More grows in the garden than the gardener sows. ~ Old Spanish Proverb
The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.
"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies."
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The Rain Garden:
Designed to capture and filter 95% of the storm-water that lands on the property, this garden may be one of the co-op’s best kept secrets. I talk with lots of folks about the co-op’s new site, and I often get the opportunity to surprise people with the information that there’s an enormous rain-garden hiding behind the building. Running along the south and east sides of the co-op building these rain-gardens are comprised entirely of plants native to this region, and supportive of local fauna. I jumped at the opportunity this garden presented. After receiving the grant seeking support of Seward Redesign, a neighborhood organization, and with grant money from Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, I set out to design this garden as a bird and butterfly habitat. With southern and eastern exposures we were able to use a wide variety of native plants, each species chosen not only for beauty, and suitability to the site requirements, but also for it’s potential to provide habitat. The installation of the rain-garden presented another excellent learning and teaching opportunity for us at Giving Tree. In the late winter, co-op shoppers and folks from yet another local non-profit, Friends of the Mississippi, began to request to help with the installation of this garden for the hands-on learning opportunity it presented. The various community involved aspects of this garden from public support through neighborhood organizations, to neighbors getting their hands dirty while learning how to improve their own yards at home, to the free educational garden tours presented by the co-op, all clearly show that this garden is a growing community asset! In the rain-garden I’ve already seen monarchs and swallowtails getting their fill of liatris, lobelia, and milkweed. The gold finches have been flying off with beaks stuffed full of sunflower seeds, and in June, we discovered a rabbits nest squirming with cuddly baby bunnies, dug into the sandy rain-garden soil. As the big blue stem and fox sedge fills in and starts growing seeds, I’m sure more birds and other creatures will begin to call these gardens home. As of the end of July when we completed the installation of warm weather plants, the rain-gardens now include over 50 varieties of wildlife supporting native species.The community building, earth friendly nature of this garden makes it a symbol of the growth of community in the Seward neighborhood, and the potential we all have for healing the wounded earth. Flowers on Franklin:
The gardens at the former co-op site were proving grounds for plant hardiness. From heat and drought, to foot traffic, and snow piling, the plants that survived in those gardens earned their stripes. Now that the co-op has moved down Franklin Avenue to a site with some equally rough conditions, I’ve incorporated some of those very tough plants such as ‘Gro-Low’ Sumac, Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle, Yucca Filamentosa, and Echinacea Purpurea. Perennial hibiscus was such a hit with co-op shoppers at the former site that we doubled up on the amount and variety found in these new gardens. These plants all provide habitat for birds, and beauty for people walking by. As a way of improving on a theme, in this garden we’ve incorporated plants that provide human habitat as well. Cherry bushes, raspberries, blueberries, sweet potatoes, herbs, grapes, asparagus, zucchini, hops, and kiwi vine are all eagerly growing, and already providing tasty, nutritious treats for passers by. The growth rates in this garden have been phenomenal. Annual sweet potato vines are spilling out into the parking lot while the native Joe-Pye weed gets taller by the day. This garden space has filled in with annuals and perennials this season, and the shrubs, grasses, and raspberries promise to take over in years to come. I couldn’t be happier with how this garden is progressing, and I hope to help it grow and witness it mature over time. Minnesota Tropical:
The entrance to the new co-op store has recently been greatly improved with two gorgeous hand made tile murals enveloping the large structural columns which support that end of the building. The murals were designed, hand made, and installed by local artsts Greta Mclain and Laurie Green It is this gardener’s great pleasure and honor to be working the soils near something so beautiful. From a garden design perspective, the natural garden images and bright colors of these murals are an amazing visual backdrop to work with, and the thin strip of earth right in front of these murals is a perfect opportunity to create a playful, attractive garden. Some folks thought I was bananas for planting this little garden with tropical annual plants, but after getting to know the Seward for the last few years, I understood that it takes a whole world to raise a co-op. I learned from co-op insiders that bananas are the top selling food item in the store, and though I wasn’t certain that anyone would recognize it, I’ve already had folks who hale from India and Africa stopping me as they’re going into the co-op to let me know that the large enseti banana plant visually anchoring this garden, reminds them of home.Rewards like this reinforce the ideas that variety is the spice of life, and that our city is full of a huge variety of people.As an earth-friendly gardener and community activist, I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting set of gardens to install, care for, and teach about. The new co-op gardens present me with the perfect opportunity to show folks how much potential gardens have for improving our own lives, the community, and the whole earth. Gardens are full of rewards, and this gardens greatest reward may be it’s potential to connect folks in the community just a little bit more to the world they live in. | ||||
The Seed Vol. 29 August 20, 2009 A Giving Tree Gardens Newsletter
Photos by Russ Henry ©2009 ,Text by Russ Henry ©2009 by Giving Tree Gardens, all rights reserved.
