A new addition is coming to
Burchfield Park in
Holt: a Children's Garden. "The garden will be 100 sq. ft. and [will be]
located near the toboggan hill," says Megan Allen, a naturalist at
Burchfield Park.
The garden will be comprised of three raised beds, 3 ft. by 8
ft. each, and two play structures. Allen says that each of the beds will have a theme. One is a "Tomato
Soup" bed, featuring a variety of vegetables. Another is a
Butterfly/Hummingbird bed with plants designed to attract flying and
crawling fauna, such as fennel and dill. The third bed is for "Fantastic
Blooms," with unique flowers like Bleeding Hearts and Chinese Lanterns.
The play structures will feature Russian Mammoth sunflowers, which can
grow up to 12 ft. in height, snapdragons and even edible nasturtiums.
Allen says the total cost of the garden will be less than $100, with
most of that cost going toward seeds and tools.
"All the wood for the
structures is reclaimed wood from around the park, and nearly all the
soil and fertilizer have been donated by great community organizations
such as the
Get Mint Trading Company,
Sundance Riding Stables, [and] the
Greater Lansing Food Bank's Garden Project."
Source: Megan Allen
Writer:
Daniel J. Hogan
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