September 1, 2004, Wednesday, Metro Edition

Weeds, thistles make him bristle

By Joe Kimball; Staff Writer

Down on his luck, 68-year-old Willie Robinson spends lots of time with other homeless men at the Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul. He hangs out, smokes and shoots the breeze with the other guys, who like to call him Pops.

     In the spring of 2003, he saw volunteers planting flowers on the roadside near the homeless shelter and the Xcel Energy Center. A farmer and greenhouse worker in his younger days in Arkansas, Robinson wasn't shy.

     "Need any help?" he asked.

     "Sure," replied Larry Morgan, a volunteer on the Rotary Club team responsible for that patch of flowers. So began a relationship between Robinson and those downtown flowers and a friendship between the two men.

     Now, several times a week, Robinson comes downtown to care for the three thriving, vivid flower beds at W. 7th St. and 5th St. - the area called Cleveland Circle - one of the main entry points into downtown.

     Morgan said Robinson does a terrific job, planting in the spring, and pulling weeds and cleaning up garbage during the season.

     "All you can see are flowers and dirt," he said.

     Robinson, a soft-spoken man who calls his friend "Mr. Larry," takes great pride in his work. "It looks so neat and clean," he said.

     The Rotary Club has maintained the flower gardens since 1992; Morgan has been involved since the beginning and in charge for the past several years. He said Robinson's good work reflects well on the service club's reputation.

     Morgan, an engineer for a downtown architectural firm, was so impressed with Robinson's efforts that he now pays a small stipend for the gardening work.

     "People are busy; it's hard to find time to weed. But Willie has taken ownership and it's been a great help for our image," Morgan said. "He even scolds people if they cut through the gardens, shoos them away."

     Robinson was raised on a farm in Arkansas; his family always had a big garden, with cabbage, lettuce, corn and tomatoes, but not flowers. You couldn't eat flowers, he said. Now divorced, he's worked at various jobs over the years, including the stint in an Arkansas greenhouse. He used to play drums in a blues band, too.

     Still recovering from a small stroke, Robinson moved to St. Paul in 2003 to be near a nephew. His disability check isn't enough to pay for an apartment, so he's spent time in shelters. He contracted pneumonia last winter and stayed in a nursing home all summer but hopes to move into a residence at the Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul.

     And because Robinson lives a mile or so from the gardens and has trouble walking, the Rotary Club gave him a bike earlier this year. It was blue, with 18 gears, Robinson said.

     Then the bike was stolen, but a few days later some of Robinson's friends at Dorothy Day spotted the culprit and retrieved the bike. "They saw me and hollered: 'Pops, we got your bike.' I was glad to have it back."

     Last week, though, the bike was stolen again, even though it was double-locked. "I've still got both keys here in my pocket," he said.

     Eager to help even more, Morgan also has hired Robinson to mow his own St. Paul lawn and trim the hedges.

     Robinson takes the bus or hitches a ride with Morgan. "I really like the work, plus it keeps me busy," Robinson said.

     In the downtown gardens, he tends rows of begonias, nicotiana, African marigolds and bright-red sage plants. After planting the annuals this spring, Morgan, Robinson and others laid several inches of leaf compost on the new plants. This fall, they'll clear the beds, then start planning for next year.

     Robinson carries his work tools - a tiny rake and a weed digger, and some leather gardening gloves - in a small black bag.

     In his quest to help his new friend, Morgan contacted the St. Paul Garden Club, which maintains the gardens in downtown's Rice Park. Garden Club President Betsy Kelly pays Robinson a small amount to patrol the park's hostas and annual bed.

     Kelly, whom Robinson calls "Ms. Betsy," said he "knows the difference between a weed and flower, which is important, because many people don't. Plus, he's reliable, picks up litter in the park, and he has those leather gloves so he can pull out those nasty thistles."

     Robinson exudes a subdued, poetic manner, she said. "He says he likes to be out in the gardens during the cool of the morning."

     Joe Kimball is at 651-298-1553 or joek@startribune.com.