The Sun Rises in the Panther Patch

A forest of sunflowers is rising in the Panther Patch.  Check out Salma's, Alesha's and Thomas' flowers.  Amazing!

Garden Predictions

Hey, before you visit the garden, make some predictions!  Then test them out when you arrive.  Here are some ideas:

How tall will the tallest plant be?
What will the diameter of the largest tomato be?
How many butterflies will I see?
How many sunflower blooms will I count?
Which plant will be attracting the most pollinators?
How many petals will I count on the smallest sunflower?
How many peppers will I see?

Remember, when you are at the garden, look carefully, touch gently, listen intently, smell the freshness and feel the joy, but do not disturb the plants.  The garden is their home. <3

Inspiration for the Vincent Van Gogh Garden

Vincent Van Gogh, the famous Dutch artist, painted sunflowers at all stages of life.  When you come to the Panther Patch, you may notice sunflowers at various stages.  How do Vincent Van Gogh's art and our garden embody patterns of change?  Be an artist this summer - bring a sketchbook and paints to document your observations and feelings while you soak up sunshine in the garden.

The Garden is off and Growing!

We got a late start on the Panther Patch this year, but the seeds have been sown and our hope is for the garden to come alive in the next few weeks and months.  Each garden has a different theme.  The Pollinator Garden is packed with sweet, colorful flowers of all kinds.  It's a banquet for all types of pollinators, including bees, moths, birds and butterflies.  The Healthy Veggie Garden hosts a collection of veggies and herbs, such as rosemary, sage, basil, tomatoes, peppers, lemon cucumbers and squash.  The rosemary and sage survived the harsh winter, and the remaining plants were donated by students and teachers.  Thanks to Minh Truong, Vivian Hong and Mrs. Diaz for their generosity.  Next, we have the Seed Yourself Garden.  This garden stands out, because all the plants in it grew  themselves!  It is a great example of the amazing ability of seeds to form inside a flower, fall to the ground, send down roots, grow a stem and leaves and thrive in the right conditions without any help from us.  Next is the Vincent Van Gogh Garden.  In a few weeks, it will look like a stage of dancing sunflowers!  Each sunflower represents a student in Mrs. Diaz's class.  The fifth garden is a Colonial Kitchen Garden modeled after one of the gardens at Gunston Hall, George Mason's historic home.  The plants form a collection of flowers and herbs.  The hollyhock, lavender, rosemary, snapdragon, dill and cilantro returned on their own.  Mrs. Diaz and her students added more hollyhock, columbine, fennel, basil and marigold.  The last garden is dubbed the Stair Step Garden.  It includes an assortment of flowers of different heights which will form a "stairway" leading to the sky.  The smallest flowers include marigolds and the tallest include sunflowers.  Hope you follow the progress of the Panther Patch by checking in with this blog throughout the summer.  Better yet, head over to Parklawn and visit the Panther Patch in person!