Dear Editor,

Dozens of locals in Nederland, staffers, donors, parents, even Nederland town officials, shops and restaurant owners and patrons supported the building, fundraising, envisioning, and patronizing of the Carousel of Happiness (COH). As soon as the building was completed, we set to work on the Carousel of Happiness Gardens.  

Scott and Ellen bought Arlene and Neall Strands' cottage called RockHaven and used Arlene's many rockgardens, rocks, trees, flowering shrubs, native shrubs, and perennials,  “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” to create two gardens on the northside of the Carousel building. Now, a third garden is on the south side of the building. 

We built up the soil with peat and manure, compost and mulch, and small boulders from Nature's Own Roy Young's donation, large dolly, and muscle.

Over the first season, volunteer gardeners, transplanted hundreds of plants from Arlene's RockHaven to the north gardens of the Carousel of Happiness including: wild mountain rose, Snow on the Mountain, five colors of Achillea, white, yellow, red, Paprika, and pink, and five kinds of campanula (bellflowers), blue and purple iris, white and orange poppies, lupins, Forget-Me-Nots, Aspen, potentilla shrubs, lavender and red Bee's Balm, wild geranium, cow parsnip, and Day Lilies.

Volunteer gardeners are always needed and appreciated at the Carousel of Happiness,  and the South gardens contain transplants of most plants in the North gardens. Call COH Director Melody Baumhover at 303-258-3457 to request a watering or weeding or planting shift,  and an introductory meeting at the COH.

While you work in the COH gardens you'll meet travelers from around the nation and around the world. Gardeners to COH admire broadly, and often, and share their expertise. 

Ellen Moore

Nederland