Gibb's Museum

I just spent the morning at Gibbs Museum, and holy cow! It was awesome. I got an informal tour from our new plant Guru, Julia Butcher. Since last season Julia has been putting together well thought our plans for our floral surroundings (as opposed to fauna... not just flowers). We moved a few plants around and talked shop a bit. One of the things that Julia really adds to our interpretation is a knowledge of traditional herbal medicine, both native and pioneer. So, we moved some mandrake and ferns, smelled the wild ginger and dug some burdock and curly dock.
I have to say that I'm really excited to see the crop garden this year. Julia really has a handle on how to accurately and creatively integrate the growing environment into the museum. Which is awesome because the basis of our museum is the Gibb's FARM. The Gibbs were Veggie gardeners and made a lot of their income at the market, so now we can get a taste for some of the crops they would have grown. (hooray!) And Julia is great with questions, which I had a lot of.

I'm going to invite her to post on here. It would be a great way for all you green-thumbers (and wannabes like me) to keep in touch with what's growing out at Gibbs.

I should mention that they burned off our prairie last week, so at the moment things look a little charred in places, but don't fret. By the end of June the Prairie will be up and blooming, and the crop gardens (both Pioneer AND Dakota) will be well on their way. But the coolest thing about Gibbs is that there's ALWAYS something happening. So check it out, and keep an eye on the blog for updates!!

Will