×
×
homepage logo

The gardeners’ view

By Caroline Trowbridge - | Jul 17, 2002

Seven months after her death last December, Jean Lenahan’s home garden still is providing joy to all who view it.

As about 25 Leavenworth County Master Gardeners last week meandered through the Lenahan garden in south Tonganoxie, the gardeners marveled at the wide variety and large number of flowers that Lenahan planted and tended before she died suddenly Dec. 10.

Magnatech Park is one of the local Master Gardeners’ projects, where they fulfill some requirements for volunteer gardening.

Master Gardener classes begin in September. The all-day classes meet once a week for eight weeks.

For more information or to register, call the county extension office, (800) 250-2057.

During the past few months, Tonganoxie members of the Master Gardeners group have visited Jean Lenahan’s garden several times. Family members had offered some plants from the garden for Tonganoxie’s Magnatech Park, which is between VFW Park and Chieftain Park.

“We have dug a little and will dig some more in the fall,” said Susan Quisenberry, the owner of Tonganoxie’s Village Floral who is a 1999 graduate of the Master Gardener program. “It was really nice of them to let us do that.”

Jean Lenahan spent hours and hours in her massive garden, which stretches on both sides of her home and wraps around through the back yard. She even built a large water garden in the northwest corner of the back yard.

“She certainly had the energy and the drive. It’s such a neat place out there, and we were glad to share it with our group,” Quisenberry said.

Several members of the group from Leavenworth had not seen the Lenahan garden nor had they seen Magnatech Park, which is in the early stages of development.

Among the plans for the park are a gazebo, additional sidewalks, trees, benches and garden beds.

Each week, Master Gardeners from Tonganoxie work in the new park, watering plants and enlarging the garden area.

“We want it to be a peaceful little place where people can stop and sit and enjoy it,” Quisenberry said.

And they can remember Jean Lenahan, who will have helped make the park possible.