Calusa Garden Club receives grant from The Ames Companies

Sep 14, 2023

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island was among the fortunate garden clubs in the United States that received an in-kind grant from The Ames Companies.

The company delivered $250 worth of gardening tools made by Ames Tools, a division of The Ames Companies. Ames Tools manufactures and markets gardening tools and equipment through retail outlets such as Home Depot. The company is a corporate sponsor of National Garden Clubs, Inc., the national organization with which Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island is affiliated.

Susan LaGrotta, chairman of the Butterfly Garden Committee for Calusa Garden Club, prepared the application for the Ames Tools grant. Susan said in the application that the Butterfly Garden, located on Winterberry Drive in Calusa Park, was destroyed by the floodwaters that inundated Marco Island during Hurricane Ian. She described the devastation caused by the hurricane and estimated the large amount of work it would require for the garden club to amend the soil ruined by salt water, to remove dead plants, to prune surviving plants, and to purchase and plant new pollinator plants for the garden. Her application was successful, and the new gardening tools arrived in May of this year. The photos show Susan LaGrotta holding a green garden hose and the other garden tools that the club received from Ames Tools, other garden club members holding the tools, and the tools themselves.

Calusa Garden Club members have been working on the restoration of the Butterfly Garden over the summer. Since there was very little rain in May, June and July, but the temperatures were extremely high, the planting of new plants was not advisable. Members have directed their efforts to researching additional pollinator plants suited to our subtropical climate, choosing both nectar plants to nourish the butterflies and host plants to nourish the caterpillars. They also took this opportunity to redesign the Butterfly Garden planting areas.

The Calusa Park Butterfly Garden was established in 2009 as a joint project of the Marco Island Beautification Advisory Committee and Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island. Club members work in the garden on Saturday mornings once a month, and more often if needed. When the City of Marco Island paved the bicycle and walking path in Calusa Park, the Butterfly Garden benefitted from the oval “frame” for the garden beds. The garden club members give tours of the Butterfly Garden upon request from groups of Marco Island residents and from local clubs.

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island meets the second Monday of each month, October through April, at Marco Island Branch Library. If you are interested in membership, please contact the Club at [email protected], or go to the Calusa Garden Club website, calusa.org, and click on “Contact Us.” Cisit the Club’s Facebook page Calusa Garden Club, for news of club activities.

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