Hi all I'm echoing what has been said about reaching out to Master Gardener groups though your county extension agency. We have had a partnership with the Davidson County (TN) Master Gardeners since 1997, and they have created a stunning 1 1/2 acre garden recreated on the original family site. This is a huge undertaking for them and one of their premiere projects, but it's earned them national awards for their interpretation of a historically accurate garden. You can read more about them here http://www.mgofdc.org/, more about the gardens here http://www.mgofdc.org/Grassmere, and details of what they grow here https://www.speakcdn.com/assets/2147/grassmere_garden.pdf. They maintain a native flower tier, heirloom vegetables, an orchard, a medicinal plant bed, heirloom roses, and an herb garden, along with two separate iris beds. They also conduct series of free classes in the spring for gardening basics, and include a class for kids who help plant a 'pizza' garden in a raised bed. This project has grown, and didn't start out this big. I'd recommend starting very small and go from there. Good luck! <http://www.nashvillezoo.org/> *Tori Mason, CIG* Historic Site Manager 615-833-1534 x130 [log in to unmask] 3777 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211 Take a Virtual Tour <https:[log in to unmask],-86.742484,3a,75y,231.67h,91.98t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sAF1QipM1znoVVhltt2tZzLadiZqOCfWDV_JeZB1n2ie2!2e10!3e12!7i5654!8i2827> <http://www.nashvillezoo.org/signature> On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 6:17 PM Michael Rebman <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Greetings, > > I do not have a green thumb. My fingers are rather pale from years of > wearing gloves while hiding in collections storage at other museums. With > that said, my historic house museum is located in an agricultural area in > New Mexico. The lawn is mostly grass, with sections that have gravel > around modern outbuildings and assorted old outbuildings relocated onto > concrete pads. Historically, the grass lawn went up directly to the > house's foundation. There are two flower beds the length of the front of > the house that were installed at some point in the past fifty years, that > are not particularly deep (ranging three to six feet in depth), that are > bordered with rocks. I had the idea that we can have a Spring Fair and a > Harvest Fair each year (coinciding roughly with Easter and Homecoming). > The Spring Fair would include various flowers or other vegetation that kids > could plant in those flower beds while learning about planting and calving, > to go with the existing plants and large sign. > > Here is my question: what should I do with those flower beds between now > and next spring? They were mostly exposed dirt, grass, and weeds when I > started earlier this year. I do not want to leave them in that present > condition, and the custodian already self-assigned the task of removing > those weeds and grass. Would it make sense to put a barrier layer over the > dirt and leave it until it can be pulled up the week before the Spring > Fair? If so, what would be the optimal material (for aesthetics, price, > and labor hours)? > > Thank you, > > Michael R. <[log in to unmask]> > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).