Seeds, fertilizer, varieties, spring, fall

Popular Flower Types
Orchids are coveted flowers that symbolize love, luxury and beauty. Pink orchids stand for pure affection while white ones represent remembrance and sympathy.

Daylilies are perennials that offer brighter colors than many other plants, and they come in a wide variety of sizes. Plant them in spring to make your garden look spectacular.

The St. Clair Shores Community Garden kicked off its fifth season Saturday with its annual planting day where residents gathered to plant herbs, vegetables, and flowers.

“We have a salsa bed, a cocktail bed with fun things you might put into a beverage, a hops bed and we have a cutting garden full of small sunflowers, zinnias and different flowers that make a nice bouquet,” said garden co-coordinator Cyndi George. “We even have an English flower bed up front with a lot of perennials too.

“We will be planting different varieties of pumpkins in preparation for our annual fall pumpkin event, which is in its third year.”

The garden, which is adjacent to the St. Clair Shores Civic Arena on Stephens Road, has a mix of rental and community beds and includes raised beds on a concrete slab that is wheelchair accessible.

“The rental beds are great for people who live in condos or who can’t plant a garden at home for any reason,” said garden co-coordinator Paul Bjorngaard. “The community beds are all tended by volunteers and this year we are keeping a list so that people who work in the garden can be allowed to take from the garden.”

Anything not harvested by volunteers will be donated to the St. Clair Shores Senior Activity Center.

Bjorngaard said a few of the 20 rental beds are still available for planting this season at a cost of $80 for the year. Beds are filled with compost and soil and ready to use with plants provided by the St. Clair Shores Community Garden courtesy of Soulliere Landscaping, Patio & Garden Center.

“We get fresh compost, we have a water supply, we have plants and seeds or people can bring their own,” said George.  “We have marigolds to help to deter insects and critters and we have a shed with all of the tools so you don’t even have to have tools.”

Bjorngaard said you need not be an expert in order to be part of the St. Clair Shores garden community.

“It is very casual and social; people can come and just hang out,” said Bjorngaard. “The rental beds give people the opportunity to dabble and see what it is all about.”

That is exactly how Tara McHugh started out five years ago. She was interested in gardening, but did not know much about it. Her experiences led her to take the course to become a Master Gardener in 2020, an accomplishment she said was most definitely inspired by digging in the community garden dirt.

“My successes and failures here led me to take the Michigan State University Master Gardener extension course,” said McHugh. “This year, the St. Clair Shores Community Garden became accredited by MSU as a place where those studying to be a Master Gardener can get in their volunteer hours.”

Bjorngaard said there will be several special events, both large and small, planned at the community garden during the course of the season that will be both educational and fun and will give people a chance to learn about different aspects of tending to plants.

“We will be having our weeding Wednesdays again this year,” said George. “It is just more fun to garden with someone and we have beautiful sunsets here so it is perfect for people to stop by after work and relax and do a little gardening.”

Source: macombdaily.com