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                                               Intro Mary Garden
Idaho State School Garden
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Bonnie Roberson
"Garden of Memories", Hagermann,Idaho

The Herb Grower, #1 1964

	Several years ago a casual friend visited the Brooklyn Botanical
Gardens and was so impressed by the Fragrance Garden that she
called me as soon as she returned to Idaho.  Her discovery of why
people love their herb gardens because of the perfumes as well as
the texture of the leaves made me think why not a garden of this
kind for our State School for the Blind?

	My search began for information on building and maintaining
such a garden, and help came from a number of sources.  The Herb
Society of America has a "Primer for Herb Growing" transcribed in
Braille by the Volunteers Service for the Blind, Inc.,
Philadelphia, Penna. which they mail out without charge to blind
people.

 The New York Botanical Garden's Assistant Curator of
Education, Miss Elizabeth Hall, directed me to other sources as did
Frances Miner, Curator of Instruction of the Brooklyn Botanic
Garden.

	Finally enough material was on hand to present to the state
government of Idaho.  Governor Smylie's chief executive was most
kind and said that if the Director of the School for the Blind and
Deaf was favorable to the idea it would be all right to go ahead
and build it with plants contributed from our own nursery.

	Mr. Rae of the School at Gooding, Idaho, was presented with
the information I had collected and we walked over the grounds and
found a perfect situation.  No work could be started until spring,
due to the plot (90 x 200 feet) lying between a Girls' dormitory
and the infirmary which was then under construction.  This was in
1963, four years after a seed was first planted in my mind.  Spring
of 1964, the project is well under way.

	I had previously talked with several garden club members to
ask if they thought the clubs would donate the funds for Braille
Bronze Markers.  Their enthusiasm and a talk I gave to the
Federation of State Garden Clubs, whose president and editor for
their official bulletin had visited my garden, did produce more
pledges of help.

	There was sufficient help at the School to do the necessary
labor of building the beds and for a sprinkling system to be
installed at the time of construction of the garden.

	Meanwhile a garden club president from Ogden, Utah visited my
garden and I discussed the garden for the blind with her.  She was
as enthused as I was, and we spent several hours making notes for
what might be a small herb garden for the Utah State School for the
Blind.  Upon her return to her own state, she was allowed to plant
a small plot, 2 ft. by 20 ft., with herbs of different kinds.  Her
own garden club provided plants of Basil, Mints, Lemon Balm,
Horehound and Woolly Betony.  I visited this garden in October and
found it to be well-planned and a lovely planting.  The raised-bed,
basic pattern will be used too for the Idaho State School garden.

	If there had been any doubt in my mind as to the children
liking such a garden, reading their 'thank you' letters quickly
dispelled it.  Those in Braille were translated for me and the
partially-sighted youngsters had printed in large letters:

	"Thank you for the beautiful garden. It is the prettiest
garden we ever saw." Perhaps they "see" better than we, the true
beauty of each fragrant leaf.

	When one begins to realize how little is being done along
these lines, one wonders how about the older people; those not
physically able to go to visit the public gardens?

	The answer came to me as I watered my winter window garden and
brushed the pungent Rosemary.  Why not a window garden or planter
filled with sweet herbs - scented Geraniums, Mints, Lemon Verbena -
with, perhaps, a pot of Aloe Vera for the wonderful texture of its
leaf and its use for burns?

	I designed several planters and exhibited one at the
Liturgical Art Exhibit at the Philadelphia Convention Hall last
September. It was called "St. Mary's Herb Garden". The statue of
Christ held in His Mother's arms - his fingers caressing her face
(to symbolize the sense of touch) was the focus of the design.

	The first day of the Convention a lady who works with the
blind attended the exhibit.  Next day she brought a blind lady to
"see" the garden.  Again she came back, this time with the report
that the blind lady was so overwhelmed by this garden that she had
been unable to sleep.  Her last words as she left the exhibit were
"On behalf of the blind of America - God bless those responsible
for this work."

	So is it any wonder I feel the herb gardens have a wonderful
gift to offer those less fortunate people who are blind?


Reprinted with permission.