"GREENER" Gardens @ the Lemont Public Library

The Gardens at our Lemont Library have been cultivated & are maintained not only to serve as examples of community involvement & respect. They are growing  "green opportunities" for our community and children to learn more about environmental awareness.

The library's front garden not only serves to welcome its visitors, but is a garden cultivated by its 'community.'

  An Eagle Scout originated its conception as a Butterfly Garden in 2008.

 In 2009, I began maintaining & re-arranging the plantings to create a harmony in the gardenspace.The following year,my husband helped me erect the 'wisteria arbor;' a simple structure to serve as a gateway into the garden. Beneath the garden's Ash Tree, we placed a stone bench, as an intimate place to relax & gaze at the garden.

In 2012,  Lemont Brownie Troop 88, donated butterfly plantings including the addition of two young Cherry Trees. The 'new' trees in the garden "celebrate" the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America & the !00th anniversary of Washington D.C.'s Cherry Trees, a friendship gift from Japan.  By late summer, I had prepared the Butterfly Garden to meet the requirements of a 'Certified Butterfly Habitat' by the N.A. Butterfly Association.  Ms. Nikki, the volunteer, Art in the Garden instructor at the Library, along with the Junior Gardeners, assembled a 'recycled' garden sculpture to decorate the space. The Library held a dedication that was attended by about 60 community members celebrating the garden's growth.

Arbor Day 2013, the library celebrated the addition of a White Pine Tree, donated by a resident businessman, and planted in the front garden. The tree serves as a windscreen for the butterflies and a habitat for other wildlife. Ms. Mary followed the tree-planting with the showing of an environmental cartoon, the Lorax, for the children attending.

In addition to the front garden, the library has a hidden garden out in back. The Children's Community Garden broke ground in the Fall of 2010,as the library responded to "Go Green." An empty expanse of lawn was cultivated into a Children's Learning & Discovery Garden, and through the summer of 2011, children were growing & harvesting organic vegetables. The following year, a volunteer resident added to the program with the addition of "Art in the Garden."

This is the 3rd gardening season outback and the library has decided to expand to "greener pastures," with additional outdoor programs. There will now be Little Sprout Gardeners, Juniors and Green Teens. The primary goal of these programs is to give our community children the opportunity & space to discover & learn about our environment.

Respect for the natural world is a mainstream value of Americans; but needs to be nurtured in our children. When children get close to nature, their curiosity engages all of the their senses. And as the Children's Garden grows, so will they.