Workdays 7/22 & 7/25

On Monday our crew did not need to water. The rains have left all the garden very moist. Betty Marcus spent her time deadheading. Julie Holmes cleared invasives from around the roses, and the Girls for Good filled bird feeders and baths. I spent my time getting material for the Thursday workday, weeding lots of pine and elm seedlings, and replacing some plants in Zane's garden.

We had another productive day on Thursday with 9 volunteers from AmeriCorp helping. As usual, they tackled some big projects, and managed to find time to weed, clean up pine needles, and spread mulch as well.

Sandstone Pad

Rock Pathway

Adding Weed Cloth to Rock Path

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."-  James M. Barrie 

The three projects were all pathways: a sandstone pad/path to the new trellis, adding weed cloth to our new corner pathway, and lining the rock mulch path from Switzer to the Rose garden with rocks.

Rebecca Davis helped manage the weed cloth project, Jeanette Sletten reworked our small shade garden along Switzer (she added Knickknick and Coral Bells to the existing vinca and leveled the soil. Betty Marcus spent her time deadheading and taking some of these beautiful photos. Carol Hudenko finished adding perennials to the corner. Whitney Fessler and I weeded some of the many ragweed and bindweed already growing on the corner. Linda Guarino was back and worked on compost. We have another small pile of finished material. Joe Harte worked on tree pruning and removing suckers.

I returned home on Thursday and found my tomato plants essentially done for the season. On 6 plants I had maybe 10 tomatoes left. The storm brought devastating hail to the east side and particularly Mt. Eldon. I had broken solar lights, and a hot tub cover full of holes. Thankfully the new roof made it through. Ah! weather in Flagstaff is always a challenge for gardeners.

"The good rain, like the bad preacher, does not know when to leave off."-  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blooming:
Shasta Daisy, Julia Child's Rose, Red Monarda, Burgundy Daylily

 

Photos by Betty Marcus

New in the Garden:
Sandstone path to the new trellis
Rock lined mulch path to the Rose Garden from Switzer
Updated corner garden (perennials, weed cloth on path)

Work for the next few weeks:
Watering - inside and outside as needed.  Make sure native bed with new wildflowers is wet, porch plants, new clematis and honeysuckle, corner garden, moon garden trellis, native garden wheelbarrow, and Jobs tears, and shade garden along Switzer
*Weeding as needed. Check rose garden for perennials choking out roses and remove pine seedlings
   With a garden tour coming up pine and elm tree seedlings need to be removed
*Gather rock for a native garden rock garden, and to line the new path from Switzer to the Rose garden
     Once created, fill with soil/compost, and transplant some plants from other areas of the garden
*Circle garden - transplant some blood grass, and weed (Chia?)
Reset bricks under the bench just north of the Faerie Garden
*Finish weed cloth on corner (about 6 feet)
Move mulch to needed parts of the garden
Clean up compost area

Upcoming:
August 9   Peaks Residents Garden Visit 1230pm
August 17  10am-12pm Garden Club Visit
August 25  430pm-7pm Thank You Potluck/Judith Chaddocks

Thanks, Loni

Work Week of 7/15 & 18

We had a fairly quiet week at the garden. No watering was needed other than a few new plantings due to some heavy rain the last week. Betty Marcus worked for me on Monday for a couple of hours. She was alone other than some help from the Girls for Good to feed and water the birds.

On Thursday, Rebecca Davis and Joe Harte worked on two of the rain barrelss. One was moved due to access and drainage and the the other leveled to keep it from tipping over in our heavy rains. Please use these whenever you can so they are not so full. Judith Chaddock worked on the indoor plants using the rain barrel on the back porch. Betty Marcus deadheaded throughout the garden, Lori Tamblingson and Sue Ordway both weeded in a variety of areas of the gardens. I spent my time working on removing spreading plants from around the roses, and beginning to clean the compost area.

The Hopi vegetable bed has recovered from the hail in early July. It contains corn, beans and squash.

New Blooms:
Lots of Shasta daisy, coneflowers, clematis and more roses

Carefree Sunshine Rose

Nelly Moser  Clematis on shed trellis

New in the Garden:
New perennials in the corner garden, and the decorative wheelbarrow in the Native Garden
Check out the beautiful pots in front of the office. They were planted by Carol H. and Leslie.

Work for the next few weeks:
Watering - inside and outside as needed.  Make sure native bed with new wildflowers is wet, porch plants, new clematis and honeysuckle, corner garden, moon garden trellis, native garden wheelbarrow, and Jobs tears.
Weeding as needed. Check rose garden for perennials choking out roses and remove pine seedlings
Plant perennials on corner
*Gather rock for a native garden rock garden, and to line the new path from Switzer to the Rose garden
     Once created, fill with soil/compost, and transplant some plants from other areas of the garden
*Circle garden - transplant some blood grass, and weed.
Reset bricks under the bench just north of the Faerie Garden
Move mulch to needed parts of the garden
Clean up compost area

Upcoming:
July 25    9am-12pm   AmeriCorp help for the Thurs. workday
               Work on sandstone pad for new trellis across from the rose garden, finish weedcloth on
               pathway, add rock to stone pathway
Aug,17  10am-12pm  Flagstaff Garden Club Tour

Thanks, Loni

Workdays week of 7/8 - 7/13

On Monday we had our usual small crew and most of us worked on the corner weed cloth - Mary Natali, Carol Hudenko, Julie Holmes, and myself. Betty Marcus watered a bit but also weeded and deadheaded.
On Thursday, we had a large crew. I was feeling a bit under the weather and I spent most of my time hanging around the back snack area and just finding work for people. Betty Marcus deadhead and watered. Becky Lewis decided it was time to feed the roses again and she got Jeanette Sletten to help her. Jeanette also did some weeding. Carol Lease finished the pvc pipes for the entry fencing, and then started a project to level some bricks under a bench. Rebecca Davis planted some perennials, worked on the corner weed cloth, and helped Joe Harte with the wheelbarrows and rainbarrels. Sue Ordway picked a vase of flowers for the anniversary of Olivia White's passing, and then headed to the corner to help with the weed cloth.

