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St. Matthew’s east side garden is located next to the new outdoor service area. It was established in the spring of 2005 with the help of volunteer gardeners from St. Matthew’s parish and Boy Scout troop 508. Initially we planted perennials, both purchased and donated from parishioner’s gardens. It is a Garden in progress and many additions have been planted since the original spring plantings of 2005. The first year produced a surprisingly incredible show of color, beginning in the spring and continuing through summer and fall.

Each year the flowers have flourished and graced St. Matthew’s grounds with amazing color. The wide varieties of flowers also attract birds, butterflies, bees and humming birds. The parishioners, the neighbors and the walkers have all expressed their feelings of enjoyment watching the transformation from early spring through the fall.

The garden extends to the walkway along Guild Hall, which was established many years ago and also continues to flourish with new additions each season.  When the outdoor service area was built the contractors also added new landscaping, a sprinkling system and plantings to the entrance of St. Matthew’s and around the church.

The grounds contain over 100 varieties of landscaping bushes, perennials, bulbs, roses, lilies, ground covers and annuals. The landscaping has been a great success thanks to the many volunteers for their time, plants, seeds, bulbs and funds.

 

We welcome anyone to help with the maintenance of the garden areas. Maintenance is ongoing, beginning in early spring when all the snow melts until the first snow fall and freeze of winter.

Early spring consists of cleaning up the debris and leaves; cutting back perennials to improve their flowering, dividing perennials that are over grown, new plantings and transplanting.  Summer maintenance involves weeding, picking up debris that has blown into the gardens, deadheading some of the flowers to prolong flowering, and watering when no rain for more then 2 weeks for perennials and every other day for annuals. Weeding can be a very time consuming process because it is all done by hand. Organic mulches are used to fertilize some of the flowers; many are prairie plants and require little maintenance.

Fall gardening includes planting more spring bulbs and perennials, and general clean up of the areas. You can never have too many flowers or too many volunteers!

Ongoing plans include increasing spring color and fragrant plantings near the walkways.

If interested in volunteering for this very rewarding project, contact Marsha Krzyzanowski @ mkrzyz@wi.rr.com