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Cane Creek Community Garden to be a place for gardeners to share a common piece of dirt
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There's just something different about the sun in springtime … and, no, it has nothing to do with global warming. Well, maybe it does, but that's for another story. Rather the sun at springtime is like a nearly forgotten old friend who's come for a visit, one who promises not to stay too long but always ends up wearing out his welcome. But for the moment, the sun's a blessing, a welcomed reprieve from four months of cold, dreary days and frozen nights — days when gardeners averted their eyes from those abandoned plots of land where beauty would someday stand in full bloom and they would crowd around to "Ooh!" and "Ah!" like proud grandparents. |
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It's those memories that eventually lure us outside; it's the hope for beauty, the return of spring, the cool breeze blowing through trees where leaves and blooms have quietly started to emerge. It's the time when the novice gardener begins accidentally cruising past nurseries, staring lovingly at the rows of myriad of impossible colors. It's a time when even the veteran of countless seasons — from biblical droughts to frustrating frosts — turns an envious eye to the curbs of strangers. | ||
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This time of year, everybody else's garden looks better than your own. Fortunately, for those gardeners who want to learn a few secrets, swap stories or simply sift through dirt on a neutral site, the Calhoun County Master Gardeners have a new home. Or more to the point … a headquarters, which will be better known as the Cane Creek Community Garden at McClellan. "This is a place that'll make it easier for people to find us," says master gardener Sherry Blanton, roaming the fenced-in grounds. "We'll be a visible part of the community." Tucked inside a sprawling plot of land that used to house little more than an abandoned parking lot and a scattering of run-down buildings, this oasis amid so much sprawling pavement promises to supply knowledge to the needy and a place of refuge for those hoping to avoid working in their own yards. |
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"It's a garden for the entire community … like a branch of the extension service," says Tammy Shipp a master gardener working with the Calhoun County Extension Service. "It's going to be a place for education, where people can learn how to not only garden, but how to garden better."
And classes have already begun. Recently, one of the open-air buildings played host to nearly 40 eager farmers wanting to learn more about drip irrigation systems. Several Lunch and Learn sessions are already planned throughout the summer.
These programs, which are hosted at noon on the fourth Wednesday of every month, are free and open to public.
Scheduled topics include:
Going Green — Air Quality, March 26; Celebrate Earth Month, April 23; Fabulous Flowers and Butterfly Gardens, May 28; Roses, Roses Everywhere, June 25; Blueberry Ice Cream Social, July 23; Recreational Ponds and Water Quality, Aug. 27; Oh Honey, Sept. 24; and Fall Harvest, Oct. 22.
"The Lunch and Learns," Shipp said, "will be open to anyone with an interest and an hour to spare."
For those itching to get something unique in the ground, local master gardeners are planning their annual Early Bird Plant-a-Palooza, featuring "unusual perennials, trees and shrubs for shade and sun" including a number of drought-tolerant plants.
"Because around here, that's what people really need," Blanton says.
Though plans are for future plant sales to be hosted out at Cane Creek, this year's Plant-a-Palooza will be 8-11 a.m. April 12 around the Farmers Market shed (behind the County Administration Building) at 1702 Noble St.
For more information, about either the community garden or the plant sale, contact the extension office at 237-1621.
Reprinted from The Anniston Star (www.annistonstar.com). Used with permission from Consolidated Publishing Company. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
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3/24/2008 |
