Wilma Johnson and Jan Forrester decided to take a plot of city-owned land into their own hands and make a garden.

Johnson, 76, and Forrester, 75, live behind Chason Park. They said a small plot of dirt owned by the City of Bainbridge that has two Landmark oak trees on it was covered in weeds.

Since the city said they didn’t have the money to spruce it up, the neighbors decided to take matters into their own hands, literally.

Johnson and Forrester invested approximately $600 in new plants, a bench and a planter, and on Thursday and Friday, they were planting the plants and putting the final touches on the plot.

The city had agreed to clean out the weeds and bring in dirt for the plot, which is surrounded by townhouses on Chason Park Drive.

“It’s just so nice to have people who go beyond their duty,” said a neighbor, Karen Moye.