The project was headed by Liz and Dr. Steve Slajus, both Michigan State Extension Master Gardeners.

“This will be an educational and demonstration garden for staff and students to enjoy,” Liz said.

According to Liz, Kristina Brazeau, now Woodland Elementary principal, approached them in the fall of 2022 about establishing a garden for the school’s second courtyard. They quickly came up with the idea of a sustainable, perennial garden with native and pollinator plants.

“There have been a lot of comments from staff that it ‘feels fresh,'” Brazeau said. “There is more work beyond what you see here.”

LIZ SLAJUS EXPLAINS to Woodland Childcare students the new native plant and pollinator garden she and her husband helped create at the school in Kingsford. She also works with the students in the school’s first garden, which has vegetables and berries. (Submitted photo)

In addition to helping with planning, Steve built 14 raised plant beds and installed the drip irrigation system. Rocks painted by students line the flowerbeds.

They decided on raised beds because the soil in the courtyard is mostly sand and fill. “It’s the worst soil for growing,” he said.

The automated irrigation system is designed so water goes directly to the roots of the native plants, Steve explained, and not into the air where extra moisture could create problems for the plants.

The 1/4-inch lines run the length of the flower beds, with 1/2-inch fittings every 12 inches. He installed 500 fittings. They had to dig through a foot of pea gravel and cut through plant fabric to install the system.

They had to improvise in areas where rainwater comes off the roofs, putting rocks in some corners to help protect the flowerbeds.

Dr. Steve Slajus rakes in the new native plant and pollinator garden at Woodland Elementary School in Kingsford. He installed an irrigation systems to help hydrate the plants’ roots without adding extra water to the air. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

Liz was in charge of the care of the plants and planting. They were finally able to get plants into the beds after three months on her deck.

“None of them are dying or failing,” she said.

The garden has 1,000 plants, all labeled with common names, scientific names and a description of the plants, so teachers and students can use the space with some self-discovery.

“A lot of thought went into our choices. We picked plants that would bloom in August, September and October so children and staff could enjoy them when they return to school,” Liz said.

They received advice on native species for the garden and purchased plants from the Dickinson Conservation District.

Liz Slajus works with the plants that are part of the new garden. There are 1,000 plants that were planted and labeled for educational use by students and staff. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

“In our case, we chose perennials for lower maintenance and long-term sustainability,” Liz said.

Native plants are indigenous to the area and have evolved and occur naturally in the region. Pollinator plants are flowering perennials, annuals and shrubs that provide essential nectar and pollen.

“These are hardy plants. Their roots will go down 15 to 20 feet,” Steve said.

In the fall they will receive three to four dwarf apple trees and planting advice from Hal Wentzel of Pleasant View Orchard.

The new garden will take about three years to mature and the plants will be tall, she said.

In late fall, the water lines will be blown out for the winter to prevent freezing, then washed out in the spring. The garden is designed to be low maintenance, but with sustainability and longevity.

In preparation for the new garden, they removed shrubs, trees and stumps from the area to place the beds, but a hawthorn tree stump has proven resiliant. Hawthorne tree roots grow downward instead of spreading out, Steve explained.

1st Down Tree Service of Iron Mountain cut down trees and shrubs. Jim Malone helped remove tree trunks. The high school football team came in for clean up duties. Grayson Palmer, a Kingsford High School student, assisted with construction and labor. Beth Tappy removed weeds and did some of the prep work.

They received financial support from MJ Electric and a $500 grant from the Dickinson Area Community Foundation. Plants were donated by Larson’s Greenhouse on Upper Pine Creek Road and Flowerland of Iron Mountain.

The new garden is very different than Woodland’s first garden, now in its ninth year. That space is devoted to vegetables and several types of berries. Students ages 3 to 11 in the summer Woodland Childcare Program assist in tending the garden with Liz, who comes twice a week.

“They know what to do,” Steve said. He joked that parents get mad because their 4-year-old is asking to plant a container garden on the deck and wants to save milk cartons for planting.

When foods are harvested, Liz cooks them for the students to enjoy. Unlike the new garden, in the fall everything is removed and they start fresh in the spring. That garden has gourd trellis and a planter designed to look like the hungry caterpiller.

Steve also installed an irrigation system in the first garden after discovering one summer that watering took more than two hours.

“Breitung Township Schools is so fortunate to have Liz Slajus and Dr. Steve Slajus volunteer their time and talents to the Woodland Elementary School garden,” Breitung Township Schools Superintendent David Holmes said in an email.

“For the past several years they have been tireless volunteers to create the original vegetable and fruit garden that remains today. Hundreds of children have learned from them and assisted with caretaking through the Woodland Childcare Center summer program. The addition of the perennial pollinator garden is an added enhancement to their education and will be something all students can benefit from in the future. We want to express our sincere appreciation to Liz and Dr. Steve Slajus for their efforts as well as MJ Electric for the financial support to make this happen. It is truly a great example of school and community cooperation.”