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Spring Tulips
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The Garden at St. John's
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The hands that create and tend the Saint John the Baptist Church gardens belong to parishioner Kathleen Ponder. In her eyes, the myriad flowers are an expression of the life cycle for all passers-by to see.
It started several years ago when she asked if she could weed a small flower bed outside the church and plant a few peonies. Every year after that, she expanded that first flower bed and created several more, including a shade garden on the side and a new border along the porch.
As Kathleen herself tells it:
"Each year I try to add a couple of interesting plants that are eye-catching. The elephant ear plant and the amaranthus
plants are always fun and draw a lot of attention. Last year one of the amaranthus plants grew to be 8 feet tall, with
cascading red ping pong ball size blooms. Also, last year one of the sunflower plants grew to 15 feet tall! Some folks
from the community and the church have donated plants for the garden including rhododendrons, bee balm, daylilies,
evening primrose, and a special blueberry bonsai tree.
People often stop to comment on the garden. Sometimes they are walking by and other times people have stopped in
their cars or on bicycles or skateboards to chat for a while. It's been nice for me to connect with local folks as well as
visitors from other towns, states, and even a few countries. The young children are always fun to see as they smell the
flowers and watch the bees and butterflies."
With its hundreds of flower varieties, the garden is one of Hardwick’s beauty spots, where visitors pause to delight in its beauty. Although parishioners provide occasional assistance, the driving force behind this floral display is Kathleen—and, of course, God.
It started several years ago when she asked if she could weed a small flower bed outside the church and plant a few peonies. Every year after that, she expanded that first flower bed and created several more, including a shade garden on the side and a new border along the porch.
As Kathleen herself tells it:
"Each year I try to add a couple of interesting plants that are eye-catching. The elephant ear plant and the amaranthus
plants are always fun and draw a lot of attention. Last year one of the amaranthus plants grew to be 8 feet tall, with
cascading red ping pong ball size blooms. Also, last year one of the sunflower plants grew to 15 feet tall! Some folks
from the community and the church have donated plants for the garden including rhododendrons, bee balm, daylilies,
evening primrose, and a special blueberry bonsai tree.
People often stop to comment on the garden. Sometimes they are walking by and other times people have stopped in
their cars or on bicycles or skateboards to chat for a while. It's been nice for me to connect with local folks as well as
visitors from other towns, states, and even a few countries. The young children are always fun to see as they smell the
flowers and watch the bees and butterflies."
With its hundreds of flower varieties, the garden is one of Hardwick’s beauty spots, where visitors pause to delight in its beauty. Although parishioners provide occasional assistance, the driving force behind this floral display is Kathleen—and, of course, God.