Succulents in the Garden. Starting a Backyard Greenhouse. Improving Your Photography. These are just a few of the exciting and informative courses waiting for you at the University of Saskatchewan’s always popular HortWeek, July 7 to 13. With more than 30 workshops and tours, there is something for every garden enthusiast.

Dreaming of creating your own backyard oasis? Don’t miss Sunday evening’s free lecture by CBC Radio personality Lyndon Penner. He will share his secrets on creating privacy in your yard – call (306) 966-5539 to reserve a seat. Later in the week, Penner give workshops on keeping creatures out of your garden, Prairie Cherries, and more.

Sara Williams, author of several prairie gardening books, including the recently published Gardening, Naturally: a Chemical-Free Handbook for the Prairies (with Hugh Skinner), will help you choose only the very best in Perennials – The Enduring and the Fleeting. In Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, she will lead you in making smart, low-maintenance, water-conserving landscape choices.

For a fresh approach to landscaping, Design Lessons from the Chelsea Flower Show promises to be a popular workshop. Landscape architect Ingrid Thiessen will analyze the design elements showcased in the stunning show gardens of the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England and teach you how to successfully apply these in your own garden. Later in the week, she will walk you through more fundamental design lessons, including site assessment and design principles in Residential Landscape Design – Part 1 2. Be sure to bring measurements of your property to class as you’ll be creating a landscape design for your own new yard.

The classes are amazing but the real fun of HortWeek is all the nice people you meet. By popular demand, we’ve brought back the Meet and Greet on Monday evening. Other social activities include the free guided tours. See the latest research results in fruit, vegetable and ornamental plant breeding by touring the U of S Plant Sciences greenhouses. Or tour Patterson Garden, one of Saskatoon’s best-kept secrets. Established in 1966, this four-acre arboretum houses nearly 600 perennial shrubs and trees. It is an invaluable resource for landscape planning.

Browse the book sale each day or get a taste of some of the exciting cultivars coming out of the University’s breeding programs in Wednesday’s plant sale. Six cultivars of the interesting new ornamental Under the Sea coleus and the popular U of S cherry and haskap plants will be available for sale as well as many other fruit and ornamental plants.

HortWeek is sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Master Gardener Program. Master Gardeners are trained horticulturists that volunteer their time and knowledge in their local community. To get your certification, all of the core classes are offered during HortWeek including education in soil science, insects, disease control, botany and more. For more information on the certification program please visit http: //ccde.usask.ca/mastergardener. But you don’t have to be a master gardener to take these or any of the classes during HortWeek. Classes are open to everyone.

For more information or to check out the entire HortWeek workshop line up, brochures are available from your local greenhouse or by visiting http: //ccde.usask.ca/hortweek.

You can also call (306) 966-5546 or email master.gardeners@usask. ca for more information about HortWeek classes.

Vanessa Ross-Young is the co-ordinator of the University of Saskatchewan Master Gardener Program.

This column is provided as a public service by the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (www14.brinkster.com/saskperrennial; hortscene@yahoo.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

July 7 (Saturday), 9 a.m.: Labour and Learn at the Robin Smith Meditation Garden and Heritage Rose Garden – Forestry Farm Park and Zoo. Bring a few hand tools. An excellent opportunity to learn the finer points of gardening from the more experienced while volunteering to beautify a small part of Saskatoon. Rain date: Tues, July 10, 6: 30 p.m.

July 15 (Sunday), 1: 00, 1: 30 or 2 p.m.: Saskatoon Horticulture Society Annual Bus Tour of some of Saskatoon’s finest home gardens. Tour lasts about three hours, departing from Lawson Heights Mall. Reservations required. Called by noon, Friday July 13 to reserve your seat: (306) 249-1329 (Marj) or (306) 382-4061 (Shirley). $20 society members/$25 non-members.

Gardenline is open for the season. Shouldn’t my corn be taller by now? How can I control aphids? Call 966-5865 or email gardenline@usask.ca at the University of Saskatchewan with all your yard and garden questions. http: //agbio.usask.ca/gardenline.

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On Saturday, July 7, at 10 a.m. the public will have a unique opportunity to learn about the evolution of the landscape surrounding the Hamilton House with Gary Wetzel, Historic New England’s Piscataqua Area Landscape and Garden Manager. Using historic photographs of the site, Wetzel will help participants imagine the changes in the landscape as wilderness yielded to a busy commercial waterfront, then to farming, and finally, to formal gardens. During the tour, Wetzel will share his deep knowledge of the site and 30 years of experiences tending its gardens and landscape.

