A Bittersweet Celebration of Life and Death
“Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All you need is a rake and a how
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rains come tumbling down.”
From The Garden Song by David Mallett
Wednesday we celebrated Scully-girl’s last day. It was a peaceful, painless passing, just as we wished.
Yesterday, I celebrated Earth Day. I must admit it’s hard being joyous when there is a hole in my heart and an eerie silence in the house.
Earth Day celebrations cherish life in nature, in the garden, and the life of those who care about the Earth. I was fortunate enough to attend the Earth Day festivities at my son’s school yesterday morning. We just finished construction and planting on a new 1200 square foot school vegetable garden for grades 1-5. It was an amazing project from beginning to end. We celebrated the opening of the garden and the children and teachers who will plant and care for the garden.
Song’s were sung and seeds were planted. We honored those who helped make the dream a reality. I designed the garden. I have the inane habit of needing to be involved. I can’t help it. As most of my gardening friends know, people love people who know how to garden. It’s not a common skill. Being able to design gardens is even more rare, so I have a hard time letting projects like this happen without pitching in.
As I said last week…I have so much spare time – Haha! But, some things are worth it. Here’s a video of the kids singing The Garden Song.
It was worth it to see the kid’s awesome excitement. We also have a garden club on Fridays after school and the kids are so eager to lean about everything we do. Tasting leaves of herbs and vegetables was really fun. Some of the kids said they never tasted basal and some of the greens we planted.
Using sharp tools like digging forks and planting knives is also very exciting. They love planting. They love watering even more. Hoses are very exciting. Getting wet when you are not supposed to is even more exciting – especially to a 7 year old.
The children are learning so much and they are eager to learn more and participate each time we have a club meeting or a classroom activity. All the children that is – except for my son, who ONLY wants to play with the hoses. I guess he gets enough exposure at home, but I was really hoping he would be the shining example of a child brought up with gardening and good, homegrown food.
I guess I have to face reality. He hates most vegetables, even if he picks them fresh from the garden. He told me a few weeks ago he just wasn’t into gardening anymore. I almost cried.
“Are you kidding me?” I said.
“You have been my super helper since you were two. You’re going to quit on me now so you can play video games?”
“Really?”
He knew I was hurt.
We had 12 yards of mulch to spread last weekend. He helped the whole day. My helper is back…thank goodness. I thought I lost him.
The last thing I want is to be one of those parents who force their kids into gardening. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking gardening is a chore, so I would never force them.
Most of the kids get it and they cherish their time in the garden. This poem was written by one of the first graders, sitting in the vegetable garden yesterday.
Sitting on the side, looking at the flowers
Feeling the sun moving slowly in the shade
Writing something to discover something fascinating
That was made by me.
How cool is that? This kid is 6 (maybe 7) years old. This is why I make the time to help.
If only First Lady Michelle Obama could see our garden. It is a fine example of the right way to teach children about eating right and planting their own gardens. The teachers at my son’s school are so awesome. They have incorporated the garden into their curriculum.
One of the second grade teachers decided she wanted only unusual, funky vegetables like purple carrots and kohlrabi and yellow beans. She’s using the garden to reinforce their studies about diversity. Just because a carrot is purple, doesn’t make it different. It tastes just like a carrot, possibly even better.
What a brilliant idea!
The third grade is learning about Native Americans, so they requested supplies to plant a three sister’s garden. If you don’t know what a three sister’s garden is, it’s a technique Native Americans used to inter-plant beans, corn and squash. They planted the corn in wide rows and then inter-planted the squash on the ground so it would have plenty of room to roam. Then they planted the pole beans near the corn so the beans could climb the corn stalks.
How cool is that?
What if more schools engaged children? I won’t get into that in this letter, but I foresee another rant for the future.
The entire first grade faculty is going to Berkley, CA to learn from Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard project, so that everything they teach in history, math, science and literature is based on things they learn in the garden. We incorporated a teaching circle made out of 4 raised beds that the children can sit on so the teachers could hold class in the garden.
We had no money when we started. A parent graciously donated all of the materials. That same parent’s construction company did the construction. We were very fortunate to have this parent. The money to buy plants, seeds and soaker hoses was raised from parents and community members teaching gardening and healthy cooking classes to other parents and members of the community.
