Planting STEAM: Cultivating curiosity in the NCROC display garden

Jennifer Behm, Statewide Youth & Family Programs Coordinator for the Bell Museum 

Each year, All-America Selections (AAS) invites public gardens across the country to participate in its annual Landscape Design Challenge — an initiative that encourages creative, educational, and visually compelling displays featuring award-winning AAS varieties. For 2025, the challenge theme was STEAM, prompting participating sites to explore the intersections of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics through purposeful garden design. 

At the North Central Research and Outreach Center (NCROC) in Grand Rapids, Horticulturalist Crystal Sucher immediately recognized the theme as a perfect fit. The concept aligned beautifully with NCROC’s commitment to community outreach and youth education. With the Bell Museum — Minnesota’s official natural history museum — already providing hands-on STEM learning through summer camps at the University of Minnesota’s Research and Outreach Centers, the partnership was a natural next step. Working with Bell Museum statewide coordinator Jennifer Behm, along with Grand Rapids Bell Camp staff and campers, the team set out to bring a STEAM-themed garden to life. 

What began as sketches and planning meetings during the snowy winter months burst into activity in mid-June. The project came together through the combined efforts of NCROC staff, Bell Museum educators, dedicated volunteers, and support from local community organizations, each contributing to make the garden a reality. On June 17, the first group of elementary-aged campers dug in, planting the STEAM Garden as part of NCROC’s inaugural entry into the national AAS Landscape Design Challenge. This first-time entry made an impressive debut — NCROC received an Honorable Mention in the nationwide contest, a recognition that celebrates both the creativity of the design and the strength of the educational partnership behind it. Throughout the growing season, visitors remarked on the creativity of the theme-based project. They were particularly drawn to the educational connections embedded in the design, asking about plant choices, layout decisions, and the featured AAS varieties. The result was a space where horticulture, education, and hands-on participation worked together to create an experience that was both instructive and inspiring. 

For the Bell Museum campers, the garden became both classroom and canvas. While planting award-winning AAS varieties, they explored plant biology, applied math skills through spacing and layout exercises, and expressed their creativity through design. A customized curriculum — developed specifically for this project — helped campers connect science with aesthetic decision-making in a tangible, memorable way. More than 200 youth engaged with the garden over the summer, using it as a living laboratory to make observations, test ideas, and link gardening with fun and learning. 

Beyond serving as a hub for youth learning, the STEAM Garden became a point of interest for regional visitors. It was highlighted on several tours for outreach groups and gardening clubs, where staff members shared the story of the garden’s creation and answered questions about design elements and AAS flower selections. The display was further promoted through NCROC’s social media channels and featured in the 8th District Minnesota Horticultural Society newsletter, expanding its reach throughout the region’s gardening community. 

In October, the STEAM Garden’s impact was highlighted even further when Jennifer Behm, Statewide Youth & Family Programs Coordinator for the Bell Museum, delivered the keynote address at the annual 8th District Horticultural Society meeting. The event brought together garden clubs from across eight northern Minnesota counties. Her presentation showcased the unique partnership between the Bell Museum and NCROC — a collaboration that has cultivated a new kind of learning environment. Through this innovative effort, NCROC and the Bell Museum have shown how a display garden can become more than a landscape — it can grow into a powerful educational experience. 

This story was also published in Seeds, the 8th District Minnesota Horticultural Society newsletter.