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<p>BUTLER TOWNSHIP &#8212; As the bunny scampered past the scarecrow, around the sunflowers, and under the squash leaves, Emma Brown and Morgan Williams, both 11, tried to close in.</p><p>&#8220;Here, Buttercup!&#8221; they called, thinking that could be a good name for the furry little creature.</p><p>But the rabbit was too fast, and the girls soon gave up the chase in favor of petting Rocky, a rescue goat Kim Marcelliano of Sugarloaf brings now and then to the community garden at the non-profit Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship.</p><p>Located behind a Little League field in the township&#8217;s Freedom Park, the 1.3-acre garden boasts more than 80 small plots where area residents plant crops that won&#8217;t thrive in their own backyards, perhaps because the soil is too rocky or the deer too numerous.</p><p>&#8220;Tomatoes, peppers, basil,&#8221; 7-year-old Emily Motyl of Sugarloaf said, naming plants her mom tends.</p><p>The garden is a great place for children to learn where food comes from, said Jo Robbins, president of the center.</p><p>It&#8217;s also a place where nature enthusiasts of all ages attend workshops under a green-roof pavilion, so designated because sedum plants are growing atop the structure, and it&#8217;s a place where &#8220;teaching gardens&#8221; offer lessons in perennials, herbs, and native species that attract butterflies and bees.</p><p>Another teaching garden, planted by the late Carola Sauers, is designed to capture rainfall and release it back into the soil slowly, so as not to overload streams or cause erosion. Joe Pye weed, sedges, rushes and other species that Krista Schneider calls &#8220;plants that like to get their feet wet&#8221; all play a role.</p><p>Schneider, who founded the the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship seven years ago, said she intended it to be a healthful asset for people of all backgrounds and experience levels.</p><p>Working alongside folks with more knowhow is helpful for novices, gardener Jessica Motyl said. &#8220;They&#8217;ll tell me when to pull my beets.&#8221;</p><p>Here renters pay a small fee and pledge not to use pesticides. They do their share of weeding common areas such as pathways and, if they wish, they can take a turn as &#8220;hen helpers,&#8221; feeding and watering the five chickens in return for the eggs.</p><p>Leading a tour past hardy kale and collards, Schneider pointed out the &#8220;high tunnel&#8221; greenhouse structure where young plants can flourish, the hive where bee expert Andrew Lynn of Sugarloaf keeps some 20,000 buzzing insects, the hops that home brewers like to harvest and the orchard where pears, peaches and cherries are growing.</p><p>Some crops are raised specifically to be sold at the Hazleton Farmers Market, Schneider said. Others are destined for the area residents who signed up and paid for a CSA, or community-sponsored agriculture share of the produce.</p><p>Internships are available for high school and college students, and younger kids are especially welcome in the children&#8217;s garden Roberta Lee Robbins of Hazleton put together with terra cotta animal statues, soft-to-the-touch plants and hay bales to sit on during story time.</p><p>But Emma and Morgan, two youngsters who visited the garden last week, didn&#8217;t spend much time sitting &#8212; not with a goat to pet and, of course, a rabbit to chase.</p><p>&#8220;I want to keep Buttercup,&#8221; Emma said.</p><p>Jo Robbins told the girl she had a plan that involved a humane trap.</p><p>&#8220;Believe me,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If I catch him I&#8217;ll make sure you get him.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Sunflowers, tomatoes and many other flowers, fruits, vegetables and native grasses can be found at the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship, located off West Butler Drive in Butler Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden11.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sunflowers, tomatoes and many other flowers, fruits, vegetables and native grasses can be found at the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship, located off West Butler Drive in Butler Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden21.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Roberta Lee Robbins of Hazleton waters the children&#8217;s garden at the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship in Butler Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden21.jpg</photo1><caption1>Roberta Lee Robbins of Hazleton waters the children&#8217;s garden at the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship in Butler Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden31.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Rocky the goat, who came to the garden with his owner, Kim Marcelliano of Sugarloaf, appears to want to help Emma Brown and Morgan Williams, both 11 and from Dallas, do some weeding at the community garden. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden31.jpg</photo2><caption2>Rocky the goat, who came to the garden with his owner, Kim Marcelliano of Sugarloaf, appears to want to help Emma Brown and Morgan Williams, both 11 and from Dallas, do some weeding at the community garden. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden41.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Workshops on various topics are often held under the green-roof pavilion, where sedum planted on top of the structure absorbs rainwater, purifies the air and adds an aesthetic touch. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden41.jpg</photo3><caption3>Workshops on various topics are often held under the green-roof pavilion, where sedum planted on top of the structure absorbs rainwater, purifies the air and adds an aesthetic touch. </caption3><photoCredit3>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden51.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Standing by one of her plots in the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship in Butler Township, Melissa Motyl said she learns a lot from fellow gardeners who have more experience than she does. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL072515communitygarden51.jpg</photo4><caption4>Standing by one of her plots in the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship in Butler Township, Melissa Motyl said she learns a lot from fellow gardeners who have more experience than she does. </caption4><photoCredit4>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Education, fun and environmental benefits, just some of what Butler Township gardens offers</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>MORE INFO</strong></p><p>&#8226; The Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship is located at 415 W. Butler Drive in Butler Township.</p><p>&#8226; For info, call 570-578-5903 or see digclds.org.</p><p>&#8226; There is a waiting list for renting a plot, but upcoming workshops are open to the community.</p><p>&#8226; A workshop on monarch butterflies with master gardener Roberta Troy is set for 11 a.m. July 18 at the Butler Township Rec Center (415 Butler Drive.)</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

How does your garden grow: Community garden offers more than just plants