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.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Workdays 8/27 & 30

The rain continues almost daily and the drip system has been off for a couple of weeks. The only thing being hand watered are some pots and new plantings.

On Monday we had a small crew. Nancy Palmer worked planting in the Michael Moore Garden. Toni Barnes and Katarina Karjala worked on the front bed planting grasses and leveling the tree rings. About a half hour after doing that someone drove over them, flattened a plant and broke two rings. We may need to reconsider putting some rocks in front to prevent driving into the bed. Toni and Katarina also cut back iris and thinned one small bed. They are yellow iris and some of the crew may want some. The remainder will be taken to the county fair this weekend. I worked on thinning gaillardia with some help from Toni and Katrina. The bed is just east of the sandstone patio and has not been thinned for 6 years. We probably removed more than 100 extra plants. The thinning should help with better blooming next summer.


Thursday Betty Marcus came and continued to collect hollyhock seeds and Mexican hat. Joe Harte worked on connecting our two new rain barrels. Joe brought some geraniums to give away and several gardeners took them. We still have some left if you are interested, as we have too many for the winter sun porch. Judith Chaddock returned from her new knee surgery and was able to get all the indoor pots watered and geraniums cleaned.  Marcia Lamkin helped Laura Davis planting in the MMG. I spent my time watering some pots and tomatoes, cleaning up a couple of vegetable beds, planting a few perennials.

Over the Labor Day weekend a display from the garden was set-up at the Coconino County Fair. We had seeds and iris available for giveaways, and the table was visited frequently by those people visiting the Floriculture Bldg. Thanks to Superintendent Carol Burris for letting us show off the work we do in the garden.

New plantings:
In the front bed Cheyenne Sky Grass and Switch grass. Both turn red in the fall and have beautiful seed heads.
Added to the bed east of the sandstone patio, Orange Mt. Daisy, and coreop

New in the garden:
2 new rain barrels, one placed where the old black rain barrel was and the other in front by the garage. If you need to water pots or new plantings there will be a watering can there so please use the rain barrel rather than the hose as soon as there is enough water in them. Judith uses the back rain barrel to water sun porch plants.
New fencing to prevent visitors from driving into the front bed.
New blooms:
Red Wing Butterfly Gladiolas, some agastache, and a butterfly bush

Plans for next week:
Cut lavender
Remove Wood's rose and weeds under the apple tree, and remove Bellflower from the rose garden walkway again
Plant ground cover and new plants in front bed, pussy willow in FG, moonshine yarrow, and lavender
Repair front wood rings after damage from a driver
Move peony to rose garden
Begin moving plants from pine tree area

With impending big changes happening at the gardens this thought was helpful to me.
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.  ~Victor Frankl
Thanks,
Loni

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