Thanks for visiting us!
You can also see us at "Marshall Native Gardens" on our Facebook group
Scheduled Garden Related Activities for
March - April 2023
We need your help in the gardens or as a donor to grow!
These months are the start spring and the native gardens are beginning to come to life after the winter -- as are our volunteers! Efforts by our Executive Committee and some of our functional committees are ongoing and we recently applied for and were awarded a grant from the Tourist Development Authority to help support our fall festival. Exciting stuff!
Activities Scheduled these Months
We are always looking for new garden friends and for ways to get them involved in our gardens. So, if you are looking for a way to make a difference in the local community, please reach out to us and we will get you started...
This March is a busy month as we are getting 2023 activities organized and also work days and student tour days are scheduled in the gardens. Here are details:
Wednesday, March 1st from 9:30am until 12:30pm - A class from the French Broad River Academy Boys will be onsite to help our volunteers to resume our efforts to construct a trail through the Shrub Garden to connect to the Bird Garden. All are welcome to participate.
Thursday, March 2nd from 9:30am until 12:30pm - A class from the French Broad River Academy Girls will be helping to remove debris and to mulch planting beds in the Native Grasses, Butterfly, and Entryway Gardens. This will be a good way to start cleanup of the gardens and get them ready for new growth.
Wednesday, March 8th from 9:30am until 12:30pm - A class from the French Broad River Academy Boys will be onsite to help our volunteers to continue our efforts to construct a trail through the Shrub Garden to connect to the Bird Garden. This will involve modifying the downspouts and installing a security gate at the Bird Garden. All are welcome to participate.
Saturday, March 18th from 9:30am until 12noon is our MNGI Work Day and a class from Timbersong Academy will be helping us. After the work day, starting about 12noon there will be a garden party in the Bird Garden for our volunteers and we will have food and refreshments. And, a short mini-presentation will be offered regarding "how to create a home wildlife pond". All are welcome to help out, enjoy friendships & food.
Thursday, March 30th from 9:30am until 12:30pm - A class from the French Broad River Academy Girls will be onsite to help our volunteers to continue our efforts to construct a trail through the Shrub Garden. Please consider coming out to help with the students,
Let's Grow Native Plants,
Ed McNally
Marshall Native Gardens Co- Coordinator
828-333-3883
We are all volunteers and we love to make new friends
and to give back to the community & library !
Gardens Background & Current Needs
We need your help in the gardens or as a donor to grow!
Marshall Native Gardens are located on the 4.2 acre grounds of the Madison County Public Library in Marshall, NC. These gardens are open to the public free of charge. This native garden was envisioned, designed, constructed, and is maintained by Marshall Native Gardens Initiative (MNGI) in cooperation with the Library Director & Madison County.
MNGI is a very diverse all volunteer group - we have no paid staff. So, we rely solely on volunteers of all backgrounds and skill levels. All are welcome who want to learn about native plants, sustainable gardening, and/or mountain agriculture. Our focus is to provide education about the importance of native plants through interpretive displays & demonstration gardens.
We value all our volunteers but we are in need of some to step up to become a "Garden Champion" or be a member of one of our newly formed functional committees. Our Garden Champions help us manage our themed native gardens and we need additional committee members on our "Volunteers and Social Committee" and our "Outreach and Education Committee". Specifically, currently, we have needs for additional garden champion for the following themed gardens:
Rain Garden
Forest Farm Garden
Woodland Shade Garden
Native Grasses Garden
We are also looking for "Garden Docents" (tour guides & work managers) to help when we have a class of school age kids coming to the gardens for service and education. If you want to learn more about this way to serve, please call 828-333-3883.
We are now starting to invite the individuals and businesses who recognize the value of Marshall Native Gardens to our community to become donating patrons. If you are interested in becoming a patron or wish to get more information about serving as a volunteer, please contact the Library Director or call Ed at 828-333-3883.
How to Become a Volunteer &/or Patron
We need your help in the gardens or as a donor to grow!
Becoming an Active Volunteer has its Perks!
