New Stories From 'Urban Agriculture Notes'
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Two gardeners are on a mission to cover Battle Creek in flowers

Thawnghmung and Langford are also using their flowers to foster community by hosting garden parties.

By Alyssa Keown
Battle Creek Enquirer
Sept 18, 2021

Excerpt:

Thawnghmung’s urban garden is secluded by shrubs on a side street off of Columbia Avenue in Battle Creek. She named her sacred space the Big Bloom.

Nearly 20 years ago, two of her brothers purchased homes next to the other. In their backyards, their father grew red hibiscus, bitter melon, African eggplant and other vegetables commonly used in Burmese cuisine.

After which, the land sat empty for several years.

Thawnghmung took up gardening in 2018 when her daughter Isabella Detomaswanted to sell bouquets for a school supplies fundraiser. Before they knew it, their lawn transformed into a field of pink and orange zinnias.

The front yard could not contain her newfound passion. In 2019, Thawnghmung revived her family’s plot of land to make it her own.

“I only grow flowers that I love, I guess that’s intentional,” Thawnghmung said. “I grow flowers that maybe I’ve never seen, or ones that evoke emotion, or that have so much character that they work well in bouquets.”

Read the complete article here.