Gardens Founded in 2001 - Home in 2002

Echinacea - Photo by Laura Davis

The garden began in 2001 with the help of Norm Erickson, a Northland Hospice volunteer, at the corner of Switzer Canyon Drive and Turquoise. At that time the home had not been completed but a beautiful sign was placed on the corner. Norm continued to work on the beds on the east side of the sidewalk along Switzer Canyon Drive and in front of the home, until 2008. The rest of the gardens were developed by a core of Coconino County Master Gardeners initially led by Laura Davis and since 2007 by Loni Shapiro.

The garden crew is active from April-October and sometimes in November weather permitting. Work happens weekly throughout the garden season on Monday and Thursday mornings from 8:00 am-12:00 pm. It also is scheduled for one Saturday a month from April through October. Cancellations due to weather will be posted by 6:00 am of the workday on this blog. You must attend a spring orientation to the garden and Northland Hospice & Palliative Care in order to work. A summary of the work that has been done is included on the blog. Look for weekly postings on this blog during the garden season.
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Volunteering in the Garden

2015 Calendar

April 13, 11:30-1:30 Lunch and orientation for new volunteers at hospice and TB testing for all

April 16, 9:15-10 TB tests read and 10:00 garden orientation. First Thursday workday 9-12

April 20, First Monday workday 9-12

May 2, Saturday workday 9-12

If you are interested in volunteering, please email CrysWells@gmail.com.

Please note: TB testing is required annually for all garden volunteers.

If you have current TB results that were done by a physician or at a hospital, these may be submitted to Northland Hospice.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact the volunteer coordinator Kathy Simmons (ksimmons@northlandhospice.org) to schedule a time for testing and orientation.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Workdays 9/19 22 24/11

On Monday, Kay Balzer joined me for her last day in the garden before leaving for Nevada for the winter. She planted 4 new honeysuckle vines that will adorn the new fencing between the arbors, transplanted a rose that was being buried by a lavender, and moved 2 hyssop and 1 coral bell from pots into the 1/2 circle garden. I spent my time waterings some new plantings and thinning out some yarrow from several beds.

On Thursday's workday we spent the day beginning to clean-up the garden and put it away for the winter. Since we have not had a frost as yet many things are still blooming including the roses. Betty Marcus gathered seeds, cut down hollyhock and Mexican hat, and watered new plantings. Becky Lewis dug up some of our herbs to put in the sunroom and transplanted some geranium and other frost sensitive plants. Judith Chaddock reorganized and cleaned the sunroom to accommodate many more plants. Marilyn VanWagner washed teapots and watering cans, and I put them away for the winter. Jim Woods chipped up most of the cuttings for the compost. David Hockman fixed another redwood rocker and weeded along the north edge of the property. Julie Homes fed the birds and deadheaded. Marcia Lamkin watered the MMG in Laura's absence. We still have much more to do before the end of the season, but the weather has been too warm to put everything away.

Dave and Murphy, and Whitney managed to bring many of the residents out into the garden today with warm temperatures up to 75.

On what may be our last Saturday workday of the season, Debbie Crisp worked with me in the garden mulching roses, transplanting and watering. Nancy Palmer came and watered the MMG and the Inferno Strip. On arrival at 9am I spotted a small mule deer running from the north native garden. She took off towards the Y - stopped and looked at me when I yelled at her and then came closer and decided to go down the center of the canyon nibbling grass as she went. She had a nice meal in the native garden - gamble oak, wine cups, strawberries in the native pot, and as I discovered other parts of the garden. She has good taste - wine and strawberries. I am glad it is close to the end of the season as she has taken a liking to the garden. She is probably the one who finished off the large raised container with strawberries last week. She looks like the same doe I saw a few weeks ago in the middle of the afternoon. Hope she gets more fearful as the hunting season begins.This is a photo of her with her fawn suckling.


Upcoming:
Bulb Planting - TBA

Thank-you to Becky Lewis for more goat cheese and muffins.

Thanks,
Loni

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Annual Harvest Lunch


The gardeners of Olivia White Hospice Home held their annual Fall Harvest Lunch on Saturday at Don and Judith Chaddock's beautiful home and garden. The food as usual was spectacular: chips and pico de gallo/guacamole, dogs and brats, German potato salad from the potatoes grown at OW, calabacitas, several beans, several salads (green with flowers, Greek panzanilla, fruit), chicken wings, and desserts included peach cake-praline cookies-lemon goat's milk ice cream. Cynthia and Al brought the drinks - lemonade and a tasty white wine sangria. After lunch thank yous/recognitions were given to all who contributed to the gardens this year. Kay Balzer, Becky Lewis, and Vicki Goodwin were all awarded their 2 year aprons. There is an additional apron for Marilynn VanWagner who was traveling this weekend. Others received Job's Tear Seeds and/or rocks or Advice From a Garden poems. Special recognition was given to David Hockman, Nancy Palmer, and Cynthia Katte for their long time commitment to the garden. I received a generous certificate for Flagstaff Face and Body as a thank you from the gardeners. It was a beautiful day with more than 25 in attendance.
The season is not finished. We will be working until about the 1st of November putting the garden to sleep for the season and planting some fall perennials and bulbs.
Thank you again to all who have helped during this busy year. The award winning gardens of Olivia White were more beautiful than ever, after a very cool spring and early summer.

Loni Shapiro

Friday, September 16, 2011

Workdays 9/12/11 & 9/15/11


On Monday I worked alone after a bad hail storm cleaning up debris and trying to prop up 3 locust trees that were almost on the ground. I pulled out all the veggies in the sitting raised bed, because they were shredded by the large hail.

