A wall of shoulder-high weeds had overrun the little piece of land tucked into the south side of Riley Elementary School by the time Eileen VanZandt got to work.
A former teacher had transformed the school's courtyard into a flourishing garden years ago, but by the summer of 2003, the 5,000-square-foot plot had sat neglected for some time, its plants and walking paths choked off by the unwanted invaders.
Wood lining the flowerbeds was overrun with carpenter ants, too, and the garden's centerpiece — a koi pond — was no more than a sludge-filled hole VanZandt dubbed the black lagoon.
"The whole area just became a jungle," she said.
So, when Riley students prepared to head to Abbott Sports Complex that fall for renovations, the longtime paraeducator, who whetted her green thumb as a farm girl in Custer County, decided she would pluck a few weeds.
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And then a few more.
"The grounds crew hauled out four large truckfuls of trash," she said.
VanZandt transplanted the existing greenery she found under the weeds. Put in some perennials. Cleared the walking paths. After the students returned in 2004, she even raised $7,000 through grants and donations to restore the mosquito-infested koi pond and install a bubbling waterfall.
Over the years, VanZandt and her husband, Steve, have added other amenities: chess and checkers boards, a garden shed, birdhouses, trees, a windmill, a wooden arbor.
There are personal touches, too: a bike from Eileen's childhood that has seen many a gravel road, a white headboard that belonged to their daughter.
"Every place you go here has something that we put in," Steve said.
"It's got a story," Eileen added.
Nearly 20 years later, the stewards of Riley's own little slice of paradise are still looking after the space they call their second home, as much a part of the garden as the koi swimming happily in the pond, the ducks who have set their nests there, the stout squirrels that climb the trees and feast on corn.
The little plot even bears a sign donated by the school: "The VanZandt Garden." There are homemade signs, too, pasted on the windows overlooking the garden. Thank you notes from students.
"It's about the kids," Steve said. "If it puts a smile even on one kid's face, it's worth it."
The VanZandts, who will have been married 58 years in March, spend nearly every day — from spring to winter — caring for the garden and its myriad plants and animals. It's something they can share together in retirement, Eileen said, with new projects being added each year.
"They're literally here all the time," said paraeducator Molly Harris.
The garden is a point of pride, too, for the Title I school at 51st and Orchard streets, a calming and relaxing space for the students that go there, many of whom come from low-income backgrounds.
"That's why I fell in love with Riley," Eileen said. "Some of these kids don't get to go to a park, so this is their own little park. We call it the outdoor classroom."
Not only can students track the garden's progress each year from the six classrooms and a hallway that overlook it — watching ducks hatch is often a yearly highlight — but they can visit during recess and throughout the day.Â
During the pandemic, the garden was used more often since the school would try to spread out kids during recess. Garden day was a highlight.
"It really is one-of-a-kind," said Riley Principal Jeff Bjorkman.
The garden has become such an important part of the Riley community that the PTA holds an annual penny drive for the space. Jars are spread throughout the school to collect donations for everything from bird seed and mulch, to pond chemicals and weed killer.
After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the fundraiser is back this month and the school has already raised nearly $2,000.
The goal? $1,200.
"Everybody's invested," said Harris, the PTA treasurer. "We've had former teachers, former employees donated. … Everybody loves the Riley garden. It's such a little treasure."
Eileen and Steve met at a school dance when they were just teenagers. The small-town Nebraskans — Eileen is from Comstock and Steve is from Sargent — married in 1964.
They moved to Lincoln and Eileen found work as a para, eventually landing at Riley. She retired 13 years ago, two years after Steve retired from his job at General Dynamics.
With more time on their hands, they turned their sights to the Riley garden full time.
"It's a dual effort," Eileen said.
They don't consider it their garden — it's the school's, they say — but they're happy to invest their time and effort into taking care of it. They've contributed their own money in the project, too, and local businesses are often willing to give them a discount when they say it's for the Riley garden.
Eileen has even written three children's books about the garden's ducks, and some years back, the couple took over a rain garden on the other side of the school.
Steve guesses there's no more than a dozen days they're not at the school tending to the garden. Even after a snowstorm last winter, the couple trekked through the snow with shovels to ensure the pond's pump was functioning.
"I couldn't even estimate how many hours they're out there," Bjorkman said. "You can't have a garden like that without really dedicated people."
They plan to be the garden's stewards as long as they're able. Steve is 79 and Eileen 76, but they say the work makes them younger.
On a cold day last week, the VanZandts visited the garden, which wasn't exactly bursting with green. The middle of February is about the barest it gets, Steve explained.
But there was a hope in the flowerbeds: Daffodil sprouts poking through the soil.
Signs of another busy spring ahead.
"There's always something to do," Steve said. "This is why we spend our time here."