Gardens grow many rewards. In May of 2005 Giving Tree Gardens planted the landscape at the Seward Co-op with gardens that would become rewarding for Giving Tree, the Seward, and the community at large. These gardens installed in the parking lot surround and in front of the building would go on to win awards for the co-op, create momentum for Giving Tree Gardens as a small business, and delight neighbors and passers by with blooms, birds, and butterflies. When the Seward Co-op decided a few years back that they were going to move down Franklin Avenue and expand their offerings, Giving Tree Gardens was honored to be charged with the task of creating a garden design for the co-op’s new space. Initially the co-op requested and received a 4-year installation plan for filling the landscape at the new store with lush gardens. As community support for the co-op’s expansion grew, so did the momentum for creating their new gardens. The original 4-year plan was transformed into a 2-year plan with the majority of the gardens installed in the first year.Working in the co-op’s gardens over the last few years, Russ Henry, owner of Giving Tree has taken to heart many good garden lessons. Learning not only what plants are best suited for the heat of the parking lot gardens, but also which plants are most pleasing to co-op shoppers, and folks walking through the neighborhood has proven to be valuable knowledge from a design perspective. Russ was excited to expand on these favored design themes in the co-op’s new space, presenting a plan to create gardens that would provide attractive habitat for birds, butterflies, and people alike. In this special multi-media edition of The Seed, you’ll be able to see images from the new gardens, and read what Russ has to say about each garden section as well. You can also listen to Mr. Henry describe some of the immediate benefits of this garden adventure in the 7 minute audio documentary by blogger Katey Sleeveless.
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Plant Profile: Meadow Blazing Star Liatris ligulistylis
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Simply put, meadow blazing star is the best monarch butterfly attracting plant I’ve encountered. While the bees and swallowtail butterflies also enjoy this native plant, the monarchs are totally in love with it’s delectable nectar. Providing habitat all season long, this plant attracts gold finches after setting seed.Common names for the genus Liatris include, gayfeather, button snakeroot, and blazing star. Of the many species that are available, meadow blazing star is my favorite not only for it’s butterfly attracting ability, but this tall, narrow plant will send roots 10 feet into the ground allowing for greater water and air penetration into garden soils. Meadow blazing star is perfectly suited for the soggy bottom of sunny Minnesota rain-gardens. If you’re gardening in a hot dry location consider growing prairie blazing star or Liatris pycnostachya as a lure for birds and butterflies.
ATTENTION GARDENERS:
The Seed JUST GOT INTERACTIVE !!!
Check Out the new
Let us know what you think!
The earth has Sprung to life here in the new gardens at the Seward Co-op in Minneapolis! After only 3 months of growth, these gardens are teeming with life, habitat, and beauty!
Gardens On Franklin Part 2:
Growing Community!
Interview with a Gardener!
Listen to Russ Henry, owvner of Giving Tree Gardens describe how gardens grow community and safety in the Seward Neighborhood of Minneapolis!
Press play to listen to the 7 minute audio documentary by Katey Sleeveless, musician, and author of the blog,
Free Class 2:
When: Saturday September 12th @ 1:00pm
Where: Seward Co-op 2823 East Franklin Ave S
What: Take a tour of the Seward Co-op’s new landscape with Giving Tree Gardens owner Russ Henry. Learn how to grow beautiful, bountiful gardens at home. We’ll talk about food production, native plants, garden aesthetics, soil health, habitat creation, composting, and anything else that you’ve got a question about. This is a great opportunity to learn how to grow health in your own back yard!
LEARN HOW THE GARDEN GROWS!!!!
2 FREE GARDEN CLASSES!!!
Just a couple months after Giving Tree and volunteers from around the neighborhood put these gardens in the ground, they're already bursting with blooms! The birds, butterflies, bees, and passing public are all bemused by this beautiful botanical bestowal.
Lobelia cardinalis has been the star of the summer show in both the eastern and southern exposed rain gardens. The bright red of the cardinal flower even stands out against MFD engine number 5!
I hope the fire fighters enjoyed their deli lunch!
Folks walking by have already been snacking on the raspberries, bluberries, mint, and even asparagus growing now along the co-op's new stretch of Franklin Avenue. Watch the gardens mature in years to come and you'll find grapes, cherries, strawberries, rhubarb, and hops all for your culinary delight.
Free Class 1:
When: Wednesday September 9th @ 7:00pm
Where: Mother Earth Gardens 3738 42ND AVE S MINNEAPOLIS
What: Get Ready for Autumn in the Garden! The irrepressible Russ Henry will walk you through fall plantings, mums, cool weather annuals, fall maintenance, winter prep, brilliant fall color, and ideas for what to do with all your garden harvest.....End your garden season with a splash of color, and prepare your gardens for another year of organic abundance!
