LOCAL

Gardener State: Rutgers offers 'Sweetheart of a Garden'

Nicholas Polanin
Contributor

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner with all the usual gifts — expensive jewelry, chocolates in heart-shaped boxes and long stemmed roses, to name a few. But what about doing something completely different this year, something that would add beauty and fragrance to your relationship and that you and your love could visit all year long?  

For Valentine’s Day this year, why not give that certain someone special a "‘Budding Bed" of color at Rutgers Gardens that will last throughout the summer. Your online gift of $125 at tinyurl.com/ydc2e72f not only supports Rutgers Gardens, but your valentine will have a personalized 10 feet of breathtaking flowers in the Donald B. Lacey Display Garden from June through September. The flower bed will be marked with a special plaque acknowledging both the honoree and donor — you know, you and your valentine! The plaque is then the honoree’s to keep once the garden is removed in October.

Valentine's Day

One of Rutgers Gardens most known and sought-out locations, this garden area is named for the Extension Specialist in Home Horticulture — Donald B. Lacey — who, in 1964, oversaw the conversion of a massive display of bearded iris into a demonstration garden of annuals that are suitable for the home landscape. Over the intervening decades, this garden has grown into one of the finest displays of unusual and colorful annuals, tropicals, herbs and vegetables. Shutterbugs are often found there throughout the season snapping photos of the beautiful flowers and butterflies, rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu/lacey.html

READ: Gardener State: Calendars and cabbage — Kid Strong in 2019

READ: Gardener State: Home Gardeners School returns to Rutgers March 23

Designed annually by Rutgers Gardens staff Horticulturist Monica McLaughlin, the garden is dutifully planted and maintained by her, with the help of volunteers and interns. The garden is arranged in an attractive formal pattern of concentric squares around a central pond. Although the planting design of the garden changes every year, there are many favorites that you are likely to see. You will also discover unexpected components that lend a unique element to the plantings, such as Ornamental Peppers, Millet and Eucalyptus. Each year holds new, exciting plants and themes.

Rutgers Gardens is an independent, nonprofit organization supported by membership, donations, endowments and a group of dedicated volunteers. This is one of the few botanical gardens that does not have a visitor fee and is open 365 days a year. You are welcome to visit as often as you like to enjoy their "living museum" with its large array of gardens and plant collections. Rutgers Gardens offers membership opportunities at many levels of support, rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu/membership.htm

Support gardens with tax checkoffs 

'Tis the season for filing taxes once again and the New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher is encouraging the support of Farm to School initiatives through the Farm to School and School Garden Fund tax check-off and the Farm to School Donor Program.

“These are two unique ways that people can get involved in helping school students understand where their food comes from and increase consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers,” said Fisher. “In 2018, through these generous contributions, we were able to award nine deserving schools with a total of $10,000 in grants from these funds.”

The Farm to School and School Garden Fund check-off can be found on Line 64, number 19, on the 2018 New Jersey State income tax form. The fund was established to allow taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax refund and contribute to help establish school gardens and purchase equipment and educational materials to promote students’ consumption of local produce.

The Farm to School Donor program encourages direct contributions from public and private sources to help fund the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture's Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program works to connect schools with New Jersey farmers to source more than 100 types of Jersey Fresh produce grown in the Garden State. Opportunities exist for New Jersey farmers to provide agricultural products to school food service departments throughout the growing season. Serving more local produce in school cafeterias not only supports local farmers but helps improve student nutrition, provide healthy options and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime.

The Farm to School Program includes school garden activities, which teach students where food comes from and connects directly with the classroom. Students benefit by learning the science behind farming and the nutritional values of fresh produce, gaining a greater understanding and appreciation of the environment. Educators can use school garden programs to teach any subject — math, science, language arts, health and nutrition, art or social studies. Farm to School Programs promote and create a sense of community for all involved.

For more information about the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Program, please visit www.farmtoschool.nj.gov.  

Nick Polanin

Nicholas Polanin is associate professor, agricultural agent II, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension of Somerset County. Email him at polanin@njaes.rutgers.edu.

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