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

Workdays 8/20 & 23

Water flowing in the canyon, over and around trees

The gardens are very wet from all the rain we have had this month and last. On Thursday the water was flowing in the canyon after another heavy rain. Some of our natives (mostly penstemons look dark and over watered - hope they make it).Our rain gauge since April 26th recorded over 11 inches. We have lots of tomatoes but have only been able to pick 2 so far that were ripe, with little sun recently.  Many plants including the squashes have powdery mildew, but they are still producing. I was all set to spray roses on Saturday with lots of aphids spotted on Thursday. After the hail I could not find any - interesting. I am sure they will be back, but maybe they don't like hail. We will forgo the County Fair entries this year as most of the flowers are done or damaged by hail.

Monday we had a small crew but much was accomplished. Toni Barnes returned and worked on the front garden creating another spoke with sandstone. If that wasn't enough she went down in the canyon with her chain saw and cut 14 wood slices from a downed tree for pavers in the new garden. Nancy Palmer spent her time planting ground covers in the new spokes. I worked on weeding the north Switzer Canyon bed and began cleaning up the greenhouse in preparation for moving items from the shed later this week.

On Thursday work continued on the bed in front of the house. Kay Balzer worked her design magic with rock and wood and Linda Guarino dug in hardscape and plants from other parts of the garden. She found some more mat penstemon near the compost, pine penstemon that seeded from a large pot, native geranium, and some campanula that had spread. Also planted were horehound (groundcover), low grow catmint, a low-grow sand cherry and a sage. More plantings will be added to this reworked bed including some grasses, and a rock mulch when it is  done.

Redesign of front beds
Beginning hardscape and plantings 8/23

Other volunteers were busy in the garden. Betty Marcus and Carol Lease moved all the small items from the sheds to the greenhouse in preparation for the work on the foundation. Carol organized and cleaned the sheds and the greenhouse. Betty Marcus also cleaned birdbaths, gathered some Mexican hat seed, sprayed roses, and deadheaded. Becky Lewis brought us some of her wonderful goat cheese and spent her time in the garden deadheading.

Plans for next week:
Continue work on the front bed (planting and digging in some pavers)
Watering, weeding, and compost pile work  as needed
Begin work on reworking the small arc bed behind the sandstone patio
 (thinning gaillardia and replacing with other plantings)
Continue to cut back iris and deadhead other plantings

New in the garden:
Reworked front bed with hardscape and plantings
Reorganized sheds/tools (all hand tools and supplies in the greenhouse, shovels and large tools in small shed, adapted garden seats and weed bags in the large shed)

Upcoming:
Coconino County Fair - I will set-up a table in the Floriculture Building. No entries this year.
Fall harvest lunch - Sept. 20, 12pm
    Please let me know if you are coming as I have only one response and may cancel or put off to October.
Bulb planting - early Oct.
Garden wrap-up late Oct. or early Nov. weather permitting

"A garden is never so good as it will be next year."
Thomas Cooper     Horticultural Magazine 1993

Thanks for all you do to keep the gardens beautiful and all who enjoy them curious to see what is next.
Loni

Workdays 8-13/8-16

On Monday our workday was cancelled due to a celebration in the garden. It was the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the Olivia White House. A small group of people came to honor Marilyn Pate the founder of Northland Hospice and the director when the house was built. She came with Bill her husband and was honored by the current Director, Diana Wyatt, President of the board Joe Donaldson, and the current Mayor of Flagstaff. Ray and Joan White, who donated the home were also in attendance along with other friends of Northland Hospice. It was a beautiful day and the gardens were at their peak. Many who could not be there but who have give to the home and hospice but could not be there were honored. Nancy Palmer, Linda Guarino, and myself represented the gardeners.

On Thursday, work resumed in the garden. Laura Davis stopped by briefly to water the MMG. Judith Chaddock came and watered inside as well as deadheaded. She also began to gather some of our lavender for 2012. Jeanette Sletton deadheaded, and Betty Marcus gathered seed for our yearly giveaways. Kay Balzer returned and began her magic on the front garden remodel. Marcia Lamkin watered pots. Joe Harte pruned trees and suckers. I spent my time removing the dreaded bellflower from one of our roses. Just before we were ready to leave a downpour came along with hail. Betty, Marcia, and me had to wait a 1/2 hour before we could get to our vehicles.

On several days this week we had 4-legged visitors (deer) to the garden.  They were very curious and came right up to the edge of the rock walls. After we were gone they helped themselves to dinner.

The Ketchup and Mustard rose buds were all missing except one bloom, which I took in the house for the residents to enjoy. On Saturday my plan was to spray some of the roses for aphids. I looked and looked and couldn't find any. I think the hail on Thursday scared them all off - at least for a while. Instead I helped Steve Raymer, a new master gardener, weed the inferno strips and cut back iris.

We are beginning to harvest seed from our hollyhock and Mexican Hat. If you want any please stop by the garden on one of our workdays (Mon/Thurs from 8am-12pm).

Plans for next week:
Continue work on the front beds
Deadhead iris, shasta daisy, and lambs ear
Spray roses for aphids ?
Begin removing dirt from north side of house and moving items to the greenhouse from the sheds
Watering, weeding and composting as needed

New blooms this week:

Ketchup and Mustard Rose planted in honor of Lois Steve

Some fall asters

Thanks to all who help make the gardens at Olivia White beautiful!

Loni

Workdays 8/6 & 9/2012

Saturday, I came and worked on finishing the front bed in preparation for soil. Rock was added to circle the remaining shrubs (Potentilla), and around the back of the juniper/spruce in the middle of the bed. These were extra rock from the expedition a couple of weeks ago for the MMG. I also removed soil and debris from the south end of the bed.

On Monday we had a small crew - Julie Holmes, Becky Lewis - and they finished work on weeding the corner garden. I spent my time watering pots and cleaning up in prepartion for the 10th Anniversary. Nancy Palmer came and worked on setting stones in the MMG.

On Thursday our big task was unloading 3 truckloads of soil that Linda Guarino brought from the Landscape Connection. Crys Wells, Marcia Lamkin, and I all helped Linda unload and spread the soil. I planted 3 shrubs (1 smokebush, 2 large leaf barberry), Linda moved large rocks in the bed, Marcia-Betty-Crys cleaned up, and it began to rain (yeah) so the dirt could settle. This bed has a long way to go to be finished but looks 100% better even with a couple of shrubs, tree, and clematis. We will use the theme of the 1/2 circle with red and purple colors along with a few other colors for spring. It will also be mulched with small rock/gravel. An "under construction" sign will be put in place for the 10th Anniversary Celebration.

Judith Chaddock, Jeannette Sletton, and Betty Marcus spent their time deadheading, watering, and planting. Betty began collecting hollyhock and Mexican Hat seeds. Laura Davis worked on the MMG.

Work for next week:
Monday workday cancelled
Thurs. - continue work on the front bed/evening out the soil now that it has rained/circling the shrubs with rock.
Compost
Watering - indoors/outdoors as needed
Begin cutting back iris
Removing dirt from the north wall in prep for work on the foundation
Move peony from the bed on Switzer and replant in Rose Garden

Upcoming:
Fall Harvest Potluck - Sept. 20, 12pm following our workday

Special thank you to Linda Guarino this week for use of her truck and all her hard work to get the soil in out front beds.

Thanks for all who came and continue to support this garden,
Loni