When work began on the Demonstration Garden at the corner of East Main Street and University Drive several months ago, it was expected that drivers would enjoy commuting past the abundance of colorful flora on display.
What wasn't expected was the sudden takeover by plants that sprung to life without ever having been intentionally planted. Hidden within the nutrient-rich mulch and compost material that the gardeners collected from an out-of-business nursery near Lake Naconiche were the seeds to several plants not originally planned for the landscape.
Staff photo by Andrew Rogers |
The candlestick bush is another surprise that is growing in the demonstration garden after it sprouted from mulch collected from an out-of-business nursery.
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Staff photo by Andrew Rogers |
Master Gardeners Mike Hasley, JoAnn Carter and Danna Hasley stand in front of the castor bean plant in the community garden on University Drive. The castor bean plants were surprise additions that sprouted from mulch that the Master Gardeners collected from an out-of business nursery.
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Over the spring and summer, that soil was laid down as a foundation for the garden. Now, amongst the most dominant species growing in the garden are those varieties never meant to be in there in the first place. But despite their unannounced appearance, they are nonetheless welcomed by Master Gardener Jo Ann Carter, who attributes the thriving growth of the hitchhiking plants to "the serendipity of the soil."
Carter actually worked at the nursery where the plants originally came from and said the seeds probably got into the soil when the gardeners would clean out the greenhouse and the brush along a fence line.
What drivers may recognize most are the plants that some have referred to as "purple marijuana plants." They are, in fact, castor bean plants, and being of a tropical variety, they were fueled by a very hot summer. Some grew upwards of 10 feet high. Despite the castor bean's resemblance to its cannabis cousin, Carter reminds residents that the plants are not for smoking.
'You'll get a 'high' that you'll never come down from if you try to smoke that plant," she said, noting that the castor bean plant is highly toxic and is also the source of the deadly poison ricin and the natural laxative, castor oil.
Even though the castor bean, in all its lush purple glory, has managed to outgrow nearly all its other botanic neighbors and the demonstration garden's own sign, come the first freeze of the winter, their dominance on the landscape will be no more, Carter said. Some will be cut down to the trunk and may return next year, but many of the seeds have already dropped and will start growing new plants next spring.
"That's just how the garden grows," said Master Gardener Mike Hadley, who has been surprised at the level of interest that the castor bean has generated amongst passersby. "You'd be amazed at the number of people who would have never noticed the demonstration garden if it weren't for the castor plants. We get calls from people all the time saying, 'We don't care about the garden, but what is that one purple thing?'"
Hadley said that the people who have been driving by the garden trying to get some of the seeds from the castor bean can stay in their cars, since the master gardeners will be selling the plant at their next plant sale.
Other varieties of plants growing include the vibrant yellow candlestick flowers and the inedible but still appetizing sweet potato vine. The hallucinogenic gysum weed also sprung to life this summer, but as winter sets in, all those plants will soon die, too.
But green thumbs like Carter and Hadley are not worried about the winter killing off their workload. The cold months ahead will be spent preparing beds and maintaining the garden, they said. One of the projects that the master gardeners are looking forward to the most is the construction of a covered pavilion where they can hold gardening classes.
"This isn't just about beautification — it's also about education," Carter said. "There are a lot of cool things to learn about plants, and that's what we try to do. We're teachers, and this is becoming a community thing. It's not just us gardeners coming down here anymore."
In March, 42 varieties of fig trees will be added to the back portion of the garden, and the gardeners will also be seeking an historical marker to note the significance of the site.
