Congregational Church median gets makeover

The strip of grass south of the Congregational Church of Grant has undergone a makeover with the efforts of Ashley Colglazier and the Dr. Cliff Colglazier family.
The church was chosen as the site for the project since the basement has been a free meeting site for 4-H groups for nearly the last decade, starting with a Clover Kids group originally led by Ashley, now led by Jessica Bruns.
Included in the planting are natives like milkweed, ironweed, little bluestem, brown-eyed Susan, yellow coneflower, smooth penstemon, wild bergamot and blue wild indigo, all native and pollinator-friendly, and drought-hardy. Plans are to add more grasses from the Hughes (Ashley’s family) farm and native plants from local greenhouses.
“The space is a work in progress for sure,” Ashley said. “We need to come up with a better way to edge it and keep the mulch in place as the brutal west wind whips around the church corner.”
The 4-H club plans to add some decorative touches in the form of stepping stones, and learn about pollinators, the insects and animals that visit the plants, from guest speaker Heather Francis of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The orignal idea for the garden came from Francis.
“She offered wonderful technical assistance in selecting native prairie plants and suggestions on where to source them,” said Ashley.
Landscape fabric for the project was donated by the URNRD.
Colglazier hopes that through the project, the kids learn about landscaping as a way to promote natural habitat and attract pollinators, as well as give back to the community.