Some would call it synchronicity, some may call it a happy accident, but in late winter of 2005 when the Seward Co-op contacted me to have my brand new gardening company make a design and estimate for revamping the gardens surrounding their store, I called it a miracle. I needed to get my business name associated with beautiful, organic landscaping, and I needed it as soon as possible. I figured that if I were given an opportunity to garden at such a respected and ecologically progressive public place as the Seward Co-op, then I’d have the potential to get my foot in the professional landscaping door and begin to make a name for my own business. All I had to do was win the bid, and then do my best work.
Now here’s where Leo comes in. Leo Sanders is the operations manager for the co-op. He’s the fellah whose job it was to seek out and sort through the landscaping bids. I liked Leo from the get go, and I respected his professional yet down to earth management style as soon as we began interacting. With Leo’s advice and encouragement I started the work of putting together a garden plan. When I brought my plans in to present to Leo, I have to admit I was a bit nervous. Leo however was very easy to talk with, and soon enough I began to explain the gardens major concepts and themes. Organically maintained garden beds planted with a mix of native, edible, medicinal, and bold exotic plants, in bloom from thaw till freeze. I promised textures and colors that would create contrast and flow. I talked about year round beauty and I told Leo how in my view, the garden could become not only an attraction for customers, but in some important ways I saw it as a reflection of the co-op’s values. Well, Leo and I began our professional relationship in earnest that day, when he told me he’d recommend my plan to the rest of the management team at the co-op. I couldn’t have been more excited, I was as giddy as a gardener gets. I was immediately on the phone getting arrangements made for soils and plants and recruiting my friends Chris (a former co-op employee), and Jetty, to help me install the garden. I learned right away that gardening at the co-op is a very interactive experience. Curious customers began milling around the wheelbarrows and truck on the first day of installation. It wasn’t long before it seemed like everyone passing by was asking why we were removing all the daylilies, and just exactly what were we going to be doing with the space anyway. Now ‘days folks still stop to talk every time I’m out maintaining the garden. This has become one of my favorite parts of gardening at the co-op. I’ve made friends and met new clients all while weeding and planting in the garden. Whenever I’ve come with compost in the spring time, folks start asking what I’m dressing the ground with that’s giving it such a lovely golden brown color. I’ve found gardening at the co-op a great opportunity to dole out free garden advice. As a very picky gardener I feel that giving out free advice may be one small way that I can have an effect on the quality of gardening that takes place in and around this city.
Gardening in a parking lot hasn’t been without it’s challenges. The oven like effect of the pavement that surrounds the garden bakes water out of the soil at an extremely rapid pace. I’m really glad that I chose to cover the majority of the gardens with drought resistant plants, but even these needed to be nursed along with supplemental watering while they establish. Watering in a busy city parking lot may not sound like much fun, but the dedicated employees of the co-op have steadfastly lead the charge to water thoroughly and establish these gardens, all the while making it seem like they’re enjoying themselves out there with their sunglasses, green aprons, and big smiles! I’ve even had a couple of co-op employees explain that they like to water the gardens as it affords them time to chill out and enjoy the flowers. After a few years of observation, I can say that we certainly have created a garden worth taking some time with. In the summer I receive weekly reports of swarming butterflies and giant flowers. I’ve personally witnessed families of gold finches eating sunflower seeds right off the volunteer flower stalks. I’ve seen monarch caterpillars growing up on the volunteer milkweeds that have found a home here. One day while weeding along, I noticed a little yellow bird hop out of the garden bed. I watched him hop across the parking lot, and curiously I followed. He ducked himself in the shade over by the bike racks and when I caught up to him he wouldn’t fly off. I figured he might be injured so I scooped him up and went on inside the co-op with this tiny golden bird in my hand. I showed a manager what I had found and we decided to try and find a bird sanctuary that may take him. Sure enough after a few minutes on the internet and telephone we had instructions on how to keep him from getting freaked out, and directions for the nearest bird sanctuary. After looking him up in my bird books, I’ve decided that he was probably a Tennessee warbler who was migrating through. Offering refuge to wounded animals, and creating habitat for countless other creatures is a reward in and of itself, however the city of Minneapolis Metro Blooms Council decided last year that a little something extra was needed when they awarded the gardens at the co-op their prize for 2007’s best garden at a business in the city! The honor was bestowed upon The Seward Co-op, and Giving Tree Gardens at the 2008 Metro Blooms Day Event.To have this garden recognized with an award is one of a myriad of blessings to have grown from the co-op’s soil. Together with The Seward, Giving Tree held 10 free public garden tours over the last few years. I’ve been delighted to meander through the parking lot with garden savvy co-op shoppers. I’m hoping that one day soon I’ll be leading a garden tour at the co-op’s new location. The latest blessing to come of the Seward’s good garden karma is the recently begun garden installation just a few blocks up Franklin Avenue at the co-op’s future home. This fall finds me preparing garden beds and learning everything I can about cover cropping so as to enliven the soils at the new site before they are planted bed by bed, according the co-op’s new multi-year garden installation plan. With a little luck, and maybe some encouragement from fans, the gardens at the existing co-op site will be deemed worthy of maintaining by the buildings new owners. I’ve been in a conversation or two with the fellah who’s buying the building, and he seemed quite positive about keeping the gardens. While it’s still too early to count those chickens as hatched, I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed because I love these gardens so much."There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny."
