As part of their Bronze Award project, Nicollet Girl Scouts “adopted” a dilapidated garden area that was adjacent to the Nicollet Public School playground. It had become both an eyesore and a hazard – as teachers had to stand guard and keep students out of the area during recess. Some of the issues included rotten timbers, exposed pieces of rebar, torn landscape fabric, dead trees, and excessively overgrown bushes.
The girls had a representative come in from a local garden center and talk to them about what was in the garden and what could be done to save some of the existing bushes. The girls learned about the different types of bushes and when/how they should be trimmed. They looked at magazines and drew up plans for what they wanted the garden to look like. They took measurements and determined what supplies were needed.
Last fall, the girls began the cleanup process. They raked out leaves and garbage, pulled weeds, and parents helped cut down the dead tree. The girls helped to prune out the bushes that needed to go. In the winter, the Junior Girl Scouts went back and did a substantial amount of trimming. The troop also made stepping stones for the garden. The girls wrote up a letter to request supplies from local businesses and put together a display board and scrapbook to document their project. Early this spring, the troop did a final cleanup/ground prep session.
In May the troop members and parents gathered to complete the project after the troop received the following donations: two truckloads of mulch/bark, 400 square feet of landscape fabric, four replacement landscape timbers, new rebar to secure the timbers, and $25 worth of bedding plants. Over three hours on a Saturday morning, the garden was transformed! The girls helped replace the timbers, lay the landscape fabric, haul and spread the bark, lay their stepping stones and plant flowers. The result was spectacular!
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