The Langley Centennial Garden received the Green Community award at the Excellence on Main Awards Ceremony from the Washington Main Street program on May 7 in Wenatchee.

The award recognized the garden project for being environmentally-minded and building an edible beautification area. This is the second year the program has given the award to the garden, located at Langley City Hall.

“I’m very proud of it,” said Janet Ploof, president of the Langley Main Street Association. “It was a brand new idea and sparks interest in people who look at the city hall garden. It also encourages conversation with people on the street and [at] city hall.”

The garden concept began with members of the Langley Garden Initiative, a group within the Langley Main Street Association, who were inspired by a TED Talk which described a similar garden promoting vegetable tourism.

The garden initiative joined together with the Whidbey Island Garden Tour and South Whidbey Garden Club; with help from Log House Plants and Renee’s Garden Seeds to gather the materials. The groups spent months preparing the lot for seeds and weeding. Now, through the hard work of interns Laura and Erin Hilton, the garden includes herbs, berries, vegetables and fruit.

“We are thrilled to honor the Langley Centennial Garden with our Green Community award,” said Sarah Hansen, Washington State Main Street Program coordinator. “The project demonstrates outstanding community collaboration and a creative approach to city beautification. Langley is known for its dedication to local foods and the arts, and this is a wonderful combination of the two.”

Ploof said the gardens will be expanding next month to include a new vegetable species, which will remain a surprise, from the Oregon-based Log House Plants. The vegetables will be available in new planters on Second Street and volunteers will begin planting June 6-8. To volunteer for the program, call the association at 360-929-9333.