By Donald H. Harrison
SANTEE – A sensory garden, to further enhance blind people’s enjoyment when visiting the Santee Lakes, has been experiencing luxurious growth in its first five months. Aromatic roses are large, fat, and presumably happy, and other plants interesting to the touch like sage, rosemary, and English lavender are flourishing.
With an even sidewalk following the relatively flat perimeter of the lakes, blind as well as sighted people can enjoy the calls of numerous water fowl that make the lakes their home – including herons, egrets, mud hens, wood ducks, mallards and other species of duck.
The garden was built by the Rancho Santee Lions Association and dedicated April 17, 2011 in conjunction with the lakes’ 50th anniversary. Controversial back in 1961 when filling lakes with recycled water was a novel idea, the Santee Lakes today are a popular inland destination, attracting walkers, joggers, paddle boaters, bird watchers and anglers.
Although each species of plant originally had a plaque with its name in English, Latin and Braille, many of those plaques have been pried off by vandals, according to a groundskeeper. The Lions Club is studying ways of replacing the original plaques with some that are more theft resistant.
Still identified by plaques on Monday, Sept. 19, when walking partner Bob Lauritzen and I had the pleasure of going through the garden, were such species as peppermint-scented geranium, spearmint, dwarf fountain grass, rosemary, pineapple sage, arctic rose, climbing scented rose, English lavender, and sweet bay.
At one of the entrances to the walk-through garden, Bill Moody, a past international director of Lions International, was quoted on a plaque with what grows in the Lions’ Garden. Stop reading right here if you don’t like puns.
Such a garden includes peas, said Moody…. pea ce of mind, for example. It has squash – because Lions squash gossip and indifference… Lettuce is a must – “Lettuce be faithful to our club….” And turnip is essential. Lions must “turnip for service for our club when needed.” Oh yes, another ingredient is thyme… Lions must have “thyme” for fun, rest, ourselves and families.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com