Right now, all that exists is a long stretch of dirt. For Master Gardener John Twomey, however, the plot of land resting just behind the Rhode Island Veterans’ Home provides the perfect canvas.

Starting in the coming weeks, Mr. Twomey and his team of eight volunteers will be breaking ground on the construction of a state-of-the-art, ADA-approved greenhouse for both veterans and community members to enjoy.

As a retired police officer and Army Veteran, Mr. Twomey had long ago discovered the therapeutic benefits gardening can provide, having himself grown carnivorous plants for over a decade.

“I like putting something in the ground, and nurturing it, and watching it grow and become something,” he said.

Yet his involvement with both the Master Gardeners program and Veterans’ Home project had been completely unintentional. As a member of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society, Mr. Twomey had been at the Roger Williams Botanical Center roughly four years ago when he was first approached by members of the Master Gardener program.

After helping out with one of their children’s programs, he was encouraged to enroll in the program itself at the University of Rhode Island. Mr. Twomey obliged and now, nearly 1,200 volunteer hours later, is part of the program’s Hall of Fame.

Not long after Mr. Twomey had first received his accreditation, Marguerite Hardisty, the longtime project leader for one of the program’s oldest collaborative efforts, the Veterans’ Home Project, had announced she was stepping down. Mr. Twomey was asked to take her place, officially taking over in 2016.

Around the same time, plans for a new facility for veterans were underway, and by November 2017, the new-and-improved Veterans’ Home officially opened its doors.

Broken up into six “neighborhoods,” the new design offered Mr. Twomey plenty of space to play with as he set out to design each of their respective patios and raised flower beds with the veterans in mind. Filled with vegetables and perennials of the veterans’ choosing — roses, honeysuckles, tomatoes, etc. —the raised beds are at wheelchair height and easily accessible.

“Whatever they want, we try to provide for them,” Mr. Twomey said.

The offer extends to visiting friends and family as well. One instance even saw Mr. Twomey helping a guest grow chives in one of the beds in order to throw them in with his cream cheese for bagels. He embraces any opportunity to help community members learn how to grow better and smarter, whether it’s helping to grow herbs or testing a soil’s PH balance.

“Our goal is education through scientific facts and knowledge,” he said.

A new greenhouse

Something that was not included in the new Veterans’ Home design, however, was the replacement of the demolished greenhouse.

Last year, Mr. Twomey took it upon himself to seek permission to construct another one, applying through the Master Gardener Foundation for a grant from the Champlin Foundation. After being awarded 88 percent of the funds necessary to cover the project this past December, Mr. Twomey and his team can finally begin construction next month.

The final product, expected for completion no later than June, will see a greenhouse even bigger and better than the one the veterans had before. Sitting at 60 feet long and 24 feet wide, the new facility will host modern amenities — heating, water and electricity — and be home to a variety of plants.

It’s a space Mr. Twomey eventually hopes will become a new spot for he and other gardeners to host workshops and educational events for seasoned or aspiring gardeners, but for the long haul, he simply hopes to create an escape for veterans. 

“This is what they wanted, and this is why we’re here — for them,” he said.

Another $12,000 is still needed to fully fund the Veterans’ Home greenhouse project. To donate, reach out to either Mr. Twomey at jtooms60@gmail.com or MGF secretary Rudi Hempe at rudi.hempe@gmail.com.