Last year, Rhizae Renewal Collective tilled spirals for planting sunflower seeds at 1316 Valley Street. This project has been both a phytoremediation and beautification project in the formerly redlined Johnston Square neighborhood in East Central Baltimore. We were successful in 2023 in receiving a Baltimore Community Foundation grant for $2,500. We used grant funds towards lead testing: Lemon Queen, Velvet Queen, Mammoth & Autumn Beauties sunflower varieties, bought two sunflower benches, and planted perennials at the center of the lot. Last year, Robin also presented at the Peale Museum in Baltimore as part of artist Many Morrison’s Journey of the Invader Spirit art exhibition where Robin gave a presentation called Flowering Baltimore: Sunflowers Working Towards Web Repair on sunflowers, plant intelligence, and the Rhizae Renewal Collective project.

This year, we had a remaining $800 maintained by ReBuild Johnston, our fiscal sponsor, who used these funds towards tilling and maintaining lot, as we passed off the project largely to the community association and the 6^th Branch, a veteran’s group who maintains lots along the Hoffman Corridor in Johnston Square. The phytoremediation turned beautification project is now being the directed by the community who loves how the sunflowers not only remediate soil but also the hearts of people who experience their beauty!