Once a welcoming, flowering corner near Shawmut Station, the Clementine Park garden has fallen into disrepair and neighbors are seeking new volunteers to get it back in shape. Seth Daniel photos
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Neighbors around Shawmut Station are looking to revive the Clementine Park garden at corner of Centre Street but they need some helping hands to get the greenspace back into bloom.
The 0.02-acre lot was the subject of discussion at last week’s St. Mark’s Area Civic Association meeting, where all agreed there is a desire to get it back in shape and return it to the welcoming corner it once was.
“I believe it was a commercial building at one time and may have been a dry cleaner,” said Sarah Weinstein, who coordinates the Shawmut Gardens. “The garden was laid out by a neighbor who had an interest in design. But at this point, the people that spearheaded the Clementine Garden have had to retire from the project. Basically, the weeds have now taken over.”
Once a thriving garden with a memorial to the late Dorchester state representative and municipal court Judge Paul Murphy within it, the space has fallen into disrepair over the years and the harvest mural that frames it suffered graffiti vandalism last year that neighbors cleaned up and painted over.
The civic group, though, has a second interest in taming the weeds, refurbishing the soil, and installing new plantings and flowers.
The lot is non-buildable and could be contaminated by the former dry-cleaning use – meaning that it would be reserved for flowers, shrubs, and plantings, said Civic President Michael Folan. He noted that the group placed the memorial for Judge Murphy there many years ago and wishes to maintain it going forward.
In addition to the overgrowth, Weinstein noted, the fence around the garden needs to be fixed or replaced.
Folan said he has committed to coordinating clean ups with others but hoped for other volunteers to take charge of the plantings.
Anyone with any interest in helping out the Clementine Garden should email SMACA at smacadot@gmail.com or Weinstein at sarahweinst@gmail.com.
Copyright © 2026 Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. This content may not be re-published or re-used without written permission.
