Goldy Gopher would probably approve of Marie Davis’s raised-bed garden at Lake Minnetonka Shores (LMS) senior living complex, even though it’s accessorized in tribute to her beloved University of Georgia. After all, she gives lots of credit to the maroon and gold.
“Let me just say I am very glad to be living right next door to the gardens we’re creating with help from University of Minnesota Extension,” says Davis, a Georgia native now living closer to her daughter and family in the Twin Cities. “I love this garden. This has been such a positive experience.”
Gardening has been part of resident life at Lake Minnetonka Shores for 40 years. Extension’s role began in 2008 when friends of Extension horticulture educator Julie Weisenhorn’s mother-in-law, who lived at LMS until 2010, asked for help with their houseplant questions.
“Everyone wanted to know how to get their amaryllis to re-bloom and why their holiday cactus was wilting,” Weisenhorn notes. That’s not uncommon; the amaryllis and holiday cacti webpages are two of Extension’s most frequently visited pages.
From these random questions, Weisenhorn saw a need for regular Extension horticulture assistance, and an extensive gardening program bloomed. In partnership with LMS staff, Weisenhorn started holding houseplant clinics in spring and fall for residents. Seeing the raised bed garden expanding, she offered to be on-site twice a month from April through October to answer resident gardeners' questions, assist with diagnosing issues and just share gardening science. "I then added a couple of gardening presentations in the winter, then a seed starting lab in March," she says. "I bring everything folks need to start seeds — media, seeds, containers, you name it — and we start seeds together for the garden beds."
This year, Master Gardener intern Ruth Bauer from Hennepin County asked to join Weisenhorn's program. "With Ruth's help and my husband Karl's assistance, we added a tool cleaning and disinfecting lab," says Weisenhorn. "Gardeners brought their pruners, trowels, etc. to the community tool room, and Ruth and I taught them how to clean and sharpen them. Karl went over the community tools, repairing and making them safe to use."
This summer, Extension horticulture intern Noah Burley joined Weisenhorn and Bauer at the garden, talking with residents and helping them solve gardening mysteries. "We learn as much from the gardeners here as they learn from us," says Weisenhorn. "These people have us beat when it comes to gardening and farming experience, and we love hearing their life stories."