Newburg Community Center is a busy center with something for everyone. Neighboring them is the library in the same lot, and Newburg Middle adjacent. An active vegetable garden group was already in place led by Steve Edwards, a recreation leader. However, very few pollinators were in sight. Julie Speedy, Wild Ones member, started visiting and speaking with Steve and Bozwana Sankofa, also a recreation leader, and they both welcomed a Wild Ones winter sowing event which took place in January 2024, with Wild Ones and their garden group.
At the winter sowing event, it was decided we would later return for a planting of our winter sown seedlings out back. Becca Trueman, of Wild Ones, took extras home and watched over them. . Plants from winter sowing returned, and purple coneflower, anise hyssop, bee balm, and river oats were planted next to their vegetable garden out back. Steve was retiring and therefore did not want to over commit the center with maintenance. So, it was kept very small.
Steve also suggested out front, an area unattended for a planting. This was a perfect high visibility spot with benches.
In April, Julie pulled landscape fabric out front, and got spotted touch-me-not, donated from her yard. Becca and Julie returned in May and got Jacquelyn Hawkins-McGrail’s donated sensitive ferns planted to go with the spotted touch-me-not. These will be fun for the children visiting as the seeds pop in touch-me not fashion. It is also a hummingbird favorite.
Enjoying nature, flowers and pollinator habitat is magic that should be available to everyone, and the potential to reach children and new eyes motivated work with the community here. If you would like to volunteer here or in any of our community gardens, you do not have to be member. People are always needed for periodic weeding, Let us know. The staff has been watering.
Update, out front, children at the summer camps planted in the planters, and were suppose to leave the planting in the ground. Unfortunately, the spotted touch-me-not was removed. This occurred during a time of leadership change as Steve and Bozwana are no longer at the center. Two sensitive fern remain. The small garden out back remains. We will continue our relationship, and see what the center wants to do…to be continued.