It was truly a labor of love and collaboration that brought into being the King’s Court landscaped and mural-decorated reading garden, named in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., at PS 254 in Richmond Hill. The back courtyard was an eyesore — “a dirt hole,” according to Chapter Leader Adam Osman — until teacher Heather Sosnovsky won a $5,000 Lowe’s Home Improvement grant and the transformation began. Osman, a computer teacher who has been at the Queens school since its opening in 2004, laid the patio, skim-coated the wall to prepare it for the mural and brought in the hose to keep the garden watered. Art teacher Alaksander Popovic and his students designed and painted the mural based on their research of the French primitive painter Henri Rousseau, who is best known for jungle scenes. And when they were finished, kindergarten teacher Gary Fox took charge of the landscaping, with Cory Mays of the school’s custodial staff serving as everyone’s right-hand man. Comfortable outdoor furniture is expected any day now to add the finishing touch. The official opening took place on Sept. 27 with a morning ceremony. The school’s music students, both vocal and instrumental, performed for a capacity crowd of parents, elected officials and community members. The garden is just another feather in the cap of a school where such collaboration earned it a 2010 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award and A ratings for the past six years. Now the 650 K-5 students have a peaceful and beautiful corner in which to read and dream for years to come.