|
|
•  • • • • • • •
|
|
Markham Garden History
Markham Elementary is home to a Native Habitat Garden, a Butterfly Garden, a Rain Garden and smaller themed areas. The gardens began in 1998, when the class of 2011 planted a serviceberry for the ASSET s cience unit. This tree was planted in what is now the Butterfly garden. Diana Sanner and her team of kindergarten and 1st grade teachers wrote grant proposals to establish a Habitat Garden. With the awarded funds they hired Thelma Wodzinski, an ASSET science consultant and proponent of native plants, to design the Habitat Garden; and purchased the original plants. The PTA provided the funds for the Butterfly garden, which was designed by then kindergarten teacher and Master Gardener, Joanna Mungai. Thus, the gardens were born.
Lorraine Byrne and Kammy White, Playground and Landscaping co-chairs (PAL), and their committee members, managed, maintained, and directed the plantings of the gardens. Unfortunately, the Habitat garden was removed to make way for the school renovation project in 2003. The original trees and shrubs were sold at a profit of $1300.00. The class trees were removed and planted in then PTA President, Betsy Daviss’ yard. The Butterfly garden remained intact, though neglected.
 During the fall of 2005, the School District was able to provide us with 6-8 inches of top soil and leaf mulch as our base. Ron Block, Landscape Designer, and Kammy White, Landscape Chair/Master Gardener, re-designed the gardens. While many of the original elements were retained, the gardens were improved and expanded with new varieties of trees, shrubs, and perennials. The class trees were retrieved and replanted. Parent volunteers from the Playground and the Landscaping committees layed the brick paths, and planted the trees and shrubs. In May of 2006, students planted over 200 plants to complete the gardens. The original garden ornaments were installed by the District in September, 2006.
Although, the gardens function as one unit, there are distinct differences. The Butterfly garden is contained to the right of the path, as you head to the playground. It is bordered by the playground and parking lot. The plants in this garden are designed to attract and sustain butterflies. We have whole life cycle plants such as Asclepsias syriaca (Common Milkweed), Asclepsias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed), and Malva sylvestris (Mallow). These plants provide food for the caterpillar, homes for the chrysalis and eggs, and food for the butterfly. Monarch caterpillars are routinely found feeding on the common milkweed.
Flowers provide food for the adult butterfly. Many varieties of flowering plants can be found in the Butterfly garden. There are also trees and shrubs providing berries for birds in this garden. Lastly, there is a special Markham Circle Garden based on the poem Outwitted by Edwin Markham. This feature is planted in interlaying circles. Each circle has its season of beauty. It is planted with Panicum vrigatum (Switchgrass), Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells), and Tricytris formosana (Toad Lilies).
The large area bordering Mrs. Sanner’s kindergarten classroom is the Native Habitat Garden. It begins where the garden concrete path intersects the original path around the school. This area is significant from a garden perspective, as it is planted with native trees, shrubs, and perennials. As plant climates change over time, plants can truly only be native to a certain area at a certain time in history. Generally though, the accepted definition of a native plant is: a plant having grown in our area prior to European Settlement.
There has been a push in the gardening community to use native plants. By gardening with natives, plants are used that have adapted to the climate changes of our area. An ecological balance already exists with these plants, thus decreasing or eliminating the need for chemical controls. Foreign plants that may become invasive are not introduced. The plants chosen for this garden are all Western Pennsylvania natives and/or hybrids. A complete plant listing is available on this website.
The Native garden is also designated a habitat garden as it provides food, shelter, and water for animals. The water is in the form of the fountain, designed and built by Markham Dad, Thad Davis; and food and shelter is provided by the chosen plants. Many of the plants offer food in the form of flowers (bees, butterflies, hummingbirds) and berries (birds, animals). There are branches suitable for bird nesting, and low lying covered areas for frogs, insects, etc.
Lastly, there have been 7 arborvitae planted on the corners of the school facing Beadling, to represent the 7 astronauts killed in the Challenger disaster of 1986. This memorial, originally planted in 1986, was also removed because of the construction. The original arborvitaes were too old to be saved, so new one s were used. A plaque was added several years ago, to commemorate this garden.
In addition to the fountain, the garden ornaments are works of art in their own right. The bench in the butterfly garden was made by Collier Stone Company. Collier Stone also engraved the large stone in the Habitat Garden. The bird feeder was hand carved by a local artist, and Ron Block took a felled tree from his neighbor’s yard to form the tree stump seats and standing sculpture.
Completing our landscaping is our playground, Markham Park, which opened in the fall of 2007. In addition to new playground equipment, landscaping is a major part of this green space. Many large trees have been planted in the playground, and along the fence rows, to provide shade, beauty, and increase the diversity of tree material planted on Markham’s property. The intertwining of trees and landscaping with the playground equipment is designed to spark children’s imagination and stimulate creative play. The playground exemplifies the idea that both a green space and a play area can go hand in hand. There is an emphasis on native plants in these areas; however they are not planted exclusively with natives.
An exciting feature adjacent to the playground is our Rain Garden. It is designed to utilize and control the run off from the hillside as you approach the back entrance of the school. This is an ecological and beautiful approach to a very difficult, though common, problem. The entire playground can be viewed from this area, providing a comfortable spot for teacher supervision.
Blake Bonnewell, a former Markham student, led fellow scouts of Troop 284 and community volunteers, to complete the Rain Garden and checkerboard (found in the playground). This group provided ov er 150 hours of work to improve our gardens. By leading this project, Blake was also able to earn his Eagle Scout ranking. Several other Girl and Boy Scout troops have completed smaller projects in the gardens, such as the Markham Circle Garden. We are very fortunate to have dedicated youth service organizations involved with Markham and hope to continue to work with these groups over the years.
The gardens are maintained by parents who volunteer their time. Parents will also work with teachers, when needed, to involve the students in garden activities. These activities were developed with Markham teachers, and are designed to enhance the District curriculum. Some of the activities offered are worm composting, releasing beneficial insects, guided tours, treasure hunts, and leaf/bark identification.
While each plant in these gardens have been chosen first for its educational purpose, the gardens were also designed to provide appeal and beauty with each season. Please take the time to stroll through the grounds, perhaps many times over the seasons. Hopefully, you will be inspired to plant one, or several, of these plants; and create your own area to enjoy.
|
|