"I do believe in an everyday sort of magic -- the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of syncronicity... "
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The Seed Vol. 20 Nov. 20, 2008 A Giving Tree Gardens Newsletter
Photos by Russ Henry ©2008 ,Text by Russ Henry ©2008 by Giving Tree Gardens, all rights reserved.
Plant Profile: Tulip
Fall is the perfect time to start thinking ahead to the next springs earliest floral displays. The tulip is one of the most widely planted spring flowering bulbs available, and now is the best time to purchase and plant these and other spring blooming bulbs. If you've ever been curious about the origins of the tulip, I suggest picking up a copy of Michael Pollan's book, "The Botany of Desire". In this book Michael devotes an entire chapter to the beloved tulip. I learned from this book that between 1634 and 1637 in western Europe tulips were so popular, they became a form of currency in and of themselves. The native range for the tulip extends from China through the middle east into Europe and Africa. Wild or non-hybridized tulips are much smaller and more delicately formed then their tall showy hybridized cousins.
Tulips are easy to plant and grow, just remember to plant them in a well drained site and add plenty of bone meal to the bulbs freshly dug hole before covering them for the winter. I will often use gravel or chicken wire surrounding the bulbs in their holes so as to avoid giving away all my spring hopes to scavenging squirrels.
Giving Tree Gardens in the Co-op news!!!!!
Gardens on Franklin
The Seward Co-op Grocery and Deli on Franklin Avenue in South Minneapolis has been a source of growth and nourishment for the entire community. Healthy, organically grown produce, wonderfully prepared foods, and customer service that is second to none are just a few of the regular offerings of this fine institution. Giving Tee Gardens has been blessed with the opportunity to work with The Seward Co-op for the last four years in order to create yet another high quality daily offering, namely an organically maintained blooming landscape that offers year round beauty. Thanks to the teamwork between these two organizations, what was once a drab parking lot is now a space that the community can enjoy. While the co-op moves locations to a few blocks further East on Franklin Avenue this winter, Giving Tree gardeners will be readying our garden supplies, and sharpening our shovels for the beginning of our next phase of gardening along Franklin Avenue the following spring. In honor of a job well begun, and much more gardening fun to come I give you this volume of The Seed, an homage to one of my favorite gardens at one of my favorite places in all the world The Seward Co-op Grocery and Deli. 
Now that's some color for a parking lot! The annual sweet potato vines shown here not only produced an astounding aesthetic all summer long, but I was also able to make some wonderful sweet potato bread from the fall harvested tubers!
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Here I am pointing out some of my favorites to fellow gardeners during one of our many garden tours. I've so enjoyed these tours as a way to connect and trade secrets with gardeners of all stripes.
This little garden spot is one of my best kept garden secrets in town. This is the sight of the Seward Co-op satellite office, which is located on Franklin Ave just behind the Second Moon Coffee Shop. I've had a blast creating an all annual tropical display to dazzle the co-op employees as they travel back and forth from store to office.
Above are a pair of goldfinches that have decided to help themselves to a free meal at the co-op. Below a bumble bee and a monarch caterpillar dine to their hearts content on the volunteer milkweeds that sprang from the ground on their own. I was so impressed with the fact that these creatures would come to eat in the parking lot that I decided to allow as many volunteer sunflowers and milkweeds to grow as the wind and birds decided to plant.
This little herb bed has been a source of constant delight while I've been working at the co-op. Last fall when I was pulling up all the herbs to make room for an evergreen holiday display, I had a dozen people stop and sort through to take their favorites from the freshly harvested herbs on my garden tarp.
Above is an early spring shop of the clean up process. Getting these gardens started has been my favorite way to jump start the spring clean up process for all my gardens. Below the tulips are just poking out of the soil, one of the first signs of life returning to the co-op's garden after a long winter's rest.
We can help get your wagon moving on down the trail! Giving Tree Gardens is now pleased to offer high quality snow removal services! Click here for more info, or to schedule a free snow removal estimate!
Did the snow slow you down
last winter?