Who are MNGI Active Volunteers:
MNGI Volunteers are individuals that provide service hours to benefit Marshall Native Gardens. You can become an Active MNGI Volunteers by participating in 3 MNGI events/work days in a calendar year or at least 12 hours of service to Marshall Native Gardens during a calendar year. The volunteer hours can tally participation and preparations for meetings associated with functional MNG committees, mini presentations at our garden parties after monthly work days, and/or actual labor at work days or project days. To become an Active Volunteers, it is necessary for the new recruit to demonstrate that they have meet active volunteer criteria by submitting a "volunteer request form" that is found at the main desk of the Marshall Library or at the MNGI display board in hallway of the Marshall Library. All Active Volunteers will be listed below will then become eligible for MNGI perks as long as they remain active.
Current List of MNGI Active Volunteers
Rita Pelczar, Terry Hopkins, Bobbi Tousey, Bill Klodt, Kim Bellofatto, Larry Bryan, Michelle Clausen, Miriam Luse, Janet Foster, Mike Foster, Ed McNally, Scott Moore, Katherine Early, Susan Sanborn, Rachell Skerlec, Sue Stephenson, Patricia Kean, Jessie Howard, Erica McKinney, Nathan Buchanan, John VanVoorhis, Penelope Glass, Marge Utterback, Jim Utterback
Perks for Our Active Volunteers:
Active MNG Volunteers (those who are listed above on this MNGI webpage and/or the Library MNGI Bulletin Board) will be eligible to receive a free MNGI hat and name tag, a thank you call and a personalized volunteer survey phone interview to get contact info and inputs about the type of skills and involvements sought. All active volunteers will get an invitation for early access to the online MNG plant sale (to be held in late September each year) and they will gets email invitations to attend the spring MNG plant & seed exchange in May and the Fall MNG annual social. They also will get a discount coupon for 35% off of their online sale purchases for MNG plant sale. They will also receive monthly email invitations to garden service opportunities and a variety of MNGI social activities throughout the year.
Becoming a Patron is Tax Deductible and Easy!
Who are MNGI Patrons what are the Patron Levels, and Associated Perks:
Patrons are individuals or businesses that provide cash or needed tangible physical items. We gladly accept and appreciate any donations from folks who appreciate and want to help support our gardens and the related educational opportunities. We have 3 annual donor levels of annual giving and one lifetime level of giving that we recognize with perks and these are shown below:
Bronze /Seed $50 annual gift
*receive thank you letter with tax deduction documentation
*listed as a patron on Library Bulletin Board, MNGI Webpage, Facebook page (Only if desired by patron = anonymous patrons welcomed)
Silver /Sprout $100 annual gift
*receive thank you letter with tax deduction documentation
*listed as a patron on Library Bulletin Board, MNGI Webpage, Facebook page (Only if desired by patron = anonymous patrons welcomed)
*qualify for an invitation to early access to online MNG plant sale (to be done in late September each year) and will gets email invitations to attend the spring MNG plant & seed exchange in May and the Fall MNG annual social.
Gold /Sapling $150 annual gift
*receive a framable thank you letter with tax deduction documentation
*listed as a patron on Library Bulletin Board, MNGI Webpage, Facebook page (Only if desired by patron = anonymous patrons welcomed)
*qualify for an invitation to early access to online MNG plant sale (to be done in late September each year) and will gets email invitations to attend the spring MNG plant & seed exchange in May and the Fall MNG annual social.
*discount coupon for 35% off online sale purchases for MNG plant sale
Platinum /Tree $500+ lifetime donor gift
*receive a framable thank you letter with tax deduction documentation
* receive a free MNGI hat and name tag
* listed as a patron on Library Bulletin Board, MNGI Webpage, Facebook page (Only if desired by patron = anonymous patrons welcomed)
* qualify for an invitation to early access to online MNG plant sale (to be done in late September each year) and will gets email invitations to attend the spring MNG plant & seed exchange in May and the Fall MNG annual social.
