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By T.J. Karns, Co-Chair Publicity, Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County, and Publicity Coordinator, Little Sprouts Garden Dedication
10/16/2009
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The Little Sprouts Garden for children with disabilities was dedicated on Thursday, October 8, 2009. Installed on the grounds of First Children at Fanwood School (formerly Children’s Specialized Hospital School), Little Sprouts was designed and produced by Master Gardener Florence Gramignano (Westfield), with help from Master Gardeners Fred Taylor (Cranford) and T.J. Karns (Union), who co-hosted the dedication ceremony.
More than 40 businesses donated their time, materials and labor to make the garden a reality. The initial donor, Bartell’s Farm and Garden (Clark), gave the 550 pavers without which Little Sprouts Garden could not have been created.
Two other business donors gave generously of their time, labor and machinery to create the garden’s hardscape and provide major clean-up. They are: PH Robinson (Scotch Plains), who excavated what had been just a wide expanse of grass, installed the pavers and did the mulching; and Futurescape (Union, NJ), who moved the huge pile of excavated dirt, filled the raised bed boxes, graded, added big rocks, and coordinated the donation of and planted the hedge shrubs.
Hydrotech (Cranford) installed the irrigation system, using their efficient Ditch Witch machine. Craig Stock Landscape Design (Westfield) planted additional shrubs and two trees.
During the Little Sprouts dedication ceremony on October 8, Gramignano thanked all garden donors profusely, but expressed her special thanks to Bartell’s and the hardscape donors who, with their crews and heavy machinery, worked for days at a time to finish the necessary, tough tasks. Now decked out in all its finery, thanks to 40+ business donors, Little Sprouts Garden will be factored into First Children School’s science program.
The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County (RMGUC) are community volunteers affiliated with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and headquartered in Westfield, NJ. Their mission is to support land stewardship and disseminate research-based information to the public related to gardening and natural resource management. For more information, call RMGUC at (908) 654-9854.
Photo above: Little Sprouts Garden at First Children...Fanwood School
Photo courtesy of T.J. Karns
Futurescape Workmen (Union, NJ) Fill & Till the Little Sprouts Garden Raised Beds
Photo courtesy of T.J. Karns
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Paul Robinson (r) of PH Robinson Co. (Scotch Plains) confers with crew member during Little Sprouts Garden excavation
Photo courtesy of T.J. Karns
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Master Gardeners Florence Gramignano (c), with Fred Taylor & T.J. Karns, Co-Hosts, Garden Dedication
Photo courtesy of T.J. Karns
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