Luckily, a large crew came on Thursday to help clean-up after several more storms and hail. Victoria Oehlbaum was the first to arrive and she watered indoors and worked on cleaning up the front 1/2 circle - leaves and weeds. Becky Lewis spent her time picking the remaining tomatoes and emptying the pots. Linda Guarino worked on the compost (chopping and layering), staked our locust trees with me, and planted a dogwood shrub from our Switzer beds in back of the house. David Hockman, Jim Woods, and Joe Harte planted two more large shrubs along Switzer Canyon (burning bush and serviceberry). Betty Marcus spent her time gathering seeds (hollyhock and Mexican hat). Judith Chaddock picked hollyhock and deadheaded. Kay Balzer dug up a juniper in the 1/2 circle garden with Joe's help and replanted it in our north beds. Marcia Lamkin worked on planting leftover plant sale items with Kays help. All are now safely back in the ground for winter. Marilynn VanWagner worked on the compost material, deadheaded, and watered some geraniums that don't get water. Crys Wells finished cleaning up the tomato pots and planted some fall mums.

Our season is winding down earlier than usual with all the hail in the last week. Happily all our tours and special events are over for the year. The trees, shrubs, and vines are beginning to change color (maple, sumac, virginia creeper). In the next several weeks we will begin re-organizing the sheds in preparation for putting away hardscape for the winter, adding mulch to the roses, planting fall bulbs, and continuing with general clean-up. We may be done by the 1st of November this year.

Upcoming:
Fall Harvest Lunch - Saturday September 17th, 12-2pm, at Judith Chaddock's
Northland Hospice Lunch - Friday, September 30th, 12pm-2pm, at the Raddison
Fall Bulb Planting - October (date TBA)

New in the garden:
Fall Mums/Asters have been added for a bit of color, and many perennials have returned.

"They have climate in England; we have weather."
Helen Rutherford Ely, A Woman's Hardy Garden (1903)

Thanks for all you do for the garden and to help me,

Loni

Friday, September 9, 2011

Workdays 9/5/11 & 9/8/11

Monday was a holiday and not an official workday, but Julie Holmes came and watered. I headed out to the county fair to pick up all our ribbons.

On Thursday Cynthia Katte was the first to arrive and she worked on the compost, along with Jim Woods. She also helped Victoria and Linda Guarino unload soil for a new bed for wildflowers. Betty Marcus watered several areas and collect hollyhock and Mexican Hat seed. David Hockman worked on the Rose Garden Pathway, sanding and adjusting bricks. Kay Balzer weeded the front 1/2 circle, planted some thinned gaillardia, and some iris. Becky Lewis worked on cutting iris back and planted some of our plant sale plants. Judith Chaddock watered indoors and deadheaded throughout the garden. Rebecca Moore and Laura Davis worked in the Michael Moore Garden.

Dave Hill and Murphy were back and out in the garden with residents. Leslie Pennick delivered her Colorado peaches and Becky brought some more homemade goat cheese. In the afternoon between rain storms we had visitors from the Arboretum staff. While they were there a female and baby deer were hanging around munching grass below the garden.

Upcoming:

Saturday workday 9/10 10am-12pm - Flagstaff High Honor Society
Annual harvest lunch 9/17 12pm-2pm - Judith Chaddock's
Volunteer Lunch provided by Northland Hospice 9/30 12pm-2pm Raddison Hotel

New in the garden:
More fall mums

This weeks workday:
Plant 3 shrubs
Water as needed
Plant leftover plant sale items
Deadheading (especially roses)
Help in Michael Moore Garden
Composting
Drip lines

The season is winding down with cooler temperatures but we will still probably be in the garden until the 1st part of November if you want to join us. We will be deadheading, planting bulbs, mulching for winter, staking gardens for winter snow removal, and putting hardscape items away.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Workdays 8/29/11 & 9/1 & 2/11

On Monday's workday this week Kay Balzer came and planted some large pots of daylily after weeding the front 1/2 circle. I spent my time watering and weeding.
On Thursday, Carol Lease worked on many little projects adding drip lines, filling the fountain, and making labels. Becky Lewis, Victoria (a new mg) and Kay Balzer worked on thinning iris and cutting tops down. Marilyn VanWagner and Crys Wells watered the front and back gardens. David Hockman and Jim Woods planted a couple of new shrubs. Jim also put our new Grass Hog together. Cynthia Katte worked on the compost and also deadheaded and cut iris tops. Nancy Palmer worked alone today in the MMG - weeding, watering, and spreading weed cloth. I spent my time doing orientation and gathering flowers for our annual entries in the County Fair. The flowers this year were hard to find. Most of them are already waning with the hot dry weather from the last several weeks.

On Friday, I also set up a display table in floriculture at the fair. It included a sensory pot for all to experience (aroma), sample cherry and yellow pear tomatoes, and a very large container with iris for fair visitors to take home.



New:
Awards at the county fair included 7 blue ribbons, 9 red, and 4 white. A special award was given to the 1st place coneflowers (pink double).

We have a new brochure for memorial bricks and other donations that now includes a pet memorial area.
2 Sumac shrubs
Blue Mist Spirea
Many daylilies

Thank you to my neighbor Mitchell Ulberstine for a new electric Grass Hog and extension cord. He also donated 3 hanging plants which are now gracing the front of Hodgepodge.

Upcoming:
September 10 - workday with National Honor Society Flagstaff High 8-10am
September 17 - annual Harvest Lunch at Judith Chaddocks 12pm-2pm
September 24 - monthly Saturday workday
Workdays will continue on Mondays and Thursdays from 8am-12pm probably into November weather permitting. Watch the October calendar for some bulb planting. It will be mostly tulips this year as the squirrels have dug up most of what we planted last year. We will try chicken wire cages for them this year.

Thanks,
Loni