New Flower, Edible Garden at Providence House
Posted May 21, 2019 in Articles
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Children sheltered at Providence House in Ohio City are enjoying a sensory garden filled with colorful perennials that soon will bloom, fragrant plants, vegetables, a birdbath and more, thanks to a Greater Cleveland lawn and garden power equipment manufacturer, and six garden and DIY experts who flew in from all over the country.
“It will be wonderful to kick off summer with a really great space for our kids to enjoy all the way into the fall,” said Kaylee Quanbeck, Providence House events and marketing coordinator.
Providence House, on West 32nd Street, shelters children newborn to 12 whose families are undergoing a crisis, such as homelessness, domestic violence or addiction. The 38-year-old nonprofit can shelter as many as 30 children at one time.
Troy-Bilt, in Valley City, which is south of Strongsville, helmed the garden project, providing all of the plants and accessories, and flying in the designers for their expertise. Troy-Bilt is owned by MTD Products.
A sensory garden engages sight, smell, touch, taste and sound, explained Barbara Roueche, Troy-Bilt brand manager. The garden includes daylilies in a variety of colors, shasta daisies, cone flowers, a lilac bush, yarrow – which can bloom into fall - and evergreens such as boxwood and juniper. There’s also a pumpkin patch, a birdbath and bright red Adirondack chairs.
Vegetable beds include tomatoes, peppers and herbs.
“We call it a pizza garden for kids,” said Roueche.
Kids can help harvest vegetables and herbs when the time is right, added Quanbeck. “It will be great to show them how food is grown,” she added.
Troy-Bilt has funded the installation of other gardens at nonprofits, but this is the first one in Cleveland, said Roueche. An executive at MTD is on the Providence House board.
“We thought it would be nice for the children to have a quiet area,” Roueche said.
All of the plants are low-maintenance.
“We didn’t want to burden the caretakers,” said Rochelle Greayer, whose PITH + Vigor website is at pithandvigor.com. “These are plants that are easy to grow and care for. There’s nothing tricky, but they are pretty and joyful. This is a quiet area where the children will have respite and an education.”
The other five garden and DIY experts who came to Cleveland are Erin Spain, erinspain.com; Serena Appiah, whose Thrift Diving website is at thriftdiving.com/about-3; Sarah Fogle, Ugly Duckling House at uglyducklinghouse.com; Eric Rochow, whose GardenFork site is at ericrochow.com; and Mary Nielson, of The House that Lars Built at thehousethatlarsbuilt.com.
“We’ve been given instructions for watering and upkeep,” said Quanbeck. “We’re really excited, and very grateful for this.
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