On July 26, 2021, the Manitowoc County Master Gardeners visited the VDBA grounds for a tour of the handiwork of their colleagues. Gardeners Steve Lankton, Carol Lallensack, Bernie Zimmer, Marilyn Starzewski, Linda Brandel, and Eileen Kummer were the designers or advisers in the planning and layout of five of the nine Franciscan Gardens planted at the Arboretum. A Franciscan Garden is intended to provide forage for birds and wildlife, while retaining the traditional value of being an aesthetically pleasing composition. The gardens feature all perennial plants and will take a season or two to fully develop. Regardless, due to the assiduous watering program carried out by Don Schweiger, the gardens all look great in their inaugural year.
A complimentary planting program is also underway—the establishment of Bird Gardens. These gardens are intended to be massed thickets of “bird berries” and other forage and habitat-producing plants. Two have been established on site to complement the Franciscan Gardens.
With the installation of the gardens came the requirement for maintenance. We are most fortunate to have Laura G. volunteering her expertise and time, and also to have found Brooklyn Luebke, who has been weeding, installing tree protection, and mulching. Brooklyn is off to school and her cross country meets for the season. We hope to see her next spring.
Do you have room in your yard for an approximately 30′ diameter planting? Consider installing a Franciscan Garden or Bird Garden on your own property; mow less, help more! You will become another link in the Western Lake Michigan Flyway—a critical migration path. The birds will thank you.
Plant lists and layouts for the following gardens will be available on this website in October, 2021.
| Garden | Sponsor | Designer |
|---|---|---|
| A | The Durbrow Family | John Durbrow Bernie Zimmer |
| B | Hanna Edelglass & John Bowditch | Eileen Kummer Linda Brandel |
| C | Pheasants Forever Ch. 590 | Marilyn Starzewski |
| D | Dave Abts | Carol Lallensack |
| E | Jim and Barbee Lester | Erik Desotelle |
| F | Gail and Jerry Fox | John Durbrow |
| G | Johnson’s Nursery | Erik Desotelle |
| H | Domnitz Flowers | Erik Desotelle |
| I | Don Schweiger & Jean Carron | Steve Lankton |
| Bird Garden #1 | VDBA | John Durbrow |
| Bird Garden #2 | Renee Thompson | John Durbrow |