Meditation Garden
The meditation garden was first planted in 2016. The following springtime revealed that the weeds had returned because their roots were still alive. Volunteers used a multi-stage process to kill the unwanted vine and vegetation roots while preserving moisture for the garden plants. Cardboard box panels were reused as material to block sunlight from reaching the roots of the dark soil. Light-colored wood chips were added to the top of the cardboard to aid water retention. The technique blocks photosynthesis of the unwanted wild roots while conserving water. As with all gardens, continual vigilance is needed to keep invasive species from again gaining a foothold.
The project was completed during summer 2017. The technique succeeded with weeds controlled in 2018.
Flowers donated by the City of Rochester 
First step in reclaiming the overgrowth was to get it down to bare dirt 
Late winter, 2017: Soil was completely eradicated to make way for a garden 
A multistage process was used to kill unwanted vegetation 
Project completion in the summer of 2017 
Cardboard paneling was used to control plant growth 
Bleeding hearts blooming in the Meditation Garden 
Meditation Garden as of 2019 
Garden slope transitioning from the amphitheater to Meditation Garden 
This beautiful birdhouse built by Morgan Cunningham can be seen in the Meditation Garden