Bullington Gardens Monthly Activities Update

This month has been a busy month as we start the new year with our Horticultural Therapy, BOOST & Elementary school programs. Sharing our love of horticulture with students and adults is our passion and our privilege. Each program teaches students and adults how horticulture and science relate to life and their everyday choices. It also inspires us to keep learning and to remain in awe of this wonderful world we live in.

Our BOOST students have been in the planning stages for the annual garden competition. The first phase is planning a good garden. The students will choose a theme based on their personality and life experience. Some will choose themes based on their culture, others choose it based on their interests. Some of the elements of a good garden include fertile soil, plants chosen to the light situation, a variety in texture and height, and planting in groups instead of rows. We encourage the students to incorporate other elements besides plants to draw more interest and provide texture. Once a theme is chosen, the students will pick out the seeds they need to complete their garden. The timing is important as the garden should be in full bloom in June for the competition. The last two years have seen some amazing garden designs from our students and we can’t wait to see what our students do this year!

Our very own John Murphy will be teaching a program to fifth grade students based on Genetics and Inherited Traits. The students will learn how traits are acquired, how certain dominant and recessive traits are expressed, and how cross pollination of plants can create new combinations of traits. Two examples of the same plant will be used to show how inherited traits are acquired. This enables the students to not only learn about inherited traits in plants, but also see how diversity of traits can be achieved. It’s a fun way to introduce the younger generation to horticulture and science.

Our Horticultural Therapy program helps adults with challenges such as addiction. In past sessions, we have used preparing the soil for planting as an analogy for life. One must prepare their heart and mind in such a way to allow for successful growth. This month we are focusing our attention on making walking sticks for their journey through life and recovery. A walking stick should be chosen with care, be resilient, provide stability and balance and must help the walker travel through rough terrain. Recovery is a tough road and choosing the right tools to traverse it is the lesson we hope to impart.