Re: Plants to go to Jail

Sue, if you all don't mind plain old garden bearded iris I'd be glad 
to send a box of them your way.  E-mail me with an address  to send 
them to and I'll try to dig some in the next few weeks and get them 
off to you.  I could probably send some siberian iris too, if you 
like.  These would be ones that self seeded from a Ceasar's Brother I 
have..  You'll have to tell me how to best ship the siberians, 
tho...  If I got really ambitious you might even get some daylily...  
Don't count on me getting really ambitious, tho.. ;)

Diann
Iowa Z5a

--- In sibrob@yahoogroups.com, "Sue" <fostesky@c...> wrote:
> ADVERTISEMENT
>  
>  
> 
> My husband works as a corrections officer at one of the state 
> prisons. He's been trying to get a gardening project going there 
for 
> years for the inmates and it's finally materializing. He's got a 
> token budget as of July 1 and was actually OK'd for an extra shift 
> this Friday to start making more beds and gardening. 
> The prison is a low security prison. Lot of first time drug and 
> alchohol offenders. No hardcore nasty folks. Largely white collar 
> crimes or young people that had a brain cramp. 
> 
> It's supposed to be a program prison but there isn't much for the 
> female inmates there. There is woodworking, autoshop and the women 
> get to wash, mend and alter the clothing for guards and inmates. 
Not 
> much of a behavior incentive if you ask me. Yes men will be welcome 
> in this too but we are starting it out with the women largely 
because 
> they are more careful and really need something other than being 
> allowed to do laundry if they are good. 
> 
> It's been a rough 3 years getting this thing off the ground. Have 
had 
> to endure stupid things like the manure will burn down buildings 
and 
> the inmates will make bombs with the manure. Yet the same man who 
> swears they will make bombs with it will hand them a 5 gallon can 
of 
> gas to fill the lawn mower. 
> 
> The prison grounds are huge. It was a farm ages ago and before it 
was 
> a prison it was the old state school for the mentally handicapped. 
> This particular piece of property actually has the potential to 
feed 
> and offset the costs of feeding most of the states 
institutionalized 
> people, jails, mental institutions, old age homes. It is a vast 
> wonderful bit of property that the state is seriously missing the 
> boat on. 
> Change comes slow and hard here in the north. Figured if we start 
> with the ornamentals a bit first More of the touring politicians 
will 
> notice. A blooming Iris or any other flower has much more presence 
> than a cabbage. 
> 
> Then there is the positive benefits that these people will get from 
> actually nurturing something. Can't be emphasized enough really. 
Not 
> a lot of nuture type feelings fixing the split seam on a fat CO's 
> pants. Making a flower grow on the other hand is going to be a lot 
> more positive and help with things that a lot of these people 
missed 
> out on. 
> 
> The budget we are getting isn't much, $2,000. Not going to buy much 
> in the way of plants so I figured I'd beg a little here. 
> 
> Looking for anything. The soil is well drained and gravely. 
Trucking 
> in as much manure as we can but it takes time. All of the time so 
far 
> has been volunteer time. It's going to be volunteer time for a long 
> while yet. On the upside the inmates have lots of time on their 
> hands. Plenty of time to water things constantly.
> 
> If anybody has excess iris or other easy grow plants it would be 
> greatly appreciated. Kind of looking for confidence builder type 
> plants now. Foolproof things. Noids and hohum seedlings are fine. 
> Perennials that will do zone 5 winters. Warmer by a bit at the jail 
> than my own house. 
> 
> I've given them tons of plants but need variety. I think they've 
got 
> everything I have now.
> 
> Can't do any trading yet. We can spring for postage. It's going to 
> have to come out of that little budget. 
> There is the possibility that I may be able to get a reciept for 
tax 
> purposes as a donation. I know I got one from the Gov. himself for 
> the plants I sent. By law it can't be more than $50 but hey it 
helps. 
> Probably can get one off the programs director. Don't know for 
sure. 
> This is all too new. 
> 
> So if anybody can help with the birth of a worthwhile project it 
> would be greatly appreciated. 
> 
> We are in NH and pretty much the last safe planting date is in 
> August. July being the best. My own home is zone 4 but I think the 
> prison is zone 5. Usually a full 2 weeks difference in bloom there. 
> Sometimes even more.
> 
> Sue


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