Volunteers help ready Sunken Gardens for season

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BY LISA MUNGER / Lincoln Journal Star

It was still dark when Tom and Judy Eacker pulled out of Broken Bow Saturday morning to head for Lincoln’s Sunken Gardens.

Three hours later, the Eackers joined nearly 70 others at the historic garden to ready at 27th Street and Capitol Parkway for the season during the sixth annual Wake Up the Beds.

Saturday was a perfect day for all things spring. By 10 a.m., the mercury had risen to 74 on its way to the mid-80s by late afternoon. Sunday should be just as nice, with a predicted high of 76 degrees.

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Terri Cebuhar (left) and Linda Breen (right) plant red zinnias handed out by Karen Becker on Saturday. GWYNETH ROBERTS/Lincoln Journal Star

While the Eackers and other gardeners planted, hundreds of people walked in the American Heart Association's annual Start! Heart Walk, walked in the Lincoln Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis or attended the high school baseball tournament.

Despite the early wake-up call, the Eackers said they were happy to get out and enjoy the weather and get their hands dirty.

They said they drove by Sunken Gardens on the way to a play five years ago and stopped to admire the flowers.

Each year after that, they got an invitation from Lincoln Parks and Recreation about the spring planting. 

“The garden is fascinating,” Judy Eacker said. “It’s interesting  to learn why they lay it out like they do.”

Getting the community involved in planting makes people feel connected to the garden, said Jerry Shorney, assistant director of park operations.

This year’s winner of the “best planting style” contest agreed.

“When you help plant you have a sense of ownership,” said Dan Lynn, who’s helped plant for about five years.

Cultivating that feeling of ownership is key, Shorney said.

“To avoid vandalism, we’ve had people monitor the gardens in years past,” he said. “When people help plant, they come to visit and see their work.”

Organizers tried to pep up the planting by offering coffee and doughnuts, and classical music played through loud speakers.

Volunteers got some tips on planting before they started.

The garden design is created by Parks Department gardeners, then executed by volunteers. This year’s theme is hot colors, said Mark Canney, a park planner.

“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else today,” Lynn said, toting his shovel to the car after the planting was finished. “It’s paradise.”

Reach Lisa Munger at lmunger@journalstar.com.