Pictured left to right are Monroe County Master Gardeners Samantha Jacobs, Jacque Hough and LuAnn Colosimo, librarian Aimee Campbell and Courteney Riley, Master Gardener Coordinator.
Photo by Krystal Fowler
The Monroe County Master Gardeners recently completed some plantings at the Carnegie-Evans Public Library in Albia.
The Master Gardeners completed a ring of plants around a tree stump sculpture created last year in the library’s front yard. They also planted along the entrance staircase.
Master Gardener Coordinator Courteney Riley with the ISU Extension Office organized the partnership.
The Master Gardeners said they planted some annuals but mostly perennials. The plants will be labeled so people can learn about them and they will be a source of food for insects. They hope to partner with the library in the future to offer programming and they always welcome anyone interested in becoming a Master Gardener. They like to complete projects in locations that get a lot of public traffic so they felt the library was a perfect choice.
Librarian Aimee Campbell said she hopes that the partnership will continue with educational opportunities for the public.
“We were very excited about our partnership with the Master Gardeners,” said Campbell. “The library is a community hub and it’s partnerships with important community organizations that allow us to offer education programs and a warm and inviting third place for our community.”
Campbell said she hopes to incorporate the garden areas into educational opportunities for children as well as for adults and offer more other gardening programming in the future.