Sometimes a garden becomes much more than the flowers, fruits, and vegetables grown in it. Kids marvel at the towering sunflowers and stop to smell the herbs and spices.
Parents love to take pictures of their children standing next to the garden's scarecrow.
Sometimes, they ask Extension Master Gardeners for information on growing their own gardens as a family project. And the 4-H members who have made the garden their project learn the basics of planning and maintaining a garden from Extension staff and Master Gardeners. And, we've found that families are hungry for information about gardening, the environment, and how they can use gardening as a fun, educational activity with their children. About twenty youth, ages six to eighteen, participate in the 4-H group that helps plan and maintain the garden. Master Gardeners, volunteers who are trained by CES in horticulture, are on hand about three times a week to water and weed and answer questions that zoo visitors inevitably ask about gardening.