Hamilton House is located at 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, Maine. The Hamilton House Landscape and Garden Tour will begin in Visitor Center located in the brown garden cottage. Admission for Historic New England members is $8, $12 for non-members. Participants may tour the house the day of the Landscape and Garden Tour at no additional cost. Space on the tour is limited, please register in advance by calling (207) 384-2454 or online at www.HistoricNewEngland.org.

Hamilton House is owned and operated by Historic New England, the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the country. It offers a unique opportunity to experience the lives and stories of New Englanders through their homes and possessions. For information, visit www.historicnewengland.org.

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A seminar was held last weekend in hopes of eliminating polluted runoff by educating the public about yard care and landscape design.

By Jimy Tallal / Special to The Malibu Times

Over 40 people attended a free three-hour seminar on ocean-friendly gardening and landscaping last Saturday at Malibu City Hall. Most of the attendees came away with positive things to say about the program.

Deborah Long, an 11-year resident of Broad Beach, said she was attending the seminar because, “It’s time to change over more of our garden and landscape to native plants. We’re right on the ocean, with 70 feet of ocean front on the bluff, and want to keep the bluff soil from eroding. I thought [this class] would be fun and useful. I picked up all of the information they had in Spanish [to give to the gardeners].” Long also hoped to learn about native plant selections for the coast. “The plants that grow on the land side of Broad Beach Road don’t necessarily do well right next to the ocean.”

An “ocean friendly garden” (OFG) helps maintain good water quality off the coast by reducing water runoff, which picks up and carries pesticides, herbicides, pet feces, household chemicals, fertilizer and litter to the ocean through the storm drain system. Even in dry months, water from broken irrigation systems, swimming pools being emptied, car washing and other sources can wash pollutants into the ocean.

Elizabeth Pastor said she and her family moved to a beachside rental on Malibu Road seven months ago. She doesn’t control planting or watering as a tenant, but still wanted to learn about ocean friendly gardens. She cares about clean water off the coast because her “boys are out there all the time.” Pastor said, “I believe every citizen should take responsibility for this beautiful area. I like the whole idea of native plants and keeping the area natural. We should be planting things that belong here.”

One of the founders of the Malibu “Cornucopia Farmer’s Market,” Remy O’Neill, also attended. After moving to Point Dume nearly 15 years ago, she was an early adopter in converting her property’s landscape of “sidewalks, lawns and petunias” back to a more native, water-conserving habitat. O’Neill attended the class hoping to learn about the latest in semi-permeable materials and rain harvesting techniques, and intended to share new ideas with the Zuma Mesa HOA.

Carole Bush, another attendee, owns a ranch in Ventura County as well as a condo in Malibu Villas. She was interested in learning anything that might apply to her as a grower selling produce at the weekly Farmer’s Market. As a board member of her condo’s homeowners association, she was also interested in collecting ideas for the association’s common areas, including how to solve overwatering problems and rebate programs for removing specific plants.

The educational program is funded by state grants and is a joint effort of the City of Malibu, Surfrider Foundation, G3 Green Garden Group and state and county water agencies. Pamela Berstler, a landscape designer and contractor who co-founded G3, lead the instruction. Lessons included evaluating a property’s water usage and soil type, then using that information to make a landscaping plan. With Malibu’s dry Mediterranean climate, Berstler and most experts recommend planting no more than 20 percent of landscaped areas with water-thirsty lawn grass.

Berstler said most traditional lawn soils need to be de-compacted to absorb water, then restored to a healthy state of microbial activity by adding mulch and compost; and discontinuing any use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides.

Water runoff can be reduced by replacing hard surface driveways, patios and sidewalks with permeable surfaces that allow rain to percolate into the ground underneath. Water can also be retained by installing rain chains and barrels, redirecting downspouts to garden areas, planting trees, and contouring/grading a swale or dry creek area. Irrigation systems that overwater or sprinkle onto streets, sidewalks and driveways are big culprits in causing polluted runoff.

