Posted 3-24-2004

Page 1

In early 2002 the Lapeer County MSU Extension was told that it would be moving to a new location. The Lapeer County Master Gardeners Association had for many years maintained a display garden on county property next to the Extension office. It was determined that the garden would have to be moved also. A search was started to locate a new home for the garden. The Lapeer County Medical Care Facility, about a 1/2 mile away, offered a huge area on their property to relocate the garden. Lapeer County Master Gardeners visited the site and a grand idea was born. This garden would be bigger and better than before and it would be handicapped accessible for the residents of the Medical Care Facility to enjoy. Throughout the summer the Lapeer County Master Gardeners worked to lay out the new beds and install a sprinkling system. A newly formed Display Garden Committee elected Rose Gotowicki to oversee the business aspects of the garden and to coordinate the many deliveries and workdays for the garden.

Please take a look at the following pictures to see some of the work that has taken place. More Pictures will be posted in 2004 as the season progresses.

The Lapeer County Master Gardener Display Garden is located at the:
Lapeer County Medical Care Facility
1455 Suncrest Drive
Lapeer, Michigan

The garden is open to the public from 8 a.m. to dusk in season. Please
call Lapeer MSU Extension at 810-667-0344 or email willisk@msu.edu
for more information or directions.

In the spring of 2002, some plants were moved from the old garden site and the beds were laid out. Now, in the spring of 2003, the real work begins.

The Master Gardeners loaded thousands of donated bricks on pallets and delivered them to the site. Piles of mulch and other materials are waiting to be used.

The bricks had to be unloaded and laid in the paths. All of the work was done by Lapeer Master Gardeners except for a small area that was done by professionals to show the Master Gardeners how it was done. Sometimes parts of the paths needed to be re-worked but we were proud of the finished job. All of the garden is now wheel chair accessible.

Large rocks need to be moved too and Lapeer County Master Gardeners can handle the job.

The rocks are in place and the badly misshaped evergreens have been pruned.

Plans, many donated by local nurseries, wait to be planted.

A look down the main path with most of the brick work done.

Lapeer Master Gardeners take a moment to plan their next steps. Over 5,000 volunteer hours were used in the garden during 2003.

Display Garden chairperson, Rose, takes a moment to visit with a resident who came to watch.

Lapeer Master Gardeners hard at work planting the hundreds of perennials that went into the gardens.