Grow Selma has some big plans in store for this upcoming season. Besides planting food, the group plans to continue the infrastructure of the garden and get it ready for years to come.

“We’re putting the pieces in place so that we can do gardening and get the people to do gardening and we’re trying to build the infrastructure this year,” said Grow Selma member Victor Shaw.

One of the main projects the group is working on is a butterfly garden. They applied for a grant from International Paper and received money in order to help them with various parts of the garden.

“Sylvia Smith is a master gardener with me … and Sylvia had known about this IP grant and thought Grow Selma might be interested in getting this grant,” said member Ruth Shaw.

“Evelyn Cox is always very interested in the fact that Selma is the butterfly capitol of Alabama. She was interested in getting a butterfly garden going so I thought, why don’t we try to apply for a grant to get a butterfly garden going at Grow Selma.”

Ruth said she was thankful to International Paper for their support and giving them the grant.

“It was really wonderful that they gave us a grant to do this,” Ruth said. “Because of it, Grow Selma was able to put in a water line to the garden so that we could water the butterfly garden as well as other parts of the gardens.”

Victor, Ruth’s husband, said she is waiting for the day that a butterfly visits the garden.

“Ruth cannot wait for the day she is out there and the first butterfly comes past,” Victor said. “That’s what’s she’s waiting for.”

Ruth said she is looking forward to that time, and seeing the different butterflies that will visit.

“Every time I go out there I look, hoping to catch a picture of one,” Ruth said. “I’m excited. Once the plants get bigger, we should see a variety of butterflies coming in. I’m really looking forward to seeing how many different types of butterflies will show up.”

Ruth has been making trips up to Petals from the Past to get various plants for the garden, and said they are now working on the third of three mounds.

Overall, the Grow Selma garden is moving along, and member Clay Carmichael said the recent Rock ‘N’ Ribs benefit the group held raised a lot of funds to help them continue to grow and work on the garden.

“This is the most successful rib off we’ve had yet, financially. We’re able to do a lot of things out there because if it,” Carmichael said.

“We’re finishing up our butterfly garden, hoop house and tool shed and we’re about to get started planting for the fall Farm to Feast. It gives us a good, positive feeling going into the summer getting ready to plant.”