Various resources and rebate programs are available to residents wanting to go native. Water District 29 plans to re-launch “Cash for Grass” programs to reimburse homeowners $1 per square foot of lawn replaced with drought tolerant plants, up to $5,000. Rebates of up to $235 are also available for weather based irrigation controllers on the approved product list and $4/rotating sprinkler nozzle. For more information on these and other related programs, contact Casey Zweig in the city’s Environmental Sustainability Department.

Paul Herzog, coordinator of the OFG program for Surfrider Foundation, awards an “Ocean Friendly Gardens” yard sign to anyone meeting all of their criteria.

For the requirements, go to www.oceanfriendlygardens.org.

Gardening guru Costa Georgiadis

GARDENING guru Costa Georgiadis has simple advice for Sunshine Coast mums: Put your money where your kid’s mouth is.

The ABC Gardening Australia personality says while many argue healthy, wholesome foods are too expensive, they should consider the health consequences of eating cheaper junk food.

He said American farmer Joel Salatin nailed it in one line when he asked: “If you think organic is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?”

Costa (pictured) is one of the special guests at this weekend’s Queensland Garden Expo at Nambour’s showgrounds.

His presentations on the link between mass-produced food and ill health were among the most popular shows at last year’s expo.

Since then he has switched from SBS to the ABC and is using the new platform to get the message across about the sort of food people grow and eat, and their health.

Recent episodes have told the story of a guy in his 40s who after a health scare started to grow his own medicine in his garden.

Like many, the “average bloke” thought he was “bullet proof” until he discovered the link between poor diet, a lack of exercise and his own health in a real way.

Costa has shared stories telling of people who have grown herbs to help address stress and mental health issues as well as sharing cold and flu remedies from the backyard.

He says one of the best ways people can support local growers is to do their fruit and vegetable shopping at farmers’ markets.

Costa said he was visiting schools trying to inspire a new generation to think twice about what they put in their mouths.

“The more it is connected to health, the more it gets a solid narration,” he said.

“It has to be story-telling to connect the soul.

“We have to make it engaging.

“That’s the bit that drives me, seeing kids … how quickly they absorb this information.”

He said he even had children eating spicy mustard leaves because they were so excited that after six weeks something they had grown was ready to eat.

Costa said the Coast had one of the best proponents of school gardening in Leonie Shanahan who was honoured recently in the Glossie Awards for her edible school gardens.

“She is one of the best in the business. It’s just really straight hands on. It doesn’t require a large amount of set-up.”

 

COSTA’S TOP FIVE TIPS

1. If you eat something from a packet, rigorously check the label.
2. Start growing your own food, starting out small.
3. Eat more raw, whole foods.
4. Take time to consider every dollar you spend on your food.
5. Share what you grow because that will start to build a real community around you.

Ready for a little “you” time? Head over to Gibbs Gardens – Mother Nature’s favorite getaway – for a refreshing new way to celebrate the Fourth of July. Gibbs Gardens will present the first annual “Red White and Blooms” music festival from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4.

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 03, 2012

Swap the heat, smog and city traffic for 300 acres of rolling woodlands, natural springs, streams, waterfalls, and spectacular gardens.

At Gibbs Gardens, live music blooms in harmony with nature. Our cello and violin duo, Khari and Jarin Joyner, will greet you in the tree-shaded grove by the Arbor Café dining area. As you enter the Valley Gardens you’ll be entertained by talented violinist Virginia Respress in the Waterlily Gardens and Chelsea Sharpe in the Grandchildren’s’ Sculpture Gardens. Stroll through the magnificent Japanese Gardens to enjoy an eclectic selection of songs played by flutist Arthur McClendon. At the Manor House Gardens, Angelica Hairston on harp fills the air with golden tones.

All this and 220 acres of landscaped gardens bursting with our summer festival blooms:

•     Roses – More than a 1,000 rose bushes in wide sweeps of vibrant reds, pinks, yellow and white
•     Hydrangeas – 150 varieties totaling more than 1,400 hydrangea plants along woodland trails
•     Waterlilies – 140 varieties of colorful hardy and tropical plants grace several garden ponds
•     http://www.gibbsgardens.com/Gallery-CrapeMyrtleGarden.php [Crape Myrtles __title__ Crape Myrtle Gardens”Daylilies – Over 1,000 trees beginning to flower in shades of pink, red, white and lavender.

Come to Gibbs Gardens on July 4 for an unforgettable garden experience. Start your tour today at http://www.gibbsgardens.com or email info(at)gibbsgardens(dot)com for questions and information. Remember to come back to see the colorful fall foilage. Gibbs Gardens is located at 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground GA, 30107.

