Elkenburg Park Update

 

In August we held a dedication for our Elkenburg Park Beautification Project. The South Haven Garden Club would first like to acknowledge Miss Dorothy Sherrod, a longtime SH resident who has always looked after Elkenburg Park.  Dorothy was instrumental and encouraging when our club first approached the Ward One action Committee, which she is Vice President of, with our idea to add to the already existing beauty of this park.   We were so happy when they voted to allow us to come up with a plan to add more flowers and trees here.  Throughout our process of creating a donation application for the City of South Haven, we consulted with Dorothy on our vision.  Miss Dorothy donated some of her perennial phlox to be planted by the Elkenburg sign.   They were the first flowers to go in the ground! Thank you Miss Dorothy.

 

 The first tree we added is a beautiful Serviceberry you see in the triangle next to the picnic pavilion.  All throughout our planning and design process our vision focused on the surrounding community and the children and families that enjoy this park everyday.  We chose as many native to Michigan options as possible.  And really focused on pollinators with splashes of vibrant colors.  It’s exciting to see the blooms coming up at different times in the season.  Our commitment to Elkenburg continues in the form of maintenance, which includes watering and weeding.  Our work will be on-going as we add more plants and features going forward.  

 

In addition to the garden beds, we commissioned a natural wood bench to be added to the park.  A local craftsman, who wishes to remain anonymous built the bench with wood from a downed tree in South Haven.  He generously donated it to the club for Elkenburg Park.  As you can see, it is a stunning addition to the park.  We are so grateful for his donation!  Because of his kindness this afforded us some extra money from our budget to purchase an additional tree.  We installed a Lavender Twist Redbud this spring.   It is thriving here and will have beautiful pink flowers in May of next year.  

 

Lastly, as we began walking the park during our development process we noted the Elkenburg Park sign could use a refresh.  With fresh paint, Betty and Steve Walther did their magic to brighten the sign that you see on the corner!  Thanks also to to the sparks Commission,  the City of South Haven and Mayor Brown for entrusting us to adopt this park as a club.   Our hope is that our contribution, and our continued care for the garden beds are enjoyed by the community and park visitors for years to come.