The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.
-Alfred Austin
A vibrant black and yellow Tiger Swallowtail butterfly flaps its wings gently through the air as it flutters around the yard of GMHFH homeowners, Macky and Yvette. Right now, the butterfly has the yard to itself - but, hopefully, not for much longer. This past weekend, just in time for Earth Day, Macky and Yvette, along with the help of their three children, and long-time GMHFH Volunteer, Sandi, built and planted a garden with hope of attracting more fluttery friends to their yard.
The project started off with the team building a 4x4 wooden bed that they layered into a "lasagna garden" - layers of black & white newspaper, pine straw and soil. An avid gardener and environmental educator, Sandi instructed the three children, Winner, Gael, and Eliab about what their plants will need to grow - soil, water, plenty of sunshine, and a bed free of weeds. They also discussed how to attract the butterflies and birds by using plants, colors, and food the animals are attracted to.
Once the prep work was complete, each of the children selected their plants and worked together to decide where to place them. Each plant was carefully removed from its pot - Sandi showed the children how to loosen the soil arounds its root so as not to hurt the plant - and placed into the ground. With an excited but gentle pat, each child tucked the earth around their new plants and welcomed them to their new garden home.
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