Tag: Cisterns

Learn From The Cisterns!

On By durhammastergardenersIn Durham NC, Uncategorized

A Lesson in Merging Art, Education, and Functionality

By Lisa Nadler, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

A volunteer artist painting a mural on a cistern, featuring flowers and wildlife, against a brick wall.
An artist painting floral designs on a gray cistern while holding a cup, with a ladder and building in the background.
Volunteers painting a colorful mural on a large cistern outside a brick building, showcasing plants and flowers.

A group led by Lisa Nadler (left) and artist Dave Milkereit (center), both Durham County Master Gardener Volunteers, painted wonderful murals on these cisterns. This beautiful work of art took various volunteers (right) a total of 400 hours to complete. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler, Dave Milkereit)

In a previous blog article dated January 22, 2025, we shared the story of transforming our peeling and industrial looking cisterns at the Durham County Extension Office. (Read more here: From Eyesore to Educational Masterpiece). A quick recap for today’s post: Two large cisterns sit on the north side of the cooperative extension building at 721 Foster St, Durham, NC. They feed rainwater to our Demonstration Garden primarily on the east side of the building. The cisterns were practical but not very attractive. Our goal was to make them artful.

A large, green cistern with peeling paint is positioned next to a brick building, featuring a water pumping system and connected hoses. The area is landscaped with grass.

One of the original industrial cisterns needing a remake. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

The Demonstration Garden features a variety of mostly native plants grouped by their sunlight requirements. Rainwater for the garden is collected from the building’s roof and stored in the two large cisterns. A pump system distributes the water, reducing the need for manual watering. This approach conserves city water during all but the driest spells, it saves time, and provides consistent irrigation.

Diagram showing the water flow system from two cisterns to the Demonstration Garden, including a pump, filters, main line, and zone valves directing water to various garden beds.

Water flow diagram from cistern to garden (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

From start to finish, this project was a testament to the power of collaboration, creativity, and careful planning. The project reflected the core mission of the Master Gardener program: to educate, beautify, and engage our communities.

Through 400 hours of volunteer service, these artfully painted cisterns aren’t just visually striking; they play an essential role in our sustainability efforts and reflect the values we bring to everything we do: thoughtful planning, hands-on teamwork, and a commitment to cultivating both beauty and purpose in our shared spaces.

Goals of the Cistern Painting Project

Our project aimed to:

Support the mission of the Master Gardener program through education, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. We hit the mark, while having fun. The cisterns became a symbol of community pride. Our three specific goals were to:

  • Enhance the visual appeal and create a welcoming space for visitors to the Extension Office at 721 Foster Street.
  • Introduce visitors to the Demonstration Garden and highlight the work of Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Durham County.
  • Educate the public about native wetland and garden plants through the cistern artwork and an accompanying educational website.
    • The website offers:
      • A detailed overview of the cistern project, including the decision-making process behind the artwork.
      • Information about the artist, Dave Milkereit
      • A summary of the native plants and pollinators depicted on the cisterns.
      • A step by step guide to the painting process.
    • The site also provides:
      • A history of the Demonstration Garden.
      • Details about the design and functionality of the irrigation system.
      • A summary of the mission and purpose of Master Gardeners program.
      • An extensive list of resources on these topics.

Look at our success!

A gray cistern painted with colorful floral designs, including hibiscus and bluebells, located beside a brick building.
A painted cistern featuring bright yellow flowers, a ruby-throated hummingbird, and a monarch butterfly, set against a gray background, located outside a brick building.

The completed cisterns (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

Eight Months, 400 Hours, One Collaborative Vision

This project came together faster than you’d think—just eight months from August 2024 to April 2025! It took a total of 400 volunteer hours, and every single one counted. A sharp, dedicated group led by Lisa Nadler and Dave Milkereit, worked through each step—from stripping off old paint and scuffing the surface, to carefully outlining designs and mixing colors. A paint-by-number method enabled volunteers to efficiently fill in colors with accuracy. Final touches included artistic detailing and the final application of a UV and graffiti protection system, ensuring durability and its continued use as a teaching tool.

