Building Community Through Plants

Okay, so here's the basic idea:

Superior is a town that is searching for an identity. Mind you, it does have an interesting history and it has some very nice residents, but there isn't much infrastructure here yet. Is our future to be one of strip-malls, fast food restaurants, and minimum wage jobs? Can't we do something unique here? Can't Superior become a destination town instead of a place you pass on the way to Globe?

So, what attributes do we already have that makes us unique? Well, we have 3000 residents, many of whom have been born and raised here. This isn't a transient town; we have roots. Very few towns can make that claim.

Also, we are located in one of the most incredible parts of the Sonoran Desert. The Pinal Mountains are to the east. The Superstition Mountains are to the north, Apache Leap is in front of us, and Picket Post Mountain lies just a few miles to the west. When people around the world try to imagine the beauty of the American West, they often visualize a landscape just like the one we live in.

Our history is fascinating. This land was once a part of Mexico. But it was largely controlled by the Apaches. Then the miners came and dug gold, silver, and copper out of the hills.

And what is the one place that attracts more visitors to this immediate area than any other place? The answer, of course, is the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, just three miles away.

Now, let me ask you one question: If we are a town that has very little money or energy and yet we want to have some significance in the uncertain future, what might be the easiest way for us to create an attractive identity for ourselves?

Think about it.

For me the answer is simple indeed. We work to make Superior the "Garden Town of Arizona".

We already have the resources. All we need is the organization and support.

The idea for the Superior Plant Exchange is to encourage different neighborhoods to have yards filled with desert-appropriate plants. We also want to encourage, with the town's support, community gardens. Also, we want to work with the "Let's Talk Trash" group to help keep our town clean.

The propagation of plants (and in particular, cacti) is a very inexpensive way to get a name for ourselves and to create an truly unique Arizona destination. People the world over are fascinated by creative gardening and we can attract some of those people if we dedicate some of our collective energy in making local gardens flourish. We can also work in tandem with Boyce Thompson Arboretum to bring more visitors to our town.

If we make Superior a garden oasis, we should be able to encourage further development of important infrastructure such as more restaurants, cafes, and motels. What is the point of attracting visitors if we can't accommodate them for a few days? Superior can also eventually be the place that serves as a hub for campers and hikers who wish to spend time in the Superstitions, Aravaipa Canyon, and the Apache Leap area.

In short, it is the Sonoran Desert itself that can become the focal point of Superior identity. And, again, we become stewards of the land and an oasis worth spending time and money in. (Moab, Utah, for instance, is an example of a town that attracts outdoor enthusiasts. Victoria, British Columbia is a town that attracts garden enthusiasts. Now, combine those two towns and you get the idea of what I'm suggesting.)

The Superior Plant Exchange will be a non-profit loose-knit organization that will help propagate plants for free as a way to encourage growing a more lush and vibrant community. We will work with individuals, businesses, and the town council to help grow plants and establish gardens. All we need are a few green-thumbs, some decent potting soil, some cheap plastic pots, and plant cuttings. In time, and through this blog site, we will share information on composting, propagation, and food preparation, among other topics.

One more thing. We all see that the national economy is tanking and that will affect everyone we know. Not only can we grow plants for little to no cost (excluding water and love), but we can grow food to help feed ourselves and neighbors.( And, hey, why not be the chili pepper capital of Arizona while we're at it?)

You can see that through plants, endless possibilities arise.

Feel free to contact me at the email address above or write your ideas in the "comments" section below. I'll try to post an article once a month.