WEATHERFORD —
In keeping the Weatherford Public Library one of the major attractions of the city, library staff and the Parker County Master Gardeners unveiled a new interactive eye-catcher — the Literary Gardens.
The gardens, which surround the library’s front public entrance, debuted last month.
“It’s really fun to interact with the public, and just think about how many people come to the library and are exposed to the gardens,” Patti Lankford, project coordinator and Master Gardener, said.
The project began around 2005, when director of library services Dale Fleeger was talking with some friends who were members of the Master Gardener Association during the Christmas holidays.
“I had happened to mention that the area around the library was kind of drab,” he said.
From there, the idea flourished as the Master Gardeners, the library and the Weatherford Parks and Recreation teamed up to make the project reality.
While parks and recreation staff handled the hardscape, soil and slow-drip irrigation systems, Master Gardeners worked together to find the perfect mixture of plants and flowers to sustain seasons and draw attention to the area.
Because of shallow soil, beds were built up, to add more depth and make room for regrowth.
The gardens are broken down into three phases. Phase I houses five theme-named beds: Texas, Shakespeare, Quilt, Children’s and Herb.
“The plants that we put in all have a literary reference, with a label that shows the common name and the botanical name,” Lankford said.
For instance, one of the main attractions in the Shakespeare bed are the roses, which tie in to lines from A Midsummer Night’s, Hamlet, The Tempest and other plays.
Another, the Quilt Bed, is named after the Bluebonnet Bee Quilt group that meets weekly at the library. One of their quilts given to the library was auctioned off to help fund the garden project.
The Texas Bed is fitted with Easy Yellow Roses, Bluebonnets and others themed with the state.
“It’s reminiscent of plants and things that are found in Texas,” Lankford said.
Phase II is the construction of a round concrete performance area, often used for library events.
Phase III, which was the latest to be completed, is home to five more beds: Biographies, Heirloom, Mysteries, Fiction and a memorial bed.
The Biography Bed pays tribute to several authors, including Julia Child, Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn and Charles Darwin.
A special area, complete with a tribute bench, was constructed in memory of Master Gardener project co-chairman Teresa Lynn Blackburn, who passed away last year.
“People enjoy seeing the beds and walking through the paths, and they will stop and ask and learn different things about the plants,” Lankford said.
The Master Gardeners, who provide education and demonstration gardens all around Parker County, keep a consistent eye on the libraries, working in the early mornings to maintain and keep from getting too hot.
Despite near-drought conditions last year, Lankford and others were able to keep the gardens up to par, taking advantage of their irrigation system.
“Last year was amazing, with as bad of weather as we had,” she said. “We didn’t have a lot of die-backs because of our drip-system, but we made sure we chose plants that could tolerate the heat and fortunately, we did pretty well.”
Because plants and flowers grow at different times, gardeners made sure there is something blooming all the time, from flowers to trees to Russian Sage.
“Mulch, drip irritation and plant selection are the most important parts,” Lankford said. “One of the things we’ve also added is foliage color contrast, so it’s not all one big blob.
“There’s gray, purple, green, all mixed in.”
While the gardens are open to anyone, the public will get another chance to view the landscape when the library hosts its Carnival Kickoff June 7, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in which the Master Gardeners will have a booth.
The Weatherford library is open Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m., and is located at 1014 Charles Street, Weatherford.
For more information, call 817-598-4150 or visit www.wpltx.com.
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