Learning at Lowe

   Trial and error are left to the expert volunteers at Lowe Park's demonstration gardens in Marion.  The dozen beds are tended by Linn County Master Gardeners who volunteer their time when they can and work in groups two times per week. The gardens are always open during gardening season and signs mark many of the plants if no one happens to be around. But usually there is.  Linn County Master Gardener Doug Smith of Marion, who also has an awesome garden at the city plots at Squaw Creek Park, was taking a look at the vegetable bed with his grandson when I visited in July.  Kids and adults, alike, can learn from the gardens - which plants attract butterflies, what does well in Iowa's climate and much more. I asked Shelby Foley, the driving force behind the gardens, if she'd call the place a hidden gem. Land for the park was donated by George and Alyce Lowe and is now the setting for the Arts & Environment Center, where Marion's Park Department is located. Shelby disagreed with my assessment. She said thousands of people visit the Arts & Environment Center for wedding receptions, art exhibits and more. If you haven't been one of them, now would be a good time to visit.  A full story and more photos are in the Home section of the Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, Gazette.