Cambridge Senior Center Invites Older Adults to Enjoy their Roof Deck Garden!

The Cambridge Senior Center (806 Massachusetts Ave.) invites older adults in Cambridge to come enjoy their beautiful roof deck garden, an urban oasis in the summer!

The roof deck has a shade canopy, patio garden, and plenty of comfortable seating. Older adults are welcome to visit the deck, relax, and enjoy the fresh air. The Senior Center also hosts a variety of activities, cookouts, and events for older adults in the space.

The roof deck garden was spearheaded by Lisa Castagna, an administrator at the Council on Aging. The garden includes edible plants that thrive in the abundant sunlight of the roof deck: strawberries, grapes, sunflowers, peaches, nasturtiums, tomatoes (big and small!), and chili peppers. The garden also features herbs like basil and thyme that the Council on Aging's chef, Lei, uses in the nutritious lunch meal recipes served at the Senior Center.

Lisa continues to be the primary gardener, supported by volunteers and visitors who help clean, water, and weed the garden. "My vision (for the roof deck garden) is controlled chaos," she explains. "I pack as many plants as I can into containers. Since containers don't always drain well, I choose plants that can tolerate "wet feet", like willow, grass, and mint." Lisa says the Senior Center was also lucky to receive some beautiful tropical plants from the Recreation division. Every year, Recreation gets plants in vibrant colors to celebrate the graduating class at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS). After the graduation ceremony, Recreation shares these plants with different locations around the City, including the Senior Center.

The Senior Center's roof deck contributes to the greening of our local urban environment. Rooftops with greenery reduce the temperature of roof surfaces and lower the urban heat island effect. The roof deck also helps promote urban biodiversity. The plants on the roof deck provide a welcoming habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies, and the living green wall in the patio garden provides shelter for birds such as mourning doves, cardinals, and sparrows, who visit the deck each year to build their homes. Council on Aging (COA) staff have even rescued a few baby birds who have fallen out of their nests.

The Council on Aging invites adults 60 and older to enjoy a relaxing, summer day in the shade of the Senior Center's beautiful roof deck and in the company of plants, bees, birds, and butterflies. For more information, contact the Council on Aging at 617-349-6220 or the Cambridge Senior Center at 617-349-6060.

For more information about the Council on Aging's offerings, visit www.cambridgema.gov/CouncilonAging.