After Carol Hudenko, Whitney Fessler, Sue, and Rebecca finished the weed cloth, Carol and Sue planted a few perennials with the help of Crys Wells. Crys Wells and Judith Chaddock fenced in our tomatoes which are being eaten by rock squirrels and chipmunks. Judith also did her usual watering indoors. Lori Tamblingson weeded throughout the garden.

On Saturday, Warner's Landscape and Nursery held their 11th Annual 10% of Proceeds for Olivia White Gardens. Thanks to Crys Wells, Becky Lewis, Lori Tamblingson, and Diana Watt for hosting our table for the day and special thanks to Warner's staff for making us feel comfortable and a welcome part of their workday.

New in the Garden:
New perennials in the corner garden, and the decorative wheelbarrow in the Native Garden
Check out the beautiful pots in front of the office. They were planted by Carol H. and Leslie.

Work for the next few weeks:
Watering - inside and outside as needed.  Make sure native bed with new wildflowers is wet, porch plants, new clematis and honeysuckle, corner garden, moon garden trellis, native garden wheelbarrow, and Jobs tears.
Weeding as needed. Check rose garden for perennials choking out roses, and weed inferno strips.
*Gather rock for a native garden rock garden, and to line the new path from Switzer to the Rose garden
     Once created, fill with soil/compost, and transplant some plants from other areas of the garden
Cut down 1 more lilac
*Circle garden - transplant some blood grass, and weed.
Reset bricks under the bench just north of the Faerie Garden
Finish resetting rain barrels
Repair wheelbarrel
Move mulch to needed parts of the garden
Clean up compost area

Upcoming:
July 25    9am-12pm   AmeriCorp help for the Thurs. workday
               Work on sandstone pad for new trellis across from the rose garden and finish weedcloth on
               pathway.
Aug,17  10am-12pm  Flagstaff Garden Club Tour

Thanks, Loni

Workdays 7/1 and 7/4

Our Monday workday was a busy one. Julie Holmes, Cyndy Crowley, Carol Hudenko, and Mary Natali all removed weeds on the corner of Switzer and Turquoise. We had a small piece of good weed cloth and put it in part of the new pathway. The weeds are growing furiously in the new path already and we haven't had any rain. Thanks to Julie who wrote a check, next week we will add premium cloth to the rest of the path. Betty Marcus watered all the plants not on irrigation and the vegetables.

We had a special visit today from John and Jill White who were visiting from Texas with their children Jack and Phoebe. They are Olivia White's family and visit each year. Today they spent some time looking at all the new features in the garden, sampling some of the sensory pots, doing the scavenger hunt, and personally thanking many of the volunteer gardeners. Visiting with them is always inspiring to the gardeners.

On Thursday, yes the 4th of July, we had a crew of 4 in the garden. Linda Guarino spent her time adding irrigation lines to the perennial bed, the tea garden, and a few new shrubs. Betty Marcus and I spent our entire day sweeping and cleaning up debris. On Tuesday, there was a major hail storm in the canyon and on Thursday we still had piles of hail remaining. The vegetables and sensory pots were devastated with hail damage as well as many other plants. I am adding a photos of some areas.

Front door area two days after the hail

Crys Wells came and replanted some of the lettuce and spinach. Hopefully the weather will cool off a bit with the rain. We also had a dad of one of the Girls for Good, who filled feeders and cleaned out very messy bird baths.

New Blooms:
Many daylilies, lavendar, roses (Shropshire Ladd), some of our shasta daisy and ox-eyed daisy, and coreopsis. Several shrubs are blooming or ready to burst - Mt. Spray, Little Leaf Mock Orange, the Twin-flower Snowberry, and the Apache Plume.

Hollyhock with Mt. Spray shrub as a backdrop

Several years ago we purchased a Texas Red Yucca for the garden for Ginny Kadel. It is blooming in it's 4th season.

Texas Red Yucca

New in the Garden:
Beginning of weed cloth on the new pathway.

Work for the next few weeks:
Watering - inside and outside as needed (little needed due to rain). Make sure native bed with new wildflowers is wet, porch plants, and new clematis.
Weeding - north Switzer bed, circle garden, corner bed, Wood's rose under apple tree
*Add some plants to the corner bed
*Gather rock for a native garden rock garden, and to line the new path from Switzer to the Rose garden
     Once created, fill with soil/compost, and transplant some plants from other areas of the garden
Cut down 1 more lilac
*Circle garden - transplant some blood grass, clean up whiplash daisies, weed
Reset bricks under the bench just north of the Faerie Garden
Upcoming - 2nd feed for the roses

Upcoming:
July 13    9am-5pm     Warner's 10% of Proceeds Day
July 25    9am-12pm   AmeriCorp help for the Thurs. workday
Aug,17 10am-12pm  Flagstaff Garden Club Tour