Schiller-Pfeiffer , Inc., manufacturer of Little Wonder and Mantis-branded outdoor power equipment, recently announced the winners of its 2003 Mantis Awards Program. Eleven community gardens were selected for the honor by the National Gardening Association. Each winner received a lightweight Mantis Tiller/Cultivator for use in its gardening programs.
The criteria for the selection of winners included evaluating the gardening program’s vision, organization and service to the community.
“Mantis is proud to recognize 11 truly remarkable community gardens for their dedication to gardening education and their success in bringing positive gardening experiences to people in their local communities,” noted Robert C. Bell, president of Mantis.
The following gardens earned Mantis recognition:
BISSEL GARDENS, Bronx, New York
On five unpaved blocks of Bissel Avenue in Northeast Bronx, a dedicated band of volunteer gardeners has created an oasis of green in the midst of an urban concrete jungle. Now one block is a community garden where locals rent small plots to grow flowers and vegetables. Another block is used to raise organic produce to feed the hungry. In the future, the other three blocks will be used for a children’s garden, a farmers’ market, and a nature and education center.
HA’AHEO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL COMMUNITY GARDEN, Hilo, Hawaii
The Ha’aheo Elementary School Garden consists of 22 raised beds on land that was once a sugar cane field. The tropical, year-round gardening climate enables the school’s 182 kindergarten through 6th grade students to grow bananas, tangerines, pineapples, papayas, Philippine long beans, Okinawa purple sweet potatoes, Hawaiian sweet corn, and soybeans. Garden produce is used to supply after-school snacks and raise money for school activities. Some of the produce is also enjoyed by the kids’ family members and is donated to the local food bank.
GREENSBURG GARDEN CENTER, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
The 640 members of the Greensburg Garden Center are dedicated to stimulating interest in horticulture, providing gardening knowledge, and conserving the environment and local natural resources. This group of dedicated gardeners digs display gardens and plants more than 130 different varieties of perennials, herbs, and shrubs in huge raised beds for all to enjoy all summer long. In May, the Greensburg Garden Center hosts a major plant sale, with proceeds going toward educational programs including a $1,500 scholarship to a college student pursuing an education in a horticulture-related field.
BOTANICAL GARDEN ASSOCIATION OF STARK COUNTY, Canton, Ohio
Ground is just now being broken—no doubt with a Mantis Tiller—for the Botanical Garden in Stark County, Ohio.
The ambitious plans call for a youth gardening program, horticultural therapy programs, a butterfly house and garden, a rose garden and a test/trial garden. The goal for this garden is to be a beautiful setting where people can learn about and enjoy the wonders of the plant world.
TATE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ARBORETUM PROJECT, Senatobia, Mississippi
The five-acre Northwest Arboretum is an ongoing project of the Tate County Master Gardeners and Northwest Mississippi Community College. The ambitious plan for the site includes a garden of native plants, a wildflower and wildlife habitat designed to attract birds, and a 1,200-square-foot arboretum that will serve as an educational center for students and residents in an 11-county area.
COMMUNITY OF JESUS, Orleans, Massachusetts
The 1.5 acres of garden space at the Community of Jesus grows enough food to feed 70 sisters and 21 monks for nearly seven months a year. Flowers grown in the gardens decorate the church and guest quarters. Local families and children donate their labor during “planting days” in May, and the gardens provide a quiet place for retreat and reflection throughout the year.
WESTWASHINGTON PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN, Denver, Colorado
The 50 gardening plots at West Washington Park Community Garden provide gardening space for neighborhood residents, who donate some of the produce they grow to food banks, group homes and senior citizens. Most of the gardeners, who range in age from 2 to 80, are low-income residents of the local neighborhood. The garden also serves as a learning center where composting, water conservation, and organic gardening are taught.
EMERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, Indianola, Iowa
The students at Emerson Elementary are busy transforming their school’s courtyard from a boring, unkempt lawn to a vibrant garden. The teachers are providing educational opportunities for the kindergarten through fifth-grade students, as well as the chance to get hands-on experience in planting, watering, and weeding. The students are gaining a “pride of ownership” while also learning an appreciation for the earth and its resources.
SOUTH BRISTOL CULTURAL CENTER, Canandaigua, New York
Now in its third year, the garden at South Bristol Cultural Center has more than 35 participants of all ages who volunteer their time and efforts to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers to sell at the center’s farm stand. The children and adults involved learn organic gardening techniques, marketing, and accounting procedures. At the end of the growing season, the profits from the farm stand are donated to a scholarship fund.
QUAD CITY BOTANICAL CENTER, Rock Island, Illinois
The Quad City Botanical Center serves its region as an interactive living museum of plants, a destination spot for tourists, and an educational haven for pre-school through college students. Its tropical garden conservatory is alive with exotic flowering plants and mature trees. Outdoor gardens contain dwarf conifers, unusual perennials, ornamental grasses, and spring flowers. Special family education events are offered several times a year, and the gardens are open to the public 362 days a year.
GREATER NEWARK CONSERVANCY, Newark, New Jersey
The Greater Newark Conservancy helps residents convert abandoned lots for various community uses, particularly growing vegetables and fruits to meet the local residents’ nutritional needs. The Conservancy provides free garden designs, helps residents acquire the materials needed to renovate the lot, and assists with garden construction. In addition, the Conservancy conducts horticultural workshops and provides ongoing technical assistance and encouragement. So far, 35 crumbling vacant lots have been transformed into blooming community gardens.