Dearborn City Beautiful Commission selects top honorees for Sustainable Gardens recognition

Published Sept. 5, 2025

The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission is proud to honor 18 residential properties in six districts across Dearborn for the third annual Sustainable Gardens Recognition Program. Honorees are recognized for the construction and maintenance of rain gardens, pollinator gardens, native plant gardens, and other ecologically responsible landscaping practices on their properties.

All honorees serve as notable examples of gardens and landscaping that help Dearborn meet environmental sustainability and flood mitigation goals. The commission prioritized rain gardens due to their impact on reducing flooding. Other honorees were selected for choosing plants that support butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, and for the intentional use of plants that are native to the area. 

City Beautiful Commission Chair Rene Ziaja stated, “Eighteen noteworthy sustainable gardens and landscapes were recognized by volunteer commissioners, based on a focused review of neighborhoods in Dearborn.  The Commission hopes its recognition program will inspire other residents to consider including some sustainable elements in their landscaping, supporting Mayor Hammoud's dedication to advancing beneficial green infrastructure.”

The 18 honorees in the 2025 Sustainable Garden awards are listed below:

District 1: 

  • 549 N. Elizabeth (Janice Depper)
  • 35 Shady Hollow (Ali and Linda Fakih)
  • 826 Howard (Linda Ziesmer)

District 2: 

  • 22949 Columbia (Karen Holland)
  • 22059 Olmstead
  • 3311 Byrd
  • 3126 Byrd

District 3: 

  • 24528 Notre Dame
  • 2205 Lafayette

District 4: 

  • 7106 Bingham (Angela and James Rodriguez)
  • 7856 Pinehurst (Lila Kadaj)
  • 6825 Payne
  • 7636 Calhoun

District 5: 

  • 4645 Westland (Lynn Montgomery)
  • 15235 Payne Court

District 6: 

  • 3341 Edsel
  • 19 Bennington
  • 14621 Barclay (Marty Brennan and Richard Bulleri)

Photos of the 18 honorees are available on the City’s website, Dearborn.gov/CityBeautiful, and Facebook page, Facebook.com/DearbornGov. 

Earlier this summer, residents were encouraged to nominate homes maintaining rain gardens, pollinator gardens, and other sustainable landscaping features. City Beautiful Commissioners also toured neighborhoods looking for examples in all areas of Dearborn.

This recognition program complements the traditional Residential Standard of Excellence Awards (RSOE). Honorees in the Sustainable Gardens category received a congratulatory lawn sign and will be invited to a dinner in early 2026, hosted by the Commission and Mayor Hammoud, for top awardees in all of City Beautiful’s 2025 recognition programs. 

In addition to the commission’s six recognition programs, under Mayor Hammoud’s direction, City Beautiful continues to promote environmental stewardship with Dearborn schools, including hosting traditional Clean-Up Parades, tree plantings, and anti-littering campaigns.

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Photos of the Honorees