Historical June 1979 report, notice or photographic feature. Original dates, prices, contacts and program details describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
It is a small garden. It blooms at the edge of a busy sidewalk, often ignored by preoccupied pedestrians.
Ever since I discovered the garden I’ve wanted to meet its owner, although I could have easily believed that it had been planted by fairies. Happily Mrs. Monroe C. Lewis does exist and is appropriately also of diminutive size.
When Mrs. Lewis began to design the garden, the site was nothing more than a 15 x 20 ft. plot used to dump clinkers from her apartment’s coal burning furnace. Years of careful fertilizing and mulching have transformed a gritty heap into something like a miniature oasis.
In the spring a single curved bed nods with tulips, jonquils, hyacinths, narciss and grape hyacinths — all arranged on a very pleasing scale. A narrow brick path connects the “back gate” with the public gate, adjacent to the University City Post Office.
While the spring display is her favorite, Mrs. Lewis is already looking forward to watching columbine, delphinium, Shasta and painted daisies, bleeding heart, bachelor buttons, ageratum, lilies, garden pinks, geraniums, and chrysanthemums take their proper turns. Mrs. Lewis laughed when she realized how varied are the flowers her “pocket handkerchief” garden accommodates. She seem especially pleased by the recent addition of several strawberry plants. This summer she is going to try her luck with tuberous begonias.
When Mrs. Lewis can’t be in the garden she leaves careful instructions for a young helper and marks where to plant with old wooden knitting needles. The garden is a favorite conversation piece and people stop to exclaim, to inquire, to chat. In the past the flowers were a special delight to residents of a retirement home who liked to plan their strolls to include the garden.
Even though the garden is completely vulnerable to misuse, it has never suffered so much as a trampled stem. Those who know the garden share it quietly: it is a fine treasure.
Original photograph caption
Original flowers illustration accompanying A City Garden. The Paper, June 1979, page 3. Artist not credited.
Originally published in The Paper, June 1979.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: Printed “She seem especially pleased” grammatical form retained; damaged OCR pocket-handkerchief phrase checked against original image.
Original source: SD_Times1979_06.pdf, printed page(s) 3; PDF page(s) 3.