* discount coupon for 35% off online sale purchases for MNG plant sale
* onsite detailed home landscape evaluation and recommendations from MNG design experts
Thanks to All Our Current List of Active Patrons
As updated Jan. 2023
Rita Pelczar, Platinum/Tree Donor - Dec. 2022
Nancy and Bud Fink Platinum / Tree Donor 2014
Miriam Luse, Gold/Sapling Donor - Dec. 2022
Mike and Janet Foster, Gold/Sapling - Dec. 2022
Scott Moore, Gold/Sapling Donor - Dec. 2022
Penelope Glass, Gold/Sapling Donor - Oct. 2022
Sebastian Dunn, Gold/Sapling Donor - Oct. 2022
Nathan Buchanan (WNN) - Gold/Sapling - Dec. 2022
Isaac Lassiter, Silver/Sprout Donor - Dec. 2022
Bill Jones (CNN), Silver/Sprout Donor - Dec. 2022
Roger McCracken, Bronze/Seed Donor - Dec. 2022
Pam McNally, Bronze/Seed Donor - Dec. 2022
Mike Stevenson, Bronze/Seed Donor - Dec. 2022
Jim Utterback, Bronze/Seed Donor - Dec. 2022
Larry Bryan, Bronze/Seed Donor - Dec. 2022
Valued Partners,
Sponsors & Collaborators
Friends of the Madison County Library (FMCL), *
Marshall, NC
* Note : MNGI is a part of FMCL. And, we are a non-profit entity.
Nathan Buchanan, Wildbud Natives,
Marshall, NC
French Broad Electric Cooperative,
Marshall, NC
Burnsville, NC
The American Chestnut Foundation,
Asheville, NC
Zev Friedman, Living Systems Designs,
Asheville, NC
Weaverville, NC
Southeastern Native Plant Nursery,
Candler, NC
Robert Eidus - Eagle Feather Farm
Marshall, NC
Weaverville, NC
Self Guided Tour
We have a self guided interpretive tour for use by all our visitors which allows them read interpretive signs at the entrance to each themed garden and/or also to scan QR codes found throughout the gardens to learn about native plants and why they are important. See the site map with all the tour stops above. Our tours starts at the kiosk near the main entrance to the library and please check out our Garden Bulletin Board located on the left side as you enter the library for upcoming garden activities and native plants to look for...
You also can virtually visit our gardens now on this homepage by simply clicking on the linked tour stops seen below.
LISTING OF TOUR STOPS * :
Just Click the green links below to view our virtual tours
Overview of the entire gardens - Virtual Garden Tour
Main Kiosk - STOP 1 - Overview - https://youtu.be/yobsufZ01To
Main Kiosk - STOP 1 - Volunteers Info - https://youtu.be/vfaPIWJcMik
At Entry Garden Sign - Stop 2 Overview - https://youtu.be/Jg_cMyPCNik
At Entry Garden Sign - Stop 2 Details - https://youtu.be/vYmatiZSZvY
At Shrub Garden Sign - Stop 3 Overview - https://youtu.be/YNXpcFawbO0
At Shrub Garden Sign - Stop 3 Details - https://youtu.be/jf8iEBfN9cw
At Water Cisterns - Stop 4 Overview - https://youtu.be/v_yxi3w3SOY
At Butterfly Garden Sign - Stop 5 Overview - https://youtu.be/yXNZOee-ppM
At Butterfly Garden Sign - Stop 5 Details - https://youtu.be/2aOUYMXikTo
At Forest Farm Sign - Stop 6 Overview - https://youtu.be/EDbSl-0nV1M
At Forest Farm Sign - Stop 6 Details - https://youtu.be/ffXyAGidUgY
At "Chestnut" Sign -- Stop 7 Overview - https://youtu.be/3PZW5iV_TBQ
At Rain Garden Sign - Stop 8 Overview - https://youtu.be/LdhHWNZGSpg
At "Woodland" Sign - Stop 9 Overview - https://youtu.be/X3Fqr1ieMwI
At "Woodland" Sign - Stop 9 Details - https://youtu.be/Ed7YDrtP7Os
At Native Grasses Sign - Stop 10 Overview - https://youtu.be/nJuRX7IUtCE
At Native Grasses Sign - Stop 10 Details - https://youtu.be/7wUcSaXhizs
At Medicinals Sign - Stop 11 Overview - https://youtu.be/WrF3dqv5C5s
At Medicinals Sign - Stop 11 Details - https://youtu.be/RB2Yq3MuTt4
At Bird Garden Sign - Stop 12 Overview - https://youtu.be/AE_xcShXAJg
At Bird Garden Sign - Stop 12 Details - https://youtu.be/ZA-zgiSF7uc
* NOTE : Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Madison County (for the grant to help fund this tour project), Jim Thorsen (the DJ vocals on overviews tracts), Rita Pelczar (writer/editor on tour content), and Primrose (for their great interspersed mountain music used to accompany the tour ).