By Paige McBride
[email protected]
The Hernando County Public Library submitted a request of approval to the BOCC at the meeting on January 14th to ask permission to apply for a Seeds of Knowledge Library Demonstration Garden grant. The grant is being offered by the Florida Wildflower Foundation as a pilot program, and three lucky public libraries in the state of Florida will be awarded $750 to grow a garden of Florida native plants. The program has the potential to beautify the county’s neighborhoods while educating the public on how to grow sustainable plants year-round in Florida. If both approved and awarded, the garden will be planted in the atrium at the Main Library in Brooksville, located at 238 Howell Avenue.
The Main Library already participates in a Seed Library program where the public can choose seeds to plant and grow at their homes during all four seasons.
However, being awarded the funding for the Seeds of Knowledge Garden could further expand the success of the Seed Library while strengthening and improving the public’s knowledge of botany. According to the Florida Wildflower Foundation and application, the goals of the garden program is to “establish or enhance a native demonstration planting of a public library, provide educational programming relevant to the planting and its purpose, increase awareness and knowledge of native wildflowers, grasses and flowering shrubs and vines among visitors by demonstrating the benefits and beauty of Florida native plants in cultivated landscapes, and establish and maintain a seed library on site with Florida native ecotype seeds and make them available for distribution to the public.” And, the “seeds will be provided by the Foundation and will be appropriate for the region and additional yearly support for the seed library may be applied for.”
The Library Services Manager, Cynthia Loftis-Culp, is hopeful about the impact the Seeds of Knowledge Garden would have on beautifying Hernando County as a whole.
Ms. Loftis-Culp has seen that the Main Library’s Seed Library has “worked out quite nice” and patrons have enjoyed going into the library to “trade, checkout and donate seeds for the different seasons.” If the Seeds of Knowledge Garden grant is awarded, the garden will be safely housed and properly tended by the library staff. The garden’s upkeep and success will be in the hands of “the Library Supervisor who will oversee the gardening and all the library’s staff who will pitch in to help” and grow the garden. The library staff members who will be responsible for the educational aspects of the library program will be the Branch Supervisor and the Reference Librarian.