Gibbs Gardens backgrounder

Forty-year dream comes true:

Jim Gibbs, the owner, designer and developer of Gibbs Gardens, is the founder of Gibbs Landscape Co., one of the largest, oldest and most successful landscaping firms in Atlanta. Gibbs and his company have received more than 250 awards for landscape design excellence, including two national awards presented at White House receptions.

“I’ve dreamed of creating a world–class garden in the Atlanta area for more than 40 years,” says Gibbs. After spending six years searching for just the right property and another 30 plus years designing and developing Gibbs Gardens, Jim Gibbs’ dream became reality when Gibbs Gardens opened to the public on March 1, 2012.

Visitors to Gibbs Gardens are amazed by the diversity and breadth of its 16 artistically designed garden venues and dazzled by the four feature gardens:

•     Japanese Gardens, at more than 40 acres is the largest in the nation.
•     Monet Waterlily Gardens, featuring 140 varieties of unique lilies and a replica of the bridge in Monet’s Garden at Giverny (outside Paris).
•     Manor House Gardens, located on the highest ridge in northeast Cherokee County, where seven flowering terraces flow seamlessly down 150 feet of elevation from Arbor Crest Manor House to the Valley Gardens.
•     Daffodil Gardens, 60 varieties of daffodils sweep across more than 50 hillside acres under a canopy of flowering dogwoods and cherry blossoms.

Convenient location:

Gibbs Gardens is conveniently located less than an hour’s drive north of Atlanta, between SR 400 and I-575. Visitors enter Gibbs Gardens off Yellow Creek Road in Cherokee County, from Hwy 53 on the north or SR 369 on the south.

Gibbs Gardens’ unique blend of natural and man-made features begins immediately as visitors turn onto Gibbs Gardens where 120 Red Sunset Maples bordered by towering Leland Cypress trees create a shaded allée – leading visitors through a cathedral-like canopy of trees to the hidden gardens beyond.

The Welcome Center adjacent to the parking area includes The Seasons gift store, ticketing and restrooms. Just steps away, The Arbor Café offers a selection of sandwiches on fresh baked bread, desserts and daily specials on baked goods.

Gibbs Gardens is open from 9:00 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday from March 1 through the end of November, except on Thanksgiving Day. Wednesdays are recommended for tour groups.

Tickets to visit the gardens are $20 for general admission. Seniors (65 and older), tour groups of 10 or more and children 4-18 can visit the gardens for $18. Children 3 and under are free.

There is no charge for parking. Trams — $5 for a day pass — will be available to take visitors between the Welcome Center and Manor House Gardens and the Welcome Center and Japanese Gardens.

Season pass fees are $70 for individuals, $100 for couples and $150 for families (2 adults, 2 children). Admission fees are subject to state and local sales tax. Gift certificates are available.

Start your tour today at http://www.gibbsgardens.com or email info(at)gibbsgardens(dot)com for questions and information. Gibbs Gardens is located at 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground GA, 30107. The phone numbers are 770-893-1880 and 770-893-1881.

For more information, contact:

Barbara Schneider

barbara(at)gibbsgardens(dot)com

404-626-5385

The talented musicians performing at Gibbs Gardens Red, White and Blooms music festival on July 4 include:

•     Ginny Respess,
•     Chelsea Sharpe,
•     Arthur L. McClenton,
•     Khari Joyner .
•     Jarin Joyner
•     Angelica Hairston

Submitted by Click Ready Marketing a Georgia SEO Company

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/7/prweb9662737.htm

The design and landscaping of hospital green areas in accordance with the needs of patients, staff and doctors can have a health-promoting effect. These are the key findings of a study by the MedUni Vienna, led by Renata Cervinka from the Institute for Environmental Hygiene at the Centre for Public Health. Involved in the study were the representatives of three hospitals in Lower Austria, whose local hospital gardens were the subject of an environmental psychological and free space planning analysis. A further result of the study: “The more natural the garden, the greater the experience,” says Cervinka. 

“The gardens and green spaces of a hospital should be regarded as a counterbalance to the hospital itself,” explains the environmental and health psychologist. “The garden is perceived as a natural contrast to the hospital – it serves as a place of sanctuary and recuperation.” This is also confirmed by the study: green, very natural landscaped gardens came closest to the ideal hospital garden imagined by the 411 potential patients who were surveyed anonymously on the web.

