The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Project GREEN will host tour this weekend

Project+GREEN+will+host+tour+this+weekend

Project GREEN, an Iowa City nonprofit group dedicated to beautifying public and private spaces through gardening, will host its annual Garden Tour this weekend, with a focus on history and ‘Bee Friendly’ plants and practices.

By Denise Cheeseman

[email protected]

Eight different gardens in the Iowa City Lucas Farms neighborhood will be available for public viewing on June 25, including the historic Plum Grove location, where the governor of the Iowa Territory lived, and the home of Beadology’s owner.

Project GREEN is an Iowa City nonprofit organization founded in the early 1970s. Group Co-President Cindy Parsons said the organization works “to beautify public spaces in Iowa City, to preserve green space, to enhance the public landscapes, and to educate people on how they can beautify their own portion of the city.”

The Garden Tour fits into this mission as an educational and inspirational event. Parsons said the open gardens are “a gift to the public,” where community members can see different examples of what they can do with their own gardens and how they can solve problems such as too much shade or too much sand.

Each garden is tended by a dedicated gardener and has a unique style.

Betty Kelly, the master gardener for Plum Grove, has been gardening for more than 80 years. Her favorite part, she said, is “the experience of planting something and seeing it mature,” even though, she said, she isn’t always successful.

She started her work with Plum Grove when she was a member of the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission in 1995, and she helped establish the first garden the property had seen in more than 30 years. Plum Grove is a highlight of the Garden Tour; the plants and heirloom vegetables have all been carefully selected based on what would have been grown in the 1840s and 1850s, when the house was originally occupied.

Karen Kubby, the owner of Beadology, and partner Tom Oliver take a much different approach when it comes to selecting species for their garden on 1425 Ridge St. Instead of carefully curating their yard, the two let the plants self-seed and spread, and they welcome invaders.

“Where the lettuce comes up, that’s where we harvest the lettuce from,” Kubby said. This renders a garden that is chaotic, artistic, and just as beautiful as a more manicured location.

Another must-see on the tour is the informational table at Plum Grove about this year’s “Bee Friendly” theme. Bee experts will be on hand to discuss pollinator-friendly plants and other dos and don’ts for a bee-friendly yard.

Many of the gardens, including that at 1425 Ridge St., contain native plants, which are excellent for bee populations. Parsons said Project GREEN wanted to focus on the mission “Preserve our Pollinators” because bees and other insects are “critically important” for flowers, trees, fruits, and veggies, and the collapse of these vital populations has become increasingly common in recent years.

“It’s shocking and frightening how many different foods we could lose if our pollinators disappear,” she said. “It really would be quite devastating.”

A full listing of garden locations can be found online.

 

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