The Camden Colorfield Project envisions the city of Camden as a giant colorfield painting, created by the blooms of indigenous flowers in the hues of the rainbow. A community art action, the Colorfield Project is making “Earth Balls,” balls of earth that that contain the seeds of indigenous wildflowers. Targeted for city wide planting, these marble-sized balls are made out of clay and planting soil. In celebration of Earth Day, project participants are invited to create balls embedded with the seeds of wildflowers. Each ball is then rolled in the colorant that corresponds to the hues of the wildflower seeds contained within. Once a project participant makes an Earth Ball, the ball can then be planted in a private or shared community garden. Not only will these blooming flowers be beautiful to look at, they will also support the pollinator species (birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and bees) who do the work of pollinating our crops and supporting our ecosystems.
Psychologists tell us that the best way to acquire a new behavior is to attach it to a ritual. The Camden Colorfield Project proposes that Earth Day, should be a time for planting Earth Balls. Much like Easter eggs, these balls of seeds can be colored with child-safe colorants. Colorfield Project uses Halo power, corn starch colored with food dye, for a beautiful bright finish.
In Camden, the Colorfield Project seed balls are targeted to be disseminated in specific zones of wildflower color across the city. North Camden is currently being planted with white wildflowers. Traveling south, the next zone down is being populated with pink wildflower balls. Crossing the Rutgers-Camden campus, the third zone going south is being planted with red wildflowers. The orange zone begins on the south side of Market Street. The yellow and green zones continue to Atlantic Avenue. The blue zone comes next and the last zone concludes with purple wildflowers in South Camden.
Please come join us in 2020! We will be offering public Earth Ball making workshops at the Rutgers-Camden Campus Center campus on Earth Day, April 22, 2020 from 12:30 to 3:30 and we hope to see you there.
The color for the Colorfield Project is listed below courtesy of American Meadows. Feel free to order your own seeds and make your own Earth Balls. Our eco-system and the other 9 billion people on planet Earth will thank you.
Cheers and remember “Earth Balls for Earth Day.”–Elizabeth Demaray
| AM013211 | Indian Blanket Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 8.96 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013478 | Drummond Phlox Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 20.86 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013030 | Eastern Red Columbine Seeds | 5 | 3.56 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013206 | Blanket Flower Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 12.56 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013399 | Cardinal Flower Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013448 | Lemon Mint Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 19.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM0130 | Rocket Larkspur Seeds Pink Queen – 1/4 LB | 1 | 15.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013040 | Common Milkweed Seeds – Packet | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013201 | Joe Pye Weed Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013444 | Bee Balm or Wild Bergamot Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013098 | Siberian Wallflower Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 9.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013154 | Sulphur Cosmos Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 8.51 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013043 | Butterfly Weed Seeds – 1 Ounce | 1 | 25.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM012359 | Partridge Pea Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 8.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013147 | Sulphur Cosmos Seeds Dwarf Lemon – 1/4 LB | 1 | 15.16 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013461 | Evening Primrose Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 6.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013510 | Black Eyed Susan Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 11.01 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013196 | Rattlesnake Master Seeds | 20 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM012961 | Borage Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 9.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013080 | Blue Cornflower or Bachelor Button Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 5.56 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013408 | Blue Flax Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 8.06 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013042 | Prairie Aster Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013480 | Lacy Phacelia Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 5.66 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013026 | New England Aster Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013392 | Blazing Star Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 23.71 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013423 | Perennial Lupine Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 11.36 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013468 | Cape Daisy Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 19.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013398 | Sweet Alyssum Seeds – 1/4 LB | 1 | 9.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM013004 | Penstemon digitalis Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
| AM012937 | Whorled Milkweed Seeds | 5 | 3.95 | 04-05-2019 |
Red Seeds:
1/4 lb Indian Blanket Seed – Annual, Blooms in Summer, 12″-24″ tall
1/4 lb Drummond Phlox Seed – Annual, Blooms in Summer – Fall, 20″ tall
5 packets Eastern Red Columbine Seed – Perennial, Blooms in Early Summer, 24″ tall
1/4 lb Blanket Flower Seed – Perennial, Blooms in Summer, 18″-30″ tall
5 packets Cardinal Flower Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Late Summer, 24″-48″ tall
Pink Seeds:
1/4 lb Lemon Mint Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Spring – Summer, 12″-24″ tall
1/4 lb Rocket Larkspur Seeds Pink Queen – Annual, Blooms Early Summer- Late Summer, up to 48″ tall
5 packets Common Milkweed Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Summer, 30″-60″ tall
5 packets Joe Pye Weed Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Late Summer- Fall, 36″-96″ tall
5 packets Bee Balm or Wild Bergamot Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Mid-Summer to Fall, 24″-48″ tall
Orange Seeds:
1/4 lb Siberian Wallflower Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Spring, 10″-18″ tall
1/4 lb Sulphur Cosmos Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Summer-Fall, 36″-48″ tall
1 Ounce Butterfly Weed Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Summer, Up to 36″ tall
Yellow Seeds:
1/4 lb Partridge Pea Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Mid-Summer-Early Fall, 24″-36″ tall
1/4 lb Sulphur Cosmos Seeds Dwarf Lemon – Annual, Blooms in Summer-Fall, 20″-30″ tall
1/4 lb Evening Primrose Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Summer, 24″-60″ tall
1/4 lb Black Eyed Susan Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Summer-Fall, 24″-36″ tall
Chartreuse Seeds:
20 packets Rattlesnake Master Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Mid-Late Summer, 24″-48″ tall
Blue Seeds:
1/4 lb Borage Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Early-Mid Summer, 24″-36″ tall
1/4 lb Blue Cornflower or Bachelor Button Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Summer, 28″-36″ tall
1/4 lb Blue Flax Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Spring-Summer, 18″-30″ tall
Purple Seeds:
5 packets Prairie Aster Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Mid-Late Summer, Up to 18″ tall
1/4 lb Lacy Phacelia Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Spring-Summer, 12″-24″ tall
5 packets New England Aster Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Late Summer-Fall, up to 48″ tall
1/4 lb Blazing Star Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Summer-Fall, 24″-48″ tall
1/4 lb Perennial Lupine Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Spring-Summer, 12″-36″ tall
White Seeds:
1/4 lb Cape Daisy Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Early-Late Summer, 12″-18″ tall
1/4 lb Sweet Alyssum Seeds – Annual, Blooms in Spring-Fall, 8″-16″ tall
5 packets Penstemon Digitalis Seeds – Perennial, Blooms in Early-Mid Summer, 36″ tall
5 packets Whorled Milkweed Seeds – Perennial, Blooms Mid-Late Summer, 24″ tall
elizabethdemaray 