301 Popular Flower Types

There are many flower types that make it into our gardens every year. From daisies and asters to roses and carnations, there are plenty of plants that we grow for the beauty of them but also for their unique scents or to attract birds.

Gardeners will notice some new things at the Eastpointe Community Garden this season, starting with the new sign fashioned by John Hofmann to the especially eye-catching when folks are traveling on Nine Mile Road.

Saturday was the official clean-up day and opening of the garden for the season. Several people came to pull weeds, move soil into the new raised garden beds and help to dismantle and rebuild the berry patch.

“I think this is the most people we’ve ever had come out for this,” said Hofmann. “It is a great day and we appreciate so many people helping the garden.”

Aiden Wrone happily filled his wheelbarrow with rich black soil and compost and walked it to the raised flower beds to fill them and prepare for planting.

“It’s a good workout,” said Wrone. “I don’t mind; I love gardening!”

There are several new raised beds, some for the giving garden that will be used to grow crops for donation to local food banks, seniors and families in need. Gardeners will note that private beds that can be rented for the season are painted red and the community beds are painted green and both are clearly marked.

Along the west fence, a few stalks of asparagus poke through the ground that volunteer Bill Randazzo advises should be harvested so they will be tender when cooked.

“We are also going to be adding a native plant area as a pollinator garden area this year,” said Hofmann.

Toward the back of the garden, a group of volunteers armed with hatchets worked to remove the cattails growing in the marsh area. St. Clair Shores resident Lisa Oxford hopes to add Michigan lilies to the area once the cattails have been removed.

Shay Hofmann had one of the toughest jobs of the day; removing poison Hemlock from the edges of the garden.

The berry patch, which has been part of the garden for quite some time, is set for a total rebuild this year.

“You can see the wood on the raised beds is falling apart and the berries are not doing much better,” said Hofmann. “We plan to rebuild the bed and add new berry plants this year too.”

There are still beds available for rental and the Eastpointe Community Garden can always use volunteers. The garden is located at 16425 Nine Mile Road across from the Eastpointe fire station. Visit the Urban Seed – Eastpointe,MI Facebook page for updates on garden happenings or to explore volunteer opportunities.

Source: macombdaily.com