Growing garden

The beloved Sims EcoScape is now under the care of Rachel and Kurt Key.

The Keys took over the Edgewood garden in early October, soon after the previous caretakers moved. They said they were able to take over pretty quickly and seamlessly, and there was no lull time where someone wasn’t taking care of the garden. 

The Keys attended the University of Alabama and met while working for an organization called Creative Campus. They have always had a love for gardening. However, this passion did not develop at school but through their upbringing in their hometowns.

“I worked at an educational farm back home in Ohio during my summers in college with the local parks and recreation,” Rachel Key said. “I gained a lot of interest in gardening from that, as well as from working at the local farmers market.”

Kurt Key grew up in the Bahamas in a family of citrus farmers, where he was surrounded by different gardens and saw gardening as a way of life. 

“This new role has been going back to my roots a little bit,” he said. “It has been really great getting to go back to a garden and getting to start working on it.”

As the new caretakers of Sims EcoScape, the couple is trying to build on the original plan, which is to build a sustainable garden and add value to the community. They are doing a lot of work right now, such as mulching around hydrangeas and trying to navigate different issues in the garden such as erosion.

“The garden is still growing, and we are just trying to add to it and make a garden that is up to the standards as an award-winning garden that everyone can be proud of, more so than it is already,” Kurt Key said.  

The primary focus Rachel and Kurt Key have for the garden is making it a central part of the community. They said they are hoping to hold more events to educate the community on topics such as honeybees and provide other educational opportunities for children and adults. Fundraisers also will be added through the year to help provide these opportunities.  The Keys said they want the garden to be a place where residents can always feel welcome.

“As a community, we want people to have events at the garden. If someone has a book club, we would love for them to meet there,” Rachel Key said. “We encourage people to come by anytime between dawn and dusk.”

The couple want to continue to help make the dream Catherine Sims had for her garden a reality.  

“It’s a continuing project that is still improving,” Kurt Key said. “We are building on the hard work that has already been done.”

Find Sims EcoScape at facebook.com/SimsGardens and instagram.com/sims_gardens. 

Sims EcoScape is located at 908 Highland Road, Homewood, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, email simsgardens@gmail.com.