A colorful graphic illustrating the step-by-step process of painting cisterns, including tasks like removing old paint, applying a base coat, and outlining designs.

Close attention was paid to the details to make sure everything turned out right. A smart plan and hard work made the whole thing come together. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

Visit and Learn

We invite you to explore more on our cisterns through the cistern’s website or the QR code on each cistern. It’s a fun and educational experience that highlights the beauty and utility of these once-overlooked structures.

A close-up view of a mural on a cistern featuring yellow flowers and pink blossoms, with text labels and a QR code for educational information.
One of the completed cisterns with its informational QR code. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

Resources and Additional Information

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5ZL

From Eyesore to Educational Masterpiece

On By durhammastergardenersIn art in the landscape, garden design, gardening education, sustainable garden art, sustainable garden design, sustainable watering, sustanability

By Lisa Nadler, Mary Hanlon, and Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

The Durham County Extension Demonstration Garden (DG) is a unique, widely-recognized city garden that welcomes and inspires visitors. It is a place of education and entertainment even during the winter months because of the plant tags used throughout the garden that are linked to the NC State Extension Toolbox. The art installations in the garden make the garden a haven for native plants and pollinators and the garden has received Bird Friendly Habitat Certification from New Hope Bird Alliance.

Recently the DG has undergone a few changes. A chronic eyesore has been converted to a work of educational art and a beloved member of the garden died and had to be removed.

Changing an eyesore to a work of art that is beautiful and educational.

The demonstration garden is located at the Durham County Extension Office (721 Foster St Durham, NC 27701). The majority of the garden is in the front of the building and consists of a variety of plants that are grouped according to their sun requirements. Water to nourish the garden comes from two large cisterns located on the side of the building. The cisterns reduce the need for hand watering which saves time and provides more consistent watering but they were ugly.

The large cisterns were valuable but not very attractive. How could they become a work of art and serve the educational purpose of the Durham Master Gardener Demonstration Garden? (Image credit: Allie Mullin, Lisa Nadler)

The goal was to make the cisterns more visually appealing to people visiting the Extension Office and create an opportunity to educate the public about native wetland and garden plants. Master Gardener Lisa Nadler, in conjunction with local muralist and Master Gardener Dave Milkereit, led a team1 in transforming the cisterns into a welcoming and  educational experience for visitors to the Extension Office.

The first step was to remove the peeling paint manually and through the use of electric sanders. Next the cisterns were covered with several coats of primer and a background color. The idea was to use a fairly neutral dark color of paint so that the images of the plants and pollinators would “pop”.

Preparation for painting included sanding and application of several coats of primer (Image credit: Lisa Nadler and Allie Mullin)

Dave Milkereit painted the plants and pollinators to be featured on the cisterns on canvas and then rolled the canvas to see how it would look on the cisterns. The design included plants, insects and birds from swamp and wetland areas as well as garden and prairie environments.

Dave divided his painting into grids to allow him to transfer his work onto the cistern scaling up the size appropriately. From there, he used chalk to draw the outlines of the plants and pollinators from his drawing. Dave then painted over the chalk outlines with black paint. (Image credit: Dave Milkereit)

After Lisa and Dave mixed paints to match the colors of the plants and pollinators, they taped on numbers corresponding to the colors to be painted, and set the rest of the Master Gardeners to work filling in the image using a “paint by number” system. Several of the paints were translucent and required a white background before the color painting.

The color palette on the left is then being applied by Ashley Troth, Durham Extension Agent and Joan Barber, chair of the demonstration garden committee. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

The final step will be to add a UV protection and a graffiti protection system. Lisa Nadler comments on the lessons learned through this project:

“In all, about 400 hours of volunteer time went into this project. We have gotten lots of positive feedback about the results as well.  It would never have been possible without Dave’s creativity and his willingness to let amateur painters work on his creation. In addition, his support and skill were what allowed this project to go smoothly.”

