Olivia White Hospice Home Garden Volunteers: September 2011

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

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Reporting OWHH Volunteer Hours

For the 2015 garden season all volunteers will report hours in the book on the back patio at the garden. If you are there on a scheduled workday the book will be on the table. If you come on a non-workday, maybe to water or complete something you wanted to finish, the keys and sign-in book will be inside the home in the table drawer to the left as you enter.

Please record all hours in the garden, at meetings, and for home activities.

At the end of each month the sign in sheets will be sent to the office so please get your hours in by the end of the month.

Wish List 2015

Wish list book is kept on the table in the lobby of the Olivia White Home. Check the book for further details. Contact one of the gardeners if you want to donate.

General plant related materials not available at Warners (where we have an account from a yearly fundraiser) – up to $250 (cash/gardeners will purchase as needed); includes special fertilizers, perlite, sand, soil, and other repair items. Purchase of unusual plants at other nurseries (Viola’s, NP & Seed & HCG).

Special feed for roses (we have 50) - $250 per season or what you want to donate. Gardeners will purchase.

4 Pruners/clippers - $10-40 (see book for ideas)

A variety of long/short handled, cut and hold, small and large diameter.

Craftsman Handi-cut for irrigation (see book for details)

4 Weeders – variety of long and short handled (see book for ideas)

4 Trowels – variety

Mud Gloves (8 Pair – 1 small-5 med-2 light weight) (see book for details).

Spray nozzles for hoses – prefer short handled with multiple settings.

Birdhouses for trellis (new or used in good condition).

Bat or butterfly house for grounds.

Hulled sunflower seed or chips for bird feeders ($28-85 depending on size).

We only use this type of seed, because of clean-up requirements for millet or black oiled sunflower. We also need niger seed (cost ?) for the goldfinches. This takes more than $500 out of our garden budget.

Replacement wheelbarrows-prefer metal with no-flat wheels. (1 needed)

Welcome to the Gardens at Olivia White Hospice Home

The gardens surrounding the home were created for all who find themselves here. The history below reflects the many hands that have worked in the gardens. The volunteer gardeners have worked to create a quiet, peaceful place to experience alone or with those you love. The garden design enhances the sensory experience. You can hear zipping hummingbirds, water fountains, and the sound of wind chimes. It is a place to stop and smell the roses or the soothing fragrance of lavender. The many vegetables and herbs grown allow residents and staff to taste the gifts of nature. You can feel the gentle embrace of the wind and touch the soft leaves of lamb’s ear or bunny tail grass along with other more prickly plants in a ‘touch pot’. Another design consideration was providing universal access to all visitors and special beds/pots that allow interested residents to participate in gardening. Sitting and standing raised beds, and ‘sensory pots’ accessible to wheelchairs are enjoyed by many residents.
Peace to all who enter…

History
The gardens were started by Norm Erickson, a hospice volunteer, before the home was built in 2001, on the corner of Switzer Canyon and Turquoise where the Olivia White sign is found. Norm also created the gardens directly in front of the home. In 2001 Laura Davis, a master gardener began designing and planning for the gardens that surround the home. Loni Shapiro assumed responsibility for garden coordination and planning in 2007. The first project in 2002 was to lay the cement pathway which was done by NAU’s Construction Management class led by Dave Grider. A flagstone patio was created east of the home by Joanie Abbott of Foxglove Gardening with the help of Heber Trunnel. The first two plantings by the master gardeners included an Inferno Strip on Switzer Canyon led by Terra Crampton, and a Rose Garden led by Hattie Braun with a large donation of roses by Bill Brechan. Coconino County Park and Recreation at Fort Tuthill donated many truckloads of compost, and Bill Eichinger used his bobcat to help edge with rocks the gardens you see today. In 2004 a core of master gardeners and hospice volunteers (Loni Shapiro, Karen Kent, Cynthia Katte, David Hockman and Nancy Palmer) joined Laura and began creating the many gardens here today. Today we have a regular crew of master gardeners and hospice volunteers, with two workdays each week throughout each spring and summer. They are supported by many other church groups, scout troops, AmeriCorp, college - high school - middle school groups, Coconino County Adult Probation Community Service, Upward Bound, and businesses throughout Flagstaff. Warner’s Landscape and Nursery needs to be singled out for their continuing support for the gardens since their inception with yearly fundraisers and discounts on plant and hardscape materials. In 2006 the gazebo designed by Jill Morris was completed with the help of Terry Payne and John Adams, from Christ’s Church, and Loven Contracting. John Adams along with the help of the Sunshine Lion’s Club finished it with a brick pathway. Foxglove Gardening installed the drip system over three years from 2008-10. Most of their time was donated. From 2010-2012 we received grants from the Bountiful Alliance to create a Native Medicinal Garden in honor of Michael Moore, writer and naturalist. The work on that garden continues along Switzer Canyon Drive. The garden was dedicated by a Navajo elder in 2012. A small garden was dedicated in 2011 to our long time therapy dog “Zane” Hill. Plans for 2013 include continued revamping of some front gardens, work on the corner of Turquoise with the installation of the FUTS trail, and landscaping our new shed area.

The gardens continue to evolve each year. Some have already been altered from the original plan, such as the Rose Garden, east front and ½ Circle gardens, and north Switzer Canyon beds. In addition, many other trees, shrubs, plants and hardscape items have been donated. A list of donors is located in the library of the Olivia White Home. The library also includes a binder of all the roses found in our garden (over 40). A map of the garden was completed under the direction of Cynthia Katte and Kathy Pate that includes the location of most of the gardens and the special features. This will be updated in 2013 to include the changes along Turquoise and Switzer Canyon. A copy of the current map is included with this handout and can also be found in the Rose binder.

Donations/Volunteering
A “Wish List” for donations is provided in the home that includes yearly needs as well as special projects. Our main fundraisers to help pay for materials and water are memorial bricks (brochures available in the home), an annual 10% of proceeds day at Warner's Nursery, and a summer Plant & Garden Sale at the home. In addition, we sell note cards made from original paintings of the garden, photo note cards, and earrings made from Job’s Tear seeds grown in the garden. All can be found on the table in the entry of the home. We are always looking for new volunteers to help in the garden. Our weekly garden activities during the year can be found on the Volunteer Blog (owhospicegardenvolunteers.blogspot.com) or by contacting,Sierra Gadsberry, Volunteer Cordinator at sgadsberry@northlandhospice.org.

Revised 11/12