After an afternoon working with refugees from the Sudan, gardeners realized that gardening in Montbello is a breeze! Accustom to carrying water for miles, the Sudanese boys were delighted to see water coming through a hose for the first time, and local gardeners were delighted to introduce some new techniques. This type of cultural exchange is common in the Montbello garden, an inclusive and diverse site on the grounds of the Montbello United Methodist Church.

To those who know it, this garden is a little bit of paradise, and what paradise wouldn’t include a pergola covered with luscious grapes? There is also a strawberry patch for berry lovers, and apple trees. However, a visitor’s eyes might be most drawn most to Montbello’s lovely memorial rose garden. Representing the cycle of life, the roses are dedicated to Mr. Ewing, a beloved counselor at Martin Luther King Middle School who passed away at an early age.

Visitors can sit down and relax on benches decorated with the handprints of Montbello’s earliest and youngest gardeners. They can also take a look at the artwork and find out what local kids think about their role in the community, and the changing of the seasons.

Is a garden just about sun, seeds, and soil? Definitely not! At Montbello, school children learn that gardening is a metaphor for self-development. You must tend your garden, nurture it, and pull out bad weeds. “With water and work you can grow anything and you can be anything,” according to garden leader Denise Wanzo.