Tizer Gardens floods with water… and support

Dark rain clouds lined with silver descended over Tizer Gardens and Arboretum on Saturday, June 3. With the heavy rainfall came high waters rushing down Prickly Pear Creek,  which runs through the gardens.

“I … put the word out on Facebook on Saturday morning that I needed help and 36 people magically appeared to help fill sandbags,” Tizer Gardens owner Belva Lotzer told The Monitor. “This community has supported us for the past 25 years and once again did not disappoint. I was so very grateful!”

In response to the rising waters – which drowned the children’s garden, collapsed a bridge and washed out pathways – Lotzer closed the gardens to visitors. The damage appeared to be worse initially, she explained, but it was mostly mitigated by overflow channels constructed several years ago. Lotzer is still unsure how much it will cost to repair the damages.