Teacher Laurie Merrill displays her classes Memorial Garden Board.

After waiting for several years the Memorial Rose and Butterfly Gardens are in at Fillmore Middle School. Mrs.
Merrill and her science students cleared the weeds, dug the holes, and planted the roses and butterfly feeding plants. Gama Aguilar and his grounds crew helped put in the irrigation and delivered the mulch. The students spread the mulch to complete the first set of gardens. Otto and Sons and the Trinidad family generously donated the colorful memorial roses. Green Thumb’s master gardeners assisted us with the selection of plants that feed both the local and migratory butterflies and their caterpillars. Students have been excited to report the
presence of the first butterfly visitors to our garden.

There is still a great deal of work to do to get ready for the other gardens which include: a mini orchard of our local fruits, a winter garden with holly and a Christmas tree, a drought tolerant and native plants garden, a salsa garden, a cut flower garden, a mini pumpkin patch, Indian corn, and a Peace Meadow. The garden offers an amazing opportunity for students to learn more science. For example, the Indian corn can be used to teach a lesson about “jumping genes”.

The garden is useful to encourage students to follow the Healthy Heart guidelines about eating more fruits and vegetables. To encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, students have designed a way to earn money from each garden. For example, pumpkins, holly, and salsa vegetables will be available for sale, as well as memorial roses. To encourage water conservation drought tolerant plants will be for sale on several occasions. Students will be allowed to eat the fruits from the mini orchard and learn to be proud of the world class fruit grown in and around Fillmore. All garden signs will be posted in English and Spanish to promote bilingualism and its benefits. A Peace Meadow will someday provide a peaceful place for students and staff to enjoy and use for peer mediation.

Gardeners in our community please feel free to offer us suggestions to improve and add beauty to our gardens. Donations of plants, tools, soil, fertilizers, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, heart healthy recipes, businesses from the garden ideas, vases, trees, plaques, brick work, lumber for raised beds, beneficial insects, a bird bath, and/or your time would be greatly appreciated.

Please call Fillmore Middle School at 524-6070 for further information.