Manja Warner’s garden.
Every year in the house’s tiny front yard a profusion of plants and flowers grow. It’s an old-fashion garden. It would be lovely anywhere, but it stands out here because it sits in the middle of a commercial strip on Hood River’s 12th Street.
This spot inspired me to start an award program for similar places: yards or gardens or farms where people are making an effort to create places for nature. Twice a month July through October I’ll be giving out a $25 cash or gift certificate. The first award goes Manja Warner who creates the 12th Street garden. She receives a $25 gift certificate to Farm Stand grocery.
Manja says people often come up to her and say how much they like the garden. “The most frequent comment,” she says, “is that they love to watch the garden change from one season to the next and from one year to the next.” Some people ask for starts or give her a start from their own gardens.
In the back yard Manja developed a square foot garden. You step through a side gate and the busy street disappears into a lush landscape. Her gardens are popular with bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.
This is the second award she’s won for her garden. In 2000 her garden won $2000 from the National Garden Association’s school garden program. At that time she had a preschool and the children developed a garden for the senses: taste, scent, texture.
If you’d like to nominate someone, email susanh@envirogorge.com. I’ll be looking for places with no or minimal lawn and giving preference for those using native plants.
