Welcome to the
Miner Memorial Garden
Work is done for the season!
If you would like to help in the garden, sign up as a volunteer. We are more than glad to share in the digging and planting.
Welcome to the Miner Memorial Garden — A work in progress
October 25. Our last day this year. We winterized the garden putting cardboard over as many empty spots until it ran out. Then holding it down with wood chips.
See you in the spring!
September 21. Planting is under way! Putting Dorothy’s plan in place, while Mark directs and digs. Our crew: Jen and Charlie Lawrence, Tim Higgins, Jane Earnshaw, Avery Knoll, Nancy Simson.
September 8. Here’s the crew! The UVM ROTC Cadets, “Catamount Civic Corp”. Front row from left to right: Gracie Lawrence, Sophia Gaff, Morgan Koester, Val Paladino, Joshua Brogi; back row: Liam Donlan, Ethan St.Pierre and Mark Twery. Joining the volunteers were also Tim, Dorothy, and Hayley.
You are so appreciated!
September 8. A huge crew moved a truck load of compost onto the gardens, and tilled it in! Plants are coming. Some were taken from the pollinator garden here at the Hort Farm and moved over. Sarah Salatino of Full Circle Gardens, and Jen and Charlie Lawrence are donating plants.
August 29. Jen Lawrence is always creating miracles. Having decided that benches overrun with crabgrass wasn’t going to “cut it” — she cleaned them up!
Now they are just outside the path but alongside ready to be used.
Thank you, Jen!
August 30. Another workday cleaned out the remaining hidden lumps of weeds. The effort is to get all that “junk” out of the future gardens so we don’t have to deal with it later.
August 23. We figured another workday to get the 4th garden done. With all the help we had, Voila! Many of the volunteers are NW chapter EMG interns earning plenty of hours.
All done and ready for compost and tilling. Thank you, crew! You are amazing!
August 23. The crew has arrived. To our great surprise Jen Lawrence and her son cleared the second garden! Just 2 more to go. We were grateful to welcome Lindsay, Mike, Carla, Diane, and Gracie joining our “old hands” Tim, Jane, Jen, Charlie, Dorothy, Mark and Kitty. Awesome crew!
August 16. It’s just after noon, area cleared, tarps covering most of the garden with wood chips holding down the edges. Only 3 more to go!
August 16. Here we are at work. Today we were fortunate as we were joined by Tim, Dorothy, Kate, Jane, Jen and Charlie, Mark and Kitty. The largest garden section’s crabgrass is getting ripped, yanked, dragged out!
August 15. Thought I was kidding about the crabgrass, eh? After a hiatus, this is what grew since our last July workday. Brutal, eh? But, we planned to tackle it, at least the largest of the 4 garden areas. At least it would be chilly overnight. Would that help?
July 6. The path is finally finished! Thank you Brett, Tim, Dorothy, Mark and Kitty.
However, we do have a bit of a problem. It seems the garden areas are perfect for crabgrass. By mid-July, it’s knee-high! That’s next… cleaning out the crabgrass, mixing in compost, then planting! Do, come join us!
June 29! The paths were flattened, crabgrass cleaned out (that was a huge chore), and we had time to put down the weed barrier in the center path and even get some wood chips on it!
Thank you volunteers: Jane Earnshaw, Brett Hinson, Tim Higgins and continuing work by Mark Twery, Dorothy Lovering, and Kitty Werner
June 22. By workday 3 the paths were laid out, and the gardens have been edged. That pile of wood chips will start going on the paths on top of weed barrier at our next workday.
Thank you to our volunteers: Jane Earnshaw, Brett Hinson, and continuing work by our masterminds Mark Twery, Dorothy Lovering, and Kitty Werner
Why the Miner Memorial Garden?
Don and Stephanie Miner were two of the founders of the Friends of the Horticulture Farm, often referred to as “the Friends”. For over 25 years, their love of gardening was reflected in their volunteering and support of the University of Vermont Horticulture Farm, now known as the University of Vermont Horticulture Research and Education Center (“Hort Farm”).
Approximately 31 years ago, there was a possibility that the area known as the UVM Horticulture Farm would be sold for development. Don and Stephanie, along with a small group of friends and neighbors living nearby, organized the Friends of the Horticulture Farm to protect the Farm’s collection of plants and offer educational programs about horticulture and gardening to everyone. The encouragement and support of the Miners was essential to the growth of the Friends of the Hort Farm, and Stephanie was a constant volunteer, seeker of new volunteers, and a tireless promoter of The Friends.
To honor the memory of Don and Stephanie Miner, two of the founders of The Friends of the Horticulture Farm, a new garden is being created behind the lilacs on the UVM Horticulture, Research and Education Center. The garden will include walking paths, pollinator plants, shrubs, trees, and benches. Planting will begin this spring.
A committee, composed of Stephanie’s friends, and members of FHF, was formed to work on plans for the garden. Judith Irven, landscape designer and Vermont Certified Horticulturist, designed the lovely windy path that will be surrounded by Stephanie’s favorite plants that were planted in her own garden.
In 2023, Judith Irven and Brian Vaughn, the Hort Farm manager, walked the location for the garden. Judith took measurements to start her creating the eventual plan. Mark Twery and Alex Furst came later that season to do the practical work of staking out the rough plan to make sure it fit within several constraints. Brian created the parking drop-off area between the lilacs and the Golden Rain Tree for the use of visitors with difficulty walking the long way from the main parking.
The Wiggans Memorial Pavilion, the back drop to the garden, has seating as well as shade when needed. There are now several benches located on the paths for those needing a relaxing break.
Learn more about the Miner Memorial Garden. If you would like to help in the garden, sign up as a volunteer. We are more than glad to share in the digging and planting.
We are seeking funds to help us create and complete this beautiful garden.