By DEBORAH BROTZ

Karen Eileen, a grandmother who is a member of the Ramblewood Garden Club of Bloomington, fondly remembers gardening with her grandmother. Wanting to create gardening memories with her grandchild, Zakia Bommersbach, she came up with an idea for a gardening service project through the “Honor Your Mother, My Mother and Our Mother: Mother Earth” pilot native planting program.

On May 9, third-grade students from Lake Nokomis Community School, Wenonah Campus, participated in a hands-on gardening celebration by researching and planting a Serviceberry shrub in honor of mothers.

“Plant native” is one goal that the National Garden Club and the Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota share, highlighting a commitment to cultivate plants and wildflowers native to the state.

Philip Potyondy, winner of scholarships from the organizations in 2007 and 2008, led the students and Ramblewoood Garden Club members in gardening service projects through the pilot program.

Eileen got the idea for the “Honor Your Mother” service project at the spring meeting of the Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota. Composed of 43 garden clubs, each works in their own community and sets their own priorities.

“I feel all mothers deserve to be honored,” she said. “I wanted to do gardening with children to help them focus on Mother’s Day and to connect with mother earth. Mother earth nourishes all of us.”

Eileen wanted this pilot program because of her happy memories of gardening with her grandmother.

“I remember how wonderful it was to share gardening with my grandmother,” she said. “It’s one of the nicest gifts you can give to children.”

The third-graders enthusiastically participated in planting the shrub.

“The kids were up to their elbows in dirt,” said Eileen. “I was very pleased with the enthusiasm and interest of the children. They all lined up, all took a turn, put a spade where they wanted, and were so eager to help with every little thing. It was a very rewarding experience both for the president of the state clubs and Ramblewood.”

Eileen chose the Serviceberry shrub for the children to plant because it’s one of the original shrubs on the prairie.

“I chose it because it’s the first to blossom in springtime,” she said. “When the kids come back in fall, it will have edible berries. The children can compete with the birds who like them as well.”

While the berries of the Serviceberry look a little like blueberries, the blossoms are white clusters.

“The reason it got its name on the prairie is they grew at a place where people gather to pray,” said Eileen. “There would be a traveling preacher when people got married. The blossoms often were the flowers for the wedding.”

Eileen feels it’s important to “plant native” because it helps nature.

“So much of our natural habitat has been destroyed,” she said. “By planting native with what will be hardy, we’re restoring the natural habitat. Where land used to be prairie, it’s developed now with malls and miles and miles of concrete. Birds, bees, and butterflies need a home.”

Being part of this “Honor Your Mother” pilot program is important to Eileen because she thinks people need to get back to the basics of family values by honoring mothers and fathers.

“It helps children see the value of family,” she said. “I literally toddled in flannel diapers when I was out in the garden with my grandmother. She had strawberries, raspberries, and a vegetable garden in Fairmont, N.D., on the border between North Dakota and Minnesota. She did all her own gardening.”

Eileen’s mother was also a gardener.

“We lived by a lake,” she said. “There were a lot of kids. We grew everything and canned everything. When Zakia’s mother was little, we had flowers all around the yard with lettuce and herbs for greenery. We would pick what we wanted for a salad in the evening. We would take it from the garden to the table. It was so wonderful.”

Now, Eileen is sharing her love of gardening with her 9-year-old granddaughter, who also enjoys it.

“I like putting plants in the ground, taking care of them and watering them,” said Bommersbach.

Bommersbach liked being part of the pilot program and planting the Serviceberry.

“It makes the world colorful,” she said. “Grandma said we can eat the berries, and the birds can help out, too. I like to look at it because it’s pretty.”

But, the best part of the project for Bommersbach was gardening with her grandmother, being able to spend more time with someone for whom she cares so much.

“It was wonderful having my grandmother do her project with me,” she said. “I love her a lot. I love her so much my heart is full.”

Eileen hopes the pilot program will spread throughout the state.

“I hope that other garden clubs think that could work at their school,” she said. “And other grandmothers say that would work with their grandchild. To do something in their hometown, just ‘plant native’ and help restore a home for habitat that’s dwindling.”

(Photos by Denis Jeong Plaster)