The Betty Zielstorf Memorial Garden at the Oxford Post Office, 144 Main Street, Oxford, NC was          planned, planted, and is currently maintained by Members of the Granville Gardeners.

The Granville Gardeners club is an outgrowth of the earlier Men’s Garden Club in Oxford, NC.  The club has been in its present form since 1998 and is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  Its mission is to promote education and recreation through gardening activities. 

In the spring of 2010, with the consent and cooperation of Postmaster Karl Whitt, the Granville Gardeners landscaped the front of the post office.  After several planning meetings, a landscape design was made, and curving beds were laid out.  Screened leaf compost was donated by John Bryan of Bryan’s Clearing and Grading, and on Friday May 21^st member Marty Finkel picked up and delivered three loads (about 1 cubic yard/each) in her small Nissan truck.  On hand to unload were six GG members, one volunteer, and John Lumpkin from the post office. 

On Saturday May 22, two loads of composted horse manure were given by member Lee Humphries, and eleven other members were ready to till and mix with shovels.  Three had brought tillers, and Gary Williams and Bob Stewart were the main muscle handling those.  More bed work was done twice in June.

In choosing plants, the size at maturity was a main consideration so that periodic pruning would not be necessary.  We also wanted colorful flowers, easy care, insect and disease resistance, a variety of shapes, and varied textures.  Original plants:

Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica) ‘Blue Ice’ Mature height given as 25’ and width  6 – 7’, which would fit the space and would not obscure post office signs.  Beautiful blue color.

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica) Upright shrub to 8 - 10’, fine leaf texture, yellow berries

Dwarf Nandina ‘Harbour Dwarf’ Maturing at 1.5’ tall by 2 -3’ wide, abundant infertile red berries

Butterfly Bush ‘Blue Chip’ (Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’) 3’ tall by 3 - 4’ wide, masses of sterile, lavender-blue flowers

Large ornamental grass (Miscanthus species) 3’ tall by 3’ wide with 5’ flower stalks; texture, shape

Pink Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) About 3’ tall by 4’ wide.  Spectacular 4’ tall flower stalks in September; texture, easy care

Purple Cone Flower (Echinachea purpurea) 3 - 4’ tall by 1 – 2’ wide.  Pink to rose flowers

Hibiscus ‘Blood of Christ’ A brilliant rock star shrub covered in large red flowers.  The nursery swore it was hardy but was tropical so died after the first winter.  Sadly there are no pictures available of the initial garden  Below is a picture provided by Google Maps Street View taken 3 years after it was finished

             July 2013, 3 years after planting the garden: Google Maps Street Image sent by Kat Ravenel  

Photos other than Google Maps Street Images are by Kat Ravenel and Kay Nutt 

August 2025, 15 years after initial planting      Google Maps Street Image

The one constant about gardens is that they change.  Four key color components were lost when the blue cypresses were removed because they outgrew their spaces.  The beds lost their curves and became straight lines.  The butterfly bushes each side of the entrance became too wide, and eventually all the original plants were replaced with different ones.

On the right side of the main door, now there is a crape myrtle, a Camellia sasanqua, and a rose of Sharon, and on the far right corner there is an enormous lantana.  On the left side of the main entrance there is a small daphne and a rose of Sharon.

Perennials include:  Daffodils, sedums, orange coneflower, dahlia, chrysanthemum, verbena, yarrow, aster, penstemon, Oriental and Asian lilies, purple coneflower, threadleaf bluestar, blazing star, and iris.  Cleome, though an annual, reseeds each year.  The camellia and daffodils should be blooming soon. 

Peter Gumaer managed the garden from its completion in 2010 until 2024, seeing that it was kept weeded, mulched, deadheaded, watered, and plants removed and added from time to time by GG volunteers.  In 2024, Kat Ravenel agreed to manage the garden if native plants could be gradually added to replace existing non-natives.  A good start was made in 2025 by adding the native shrubs hearts-a-bustin' and St. John's wort, and native perennials Appalachian blazing star, rattlesnake master, and yellowroot.        

The garden has high visibility, is loved by the community (judging from the many comments received when working there), and serves as a teaching garden to discover and learn about new plants, conditions for thriving, good looking combinations, etc.  Volunteers go for refreshments before and/or after work.