CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) - The unofficial creed for the U.S. Postal Service is “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
At the Cedar Falls Post Office, one might also consider adding “and a sunny location” somewhere in the motto. That’s one reason a garden thrives on one side of the post office. But the main reason it looks lovely is it is regularly tended by the Cedar Falls Garden Club.
Tending the garden has been a major club project for several years, current club president Ginny Rule said. Previously, a postal worker took care of the garden, but that person left or retired and the garden languished.
“So we talked as an organization about taking it over as a project,” Rule said.
“There’s really not that much garden, so how hard could it be, we thought,” Becky Hardman said.
After receiving the official go-ahead from the postmaster, members began pulling weeds, removing dead plants and preparing the bed for new life. Members brought divisions of perennials from their own gardens to begin filling the border. Earl May Nursery also has donated plant material.
On a late spring morning, Rule and Hardman, along with Lucille Keeling, Jane Buck, Mary Franke, Dianne Peterson and Helen Ackerman were busy working in the garden. Lined up on the sidewalk were pots of new perennials for planting, including “Sombrero Salsa” coneflower, “Moody Blues Pink Veronica,” coreopsis and several new kangaroo paws varieties.
The border includes daylilies, coneflowers, daisies, salvia, crane’s-bill geraniums and lilies.
A few passersby admired the garden in passing as they headed into the post office.
“Sometimes I’m surprised at how little people know about plants. I’ve been out here working, and people have stopped to ask the names of the flowers. Some of them didn’t know a single plant. So hopefully, the garden is educational, too,” Rule said.
They chose to plant perennials for their hardy, low-maintenance qualities. Plus, these plants aren’t as thirsty as annuals. “Water is always an issue,” noted Buck. “We bring it in using jugs and other containers.”
A thick layer of mulch conserves moisture and reduces weeds. A hand-painted slate sign designates the Cedar Falls Garden Club as garden caretakers.
“It’s nice to hear thank you’s from people. It’s great to know people appreciate what we’re doing,” added Peterson.
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Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com
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