This result also echoes the findings of earlier studies: as far back as 1984, Roger Ulrich discovered that a view from the hospital room overlooking green spaces has more of a “healing” effect than a view of a concrete wall. Patients with a view of green space spent less time in the hospital, were generally more happy with their care and required less pain-relieving medication.

Just three minutes in the garden can have positive effects
“Deep breathing in a green space for just three minutes can have a positive effect,” says study co-author Kathrin Rödere. “The smoking break is firmly entrenched in modern life, however the ‘mental’ break isn’t, unfortunately.”

An easy-to-build backyard rain garden is a work of art that will help you solve your drainage and runoff issues.

Tired of that muddy puddle in the middle of the yard, or that washed-out mini-gulley that forms whenever a downpour loads up your home’s downspouts? If so, it might be time to get a handle on all that runoff and put it to good use by learning how to build a rain garden. These shallow saucer-shaped gardens, commonly described as “nature’s water filters,” are designed to capture excess runoff that can potentially wreak havoc on your soil and pollute waterways. All you need to create your own rain garden is a well-designed plan, a handful of native plants, and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.

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How rain gardens work

Rain gardens are designed to catch storm runoff from rooftops, patios, sidewalks, roads and other impervious surfaces. During a storm, rain gardens will fill with a few inches of water that gradually filter into the ground. When properly designed and constructed, these structures can hold water for around 24 hours and will not attract mosquitoes — they’re much more likely to attract birds and beneficial insects.

Rain gardens can be helpful wherever water runoff is an issue. Ideally, you will want to situate the rain garden in between the source of the runoff and the runoff destination.

Before you break ground, make sure the garden is at least 10 feet from any buildings or structures, and at least 25 feet from any septic system drain field. Also be sure to avoid underground utility lines (call 8-1-1 at least 48 hours before digging), and if you have trees on your property, avoid disturbing established root systems.

Conduct a soil evaluation

Sandy and loamy soils work best for these backyard havens since they tend to drain well. Clay soils can become waterlogged and may not be suitable for a rain garden. Test the drainage of potential sites by digging a percolation test hole that is at least 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep. Fill the hole with water and let stand. Ideally, the water should drain at a rate of about an inch every hour. If you are working with hard clay soil that won’t drain, remove it and replace it with a mix of approximately 60 percent sand, 20 percent topsoil and 20 percent compost.

Calculate rain garden size

A rain garden can be almost any size, but most residential rain gardens range from 100 to 300 square feet. Many are the shape of a saucer or kidney bean, with the largest side facing the source of runoff. Use site conditions as a natural guide in shaping the garden. Rain gardens are generally 4 to 8 inches deep. Anything deeper than 8 inches may pond water, and rain gardens less than 4 inches deep may not provide enough water storage for proper infiltration. The slope of the land should help determine the depth of the garden.

The lack of rain this spring in some parts of the state has caused lawns and landscapes to look more like mid-August than July 1.

In the absence of wet stuff from the heavens, the emphasis on water quantity, quality and availability becomes more of an issue. Studies have shown that as much as 50 percent of residential water is used to maintain landscape.

So, what is the answer? How can you achieve a green, lush-looking landscape with less water?

The answer is Xeriscaping.

Pronounced “zer-i-scape,” not “zer-o-scape,” the word implies using plants with low water requirements in a natural setting. Oftentimes, Xeriscaping conjures up images of desert plants in a dry, brown landscape, but it is gaining acceptance in other areas as climate patterns shift.

“There are three reasons to have a Xeriscape,” said Bobbie Schwartz, owner of Bobbie’s Green Thumb Landscaping in Shaker Heights, a certified landscape designer and past president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. “Number one, the weather is unpredictable, the cost of water keeps going up and people want to save money. And with a Xeriscape, you can grow plants, like lavender, that would otherwise die in our normal garden soils.”

She designs landscapes that use plants whose natural requirements are appropriate to the local climate, while emphasizing ways to avoid losing water to evaporation and run-off.

To be successful with Xeriscape, preparing and modifying the soil to enhance drainage is a must. Schwartz recommended using an enlarged shale inorganic product called Turface, which doesn’t decay and creates spaces in heavy soil for water percolation.

“It (Turface) is just amazing,” she added. “You can’t do a Xeriscape unless you amend the soil. That is crucial.”

