A Children's Garden Planted with Love and Friendship

By Marie NyBlom, Green Scene Landscaping and Pools

Dozens of young people from Cassandra's school and temple were eager to join the effort. With so many volunteers, most of the planting and other manual labor was completed in just one weekend, including sod laid out by teenagers.
Photos Courtesy of Green Scene Landscaping and Pools

When 13-year-old Cassandra Cohen led the restoration of a children's garden for her Bat Mitzvah project, she designed an enchanting space where generations of young children will grow new friendships. Green Scene Landscaping and Pools, performed the initial ground work.

She also created a lasting memorial to her own best friend, Alexa Weiner. Cassandra and Alexa met at Temple Ahavat Shalom Preschool in Northridge, California when they were just three years old. They quickly became pals.

Days at the preschool often found them playing together in the Temple garden, watering the plants, digging in the soil, and doing one of the most important jobs of any young child: getting dirty. The garden wasn't much to look at, but it was the birthplace of happy memories for Cassandra, Alexa, and scores of other children.

Despite surgeries and hopeful progress, Alexa eventually succumbed to brain cancer. Her death at age 10 left a huge hole in Cassandra's heart and in the entire community.

Cassandra designed the preschool space with the help of her father, Scott Cohen, an award-winning garden designer. It features elements that give young children a number of imaginative ways to experience their senses.

After raising more than $7,500, Cassandra and her crew of eager volunteers turned what had become little more than a 20 x 100-foot stretch of dirt, weeds and broken planting beds into Alexa's Kinder Garden, a rich, interactive five senses garden.

The garden begins with a reflexology path that gives bare feet a fun way to explore the sense of touch. Little feet learn by walking along a path that changes from smooth concrete to rough sand-wash to tickly pebbles to cool, round cobble.

To highlight the sense of smell, children experience a variety of delicious fragrances in an aromatherapy garden planted with rose and chocolate scented geraniums, roses, rosemary, lemon, nutmeg and lavender.

Curious taste buds are tempted by more plantings in raised beds on the other side of the garden. At harvest time, children can taste the vegetables, licorice, small fruits and other edibles they've planted and tended themselves.

To stimulate the sense of sight, the garden features an explosion of colorful flowers and vegetation in a number of contrasting textures. A reflecting gazing ball enhances the visual experience. The relaxing sounds of wind chimes ringing and leaves rustling in the breeze complete this five senses garden.

To make Alexa's Garden a reality, Cassandra recruited over 85 volunteers and gained sponsorship from numerous area businesses and organizations. Sponsors are recognized by name in decorative ceramic tiles that were hand-painted by Cassandra and her sisters in their father's ceramics studio.