DEPOT PARK OFFERS SEED DEPOT
By BETTY RUTTEN Special to The Sun
When you have a city park with over 120 species of native wildflowers, ardent harvesters of wildflower seeds, and a growing need to educate the public about the importance of native plants, what do you do? Give the seeds away, of course!
A team of enthusiastic volunteers at Sopchoppy Depot Park saw these factors as an opportunity to install a Seed Depot. Designed and created by Florida Native Plant Society member of the Sarracenia Chapter Robert Speed, this sturdy wooden structure with its metal roof stands 5 feet tall and is a permanent installation designed to resemble the Sopchoppy (Train) Depot located directly across from the park on the other side of Rose Street.
The inner compartment houses wildflower seeds harvested from the Depot Park gardens as well as from park volunteers’ home gardens. The inner side of the door features a changeable message board under plexiglass. Initially designed to display the park map and highlight the benefits of planting native wildflowers, it can be updated to draw attention to upcoming bloom times.
One side of each seed packet in the Seed Depot features the plant’s scientific and common names as well as a unique QR-code which links to the Florida Native Plant Society website and other reliable sources for extensive details on growing conditions, habit, etc.
The other side of the seed packet provides information about the Sarracenia Chapter of the FNPS, including meeting time, date, location, email address and URLs. The QR-codes also are featured on each species’ plant identification signs throughout the gardens. By downloading a free QR-scanner app, visitors to the park can use their smart phones to scan the QR codes on the plant ID signs and conduct an informative self-guided tour. The inner compartment also provides space for distribution of Florida Native Plant Society and Florida Wildflower Foundation brochures on how to grow native wildflowers; how to attract birds, bees and beneficial insects to your garden; and other topics of interest to wildflower lovers