For the first year, as with any new garden, regular watering is recommended.

“After that, a Xeriscape garden can do pretty well on its own,” Schwartz said. “Once established, Xeriscapes can cope without rain. But regular watering the first year is an absolute.”

COSHOCTON –Volunteering gives Roscoe Village landscape volunteer, Elaine Belko, an opportunity to serve and learn.

Belko began volunteering for Roscoe this past summer and said, as a native of Chicago, she is a novice gardener.

“I don’t know a whole lot about gardening, but I’ve always had a love for it,” she said. “I feel like I’m doing a service and at the same time learning a lot on my own.”

Belko has spent about eight hours since June 2011 digging and potting hydrangeas in the Buckeye Garden, dividing hostas and weeding.

“I get the satisfaction of beautifying the grounds for visitors and keeping them nice,” she said. “I love the gardens at Roscoe village, and I always wondered how hard it was to maintain them — and now I know.”

Belko said she is putting what she has been learning to use on her own four acres of land.

“I’m also getting to meet new people — getting to meet more volunteers at the village,” she said.

Belko sold raffle tickets for the Apple Butter festival in fall 2011 and the Cruise-In this spring. She also participated in a hands-on craft event for children at the village around Christmas time.

Volunteering has been a part of Belko’s life for many years. While living in Chicago, Belko spent 15 years volunteering every Thursday at a soup kitchen. She also volunteered at the overnight shelter, which was affiliated with the soup kitchen.

“I used to go once a week, spend the night and pass out blankets and coffee and pillows and stuff.”

Belko said both her and her husband have volunteering in their blood.

“Volunteer work holds a special place in our hearts,” Belko said. “That’s where I met my husband.”

While volunteering at the soup kitchen, Belko met fellow volunteer, Tom Belko. “I worked there for 15 years and one day he appeared there as a volunteer and we were married within a year.”

The couple will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary July 4.

The couple wanted to move to the country and made their home in Warsaw 15 years ago. Tom works as a clinical laboratory scientist at Coshocton Hospital, and Belko teaches Spanish and art at Bishop Fenwick School in Zanesville.

“I’ve got two more years before retirement so I’m looking forward to doing a lot more volunteer work once I do that,” Belko said.

In the future, Belko said she would like to volunteer for Friends of the Library and Clary Gardens and would love to take on one of the costumed interpreter roles at Roscoe.

Belko’s husband, Tom, also has volunteered in Coshocton through Habitat for Humanity and went to New Orleans with a group from St. Peter’s Church in Millersburg after the hurricanes to help rebuild.

“I’ve been so blessed with so many blessings,” she said. “Just being able to feel like I am giving back, sharing some of my blessings with others. I find that particularly rewarding.”

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During June, Emporia Middle School students extended their learning by completing projects that were part of their summer literacy and math classes.

“Can You Dig It?” was one of the sessions offered to teach students about gardening and landscaping while incorporating math and literacy. The session was designed by teachers Emily Baker, Travis Smith and Laura Albertson. Students in the first session, June 4 to 14, created a stacked tire planter and five raised beds at the front of the middle school. Students in the second session, June 18 to 28, filled two large planters and created five additional raised beds at the entrance.

During the two sessions, students learned about different types of plants and flowers, sun exposure requirements and proper planting techniques. Math was incorporated into the projects through extensive measurement, determining cost of materials, appropriate planting space and calculating the number of seeds for a garden. Literacy was also integrated within the unit. Students were asked to research annuals, perennials, composting and weeding and then create PowerPoint slides based on their research.

Students were also required to write a technical paper on how to plant flowers and vegetables and a paragraph summarizing three things they learned from their session.

Outside of math and literacy, students learned other skills they can use at home. They learned how to create a square foot garden and the benefits of creating such a garden. Lessons on starting seedlings, weeding, mulching, and testing soil also were part of the sessions. Guest speakers were brought in to talk about the different types of plants and how to develop greenhouses. Students took field trips to the Emporia Community Garden and the Emporia David Traylor Zoo.

Students used donated materials from Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply, Sutherlands, Kaw Valley Nursery, Kansaland Tire and Mark II Lumber to create the different gardens. The gardens will be under the care of the EMS custodial staff during the summer and Albertson hopes to start a gardening club at the beginning of the school year to continue the care of these gardens.