August 24, 2005
Awards honor little green thumbs
Grand Traverse Area Children's Garden presents 2005 Garden Keeper Awards
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"If you plant a garden with a child, one day they will plant one of their own."
Susan Kuschell's words outlining the philosophy of the Grand Traverse Area Children's Garden fell on appreciative ears Thursday night during the 2005 Garden Keeper Awards. Held at the Traverse Area District Library, the ceremony celebrated a summer of growing by recognizing ten area organizations who had adopted a plot and planted vegetables and flowers.
These organizations were Boys and Girls Club, Early Head Start, Munson Hospice, Society for Creative Anachronism, Girl Scouts, Women's Resource Center, Woodside Wesleyan Church, Third Level, Michael's Place and the Grand Traverse Band.
"It is wonderful for these kids, they learn a lot," continued Kuschell, director of the Children's Garden.
After recognizing the groups and their representatives present by giving a medal to each child, the 50 attendees retired to the gardens to see what everyone had done. Children who had dug, planted, weeded and created the gardens all summer enthusiastically showed off their work to their parents and each other. They picked vegetables to take home and explained their work.
"One of the main reasons we want the children to come is to show their parents and the community what they are doing," noted Kuschell.
The ten plots burst with life as a profusion of vegetables and flowers fill each plot. The children from the organizations planted everything from beans, squash and cucumbers to tomatoes of all types and corn. Flowers included marigolds, morning glories and lavender.
In addition to plants, organizations and their young helpers decorated each garden. The Munson Hospice plot, for example, had the word love spelled out in pansies in two different locations.
"We got two or three bags of green beans," enthused Sean Flesher, 11, who along with his brother, Zach, 8, cared for the Munson Hospice plot. "We came once a week and weeded, made sure that all the plants were propped up."
The Garden Keeper Award event also honored Dr. Duke Elsner, the MSU Extension Agent for Grand Traverse County. Although Elsner could not attend the event, a portion of his extensive bug collection was displayed, including a large tarantula and a host of other preserved insects.
"The kids love him and he did a lot with the Junior Master Gardener program," said Cathy Fenlon, Master Gardener coordinator with the MSU Extension office in Leelanau County, who accepted the award on Elsner's behalf.
Amanda, 10, is a member of the Boys and Girls Club who helped nurture along the group's plot all summer. A veteran gardener whose dad loves to garden, Amanda enjoyed the tasks and planted squash, green beans, carrots, onions and corn in her portion of the garden.
"My teacher says that I have a green thumb," said Amanda, helping for the first year with the annual Boys and Girls Club plot. "I like watching things grow_ sometimes I like eating them."
The Society for Creative Anachronism crafted a miniature Renaissance garden, sowing typical plants of the era and weaving willow branches for miniature trellises. They also used sawdust for mulch for historical accuracy.
Since 1999, the Grand Traverse Area Children's Garden has sparked excitement about gardening among area children. Located behind the Traverse Area District Library, the winding walkways invite strollers to explore the ten plots. Raised beds for wheelchair accessibility and other adaptive equipment are part of an Enabling Garden for special needs children. A new Toddler Garden, complete with sandbox and toys, was added this year.