Educational materials - we have published a self-guided tour brochure for the garden that is next to a donations box. Getting the folders printed is a fairly major expense.

Connecting the garden with the rest of the site- Not my problem. That one belongs to the Park Service.

People problems - Most of these have fallen into a Grin and Bear it philosophy. There have been a few serious problems over the years, like the woman who walked her dog in the garden every day and picked the flowers, but probably the worst chronic problem is children throwing gravel into the water features. It helps that the garden is fairly far from the road, and the Park Service closes the internal roads at dusk. They also do regular patrols, which doesn't hurt.

Gullible, I'm interested in finding out what sort of place you're gardening.

The gardens at Highfield Hall, an old mansion here in Falmouth, are being restored, and I keep thinking I should go over there and offer to lend a hand. These community-based efforts are so rewarding, I hadn't thought about getting involved in the gardens before though.

You may want to check out the resources available through the American Assoc. of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (AABGA). Their web site is www.aabga.org