GARY -- A garden of yellow and green now greets workers at the Gary City Hall Annex Building.
A garden party last Thursday morning offered building employees a tour of the new 2,400-square-foot native garden behind the building.
Dorreen Carey, director of environmental affairs for the city, wants building employees to help maintain the garden.
"The purpose is to beautify, and show the native plants," Carey said.
Sand coreopsis, little bluestem, western sunflower and June grass are just some of the 29 native plants that make up the prairie-style garden. Its base is sand and includes a path made from old concrete, Carey said. The concrete allows water to drain and helps with water management, Carey said.
The plants have the capacity to grow up to about five feet, said Bob Allison, technical consultant and seed manager at JFNew, an ecological consulting company that helped plant the garden.
Those who have volunteered will pull weeds from the garden, Carey said.
Lakesha Brown, the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator inside the building, was hesitant about the garden when it was in its early stages. Now, Brown said the garden looks better and plans to help maintain it.
Brown would like to see more benches on the premises for workers.
"It's nice to come out here and sit," Brown said.
Currently, the area only has one table with an umbrella.
The cost of the garden was about $1,000 when it was planted in 2006, Carey said.
In the fall, the group will organize a flower sale to pay for the garden's maintenance.
Groundwork Gary board member Renee Miles-Foster thinks the garden is worth its price because of its effect on people. Groundwork Gary is a not-for-profit environmental group.
"They're a little more at peace with themselves and nature," Miles-Foster said.
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