On the left the Extension Master Gardeners are recognized for their efforts. Lisa Nadler and Dave Milkereit were instrumental in providing leadership and creativity (Image credit: Lisa Nadler, Dave Milkereit)

Now that the project is completed visitors are encouraged to visit the Extension Office to admire and learn. As you face the cisterns you’ll see the left cistern features native plants for gardens, while the cistern on the right highlights native plants found in wetlands. The images of plants include both the common and scientific name and when the cistern website is completed they will be linked to the NC Extension Toolbox through a QR code which will be posted on each cistern.

The illustrations on the cisterns include both the common name as well as the scientific name of the plants and pollinators on the cisterns making them both beautiful and educational (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

The Disappearing Electric Boxes

There was one more painting project that the Durham EMGs decided to tackle. The front façade of the extension building has long been dominated by a large, grey, electrical box. For years, members of the demonstration garden team had discussed adding a design to make it more appealing. Mary Hanlon had an idea to hide the box in plain sight by painting it to match the bricks of the building.

The first step was to find the right colors. Lisa Nadler found a brick that appeared to match the building perfectly.  Mary purchased a paint sample that was color-matched to the brick, experimented by painting a poster board with this color, and confirmed that it blended well with the building.  It was more challenging to color-match the multiple types of grout that had been used on the building.  The starting point was a custom color mixed by Dave Milkereit, but it took several trips to paint stores to collect similar color chips and paint samples, and multiple experiments on the poster board to find a color that blended well with the building grout.

The box was cleaned with a dry cloth followed by a damp cloth, being careful to avoid getting water in the box. The team painted the electrical box with exterior primer and paint that matched the building. The next step was to add the grout lines. Jeff Kanters and Mary Hanlon drew horizontal level chalk lines on the box, and taped mock bricks (cardboard cut to the size of a brick) on the lines, to form the desired pattern. They then outlined the “bricks” with chalk to indicate where the grout lines would be before painting  the lines.   The next step was shading the bricks and grout to give them a little dimension. Again, they practiced on poster boards before moving on to the electrical box.

Before and after pictures of the electric box at the front of the building. Jeff Kanters and Mary Hanlon did the majority of the painting and Mary coordinated the project. (Image credit: Left: Lisa Nadler others by Mary Hanlon)

A tree dies and is removed: What now?

A large crabapple tree (Malus coronaria) died and had to be removed. This tree was a beloved feature of the Shady Bed and a staple of the Demo Garden, so its removal marks a bittersweet moment.

Before its removal the crabapple tree (Malus coronaria) was the anchor of the shady bed which isn’t so shady anymore and the bed is now awaiting new plants and a native tree. (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

According to Extension Agent Ashley Troth, ” We will be adding another tree, this time a native, and adding lots of native shrubs and perennials. It will be a sunnier set of plants than were there previously, with an emphasis on drought tolerance, as that bed can get quite dry under the willow oak.“

In the coming year the Demo Garden team will explore innovative ideas and exciting plans for this area. We’re looking forward to creating something special to honor this space!

1. Thanks to all of the EMGs that worked on these projects: Ashley Troth (the Boss); Alice Hall; Allie Mullin; Anna Glasgow; Carol Tierney; Cathy Lambe; Darline Burgess; Dave Milkereit (the artist); Diane Catotti; Jeff Kanters; Joan Barber; Mary Hanlon (artist in charge of the electric boxes); Marya McNeish (website creator and organizer); Lisa Nadler (leader and herder of cats)

Additional Resources

To learn more about art in the garden, take a look at a previous post by Durham Master Gardener Wendy Diaz. https://durhammastergardeners.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=15791&action=edit

A website that includes more details on the cistern project as well as other resources is in development. Once completed, stickers with the QR code linking to the website will be placed on each cistern. Stay tuned!

Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5uY