It really was a team effort. All it took was one determined teacher to get the project started.
Most schools don’t have the resources to do any of this. There’s never any money budgeted for school gardens, yet research has proven it so useful in teaching and engagement. Our very own First Lady, Michelle Obama has made teaching children healthy eating habits and school cafeteria reform her main agenda.
Look at Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution project. He goes into schools in communities where the health of the community is a factor and he teaches the children to make healthier food choices. He teaches the staff to cook “real” food and the children love it. He’s proven that they will make healthy choices if given the chance.
The only problem is funding. Once his team leaves, the school has to pay to train their employees to cook the real food. The food isn’t necessarily more expensive, but they currently don’t cook in school cafeterias.
Gasp! They don’t cook?
Nope, they get pre-cooked, pre-packaged meals from a food supplier that they microwave or steam heat and feed to the children. Cooking in school cafeterias is rare. My son’s school cooks all of the food they serve. They use local breads and veggies whenever possible. They even roast their own turkey so they can serve turkey sandwiches each day. They made the change a few years ago. No more French fries. They have really great, healthy meals just about everyday.
We are very fortunate.
The problem is finding the money. Money needs to be reallocated from something else. I’ll tell you where I think they can get the money soon…
Will the government require schools to budget for cooking real food and growing vegetables and having teaching gardens in the future? I can only hope.
Where will they get the money?
Here’s and idea. What if schools mowed their grass less?
They could take the savings and serve real food and have more money for teaching gardens. Schools with large campuses spend a lot of money on lawn services. I would like to challenge schools to cut back the number of times they mow the grass. While I was at The U.S. National Arboretum, we cut back from every week to every 10 or 15 days and the visitors never complained, the grass was healthier and it stayed much greener in the dry, hot summers.
Perhaps if schools set an example that grass does not have to be cut every week, whether it needs it or not and that grass can be an inch taller without affecting anyone, there would be less expectations of prefect lawns when they get older. If you think about it – where do you see the most grass growing up?
Two places: at school and on the athletic field.
I understand athletic fields need to be safe. But I bet the grass would be easier to care for and much more healthy if it were mowed a little less – especially in the summer when it really does not need mowing. I know there’s not much money and budgets are tight, so making minor adjustments could go along way to save money and raise awareness for a greener future.
What if the lawn care budget of every school was cut in half? I bet that would be a lot of money.
Food for thought…literally!
Two last things before I tell you about an exciting new plant.
If you have not already seen me embarrass myself on stage for the World to see, PLEASE cast your vote for Round One of Garden Idol. Voting for round one continues until Sunday night. Every vote counts. You can only vote once. They will ask you to register before you can vote, but they promise no spam!
If you want a good laugh for Friday, watch me shake my ‘Milkshake’ in my Lady Gaga wig and try to twirl in a Foxy Cleopatra (or Pam Grier for you Boomers out there) outfit. I promise you great laughs and exiting new plants.
And lastly, this year in Baltimore, the azaleas have been spectacular! I usually hate them, but even I want some now. Here’s a shot of one of the best azalea hedges I’ve ever seen. I’ve been admiring this one for 5 years. I call it the pink candy cane hedge.
Enjoy the spring weather!
This issue is dedicated to the loving memory of Scully-girl, the best German shepherd dog I’ve ever known. R.I. P. Scully. 1997 – 2010.
Until next week. .. Happy Weeding!
Angela Treadwell-Palmer
President, Plants Nouveau
P.S. Speaking of exciting new plants, have you seen Phlox paniculata ‘Lord Clayton’?
With it’s deep purple foliage and lime green stems, what’s not to like? Designer, nursery woman, and garden writer Tammy Clayton found ‘Lord Clayton’ at her home in Michigan. It is a real beauty in the garden with its regal foliage and gem-like, garnet-red blooms.
Each year, when Lord Clayton emerges, the foliage is stunning. The plant stands 3 to 4 feet tall in full bloom and is covered with large, fully formed garnet blooms. The foliage is resistant to powdery mildew, but it needs full sun to maintain the glorious foliage color. If planted in too much shade or in an area with poor circulation, you might see some mildew, but plant this baby in full, blazing sun in a normal garden border and there’s not a spot to be seen.