Workdays 10/22, 25, 27

I want to thank all for helping put the garden to bed this week. The workday began with the temps at 27, but it soon warmed up. We had a good crew on Thursday. David Hockman fixed our gliders and the pathway to the small shed. Betty Marcus, Marilynn VanWagoner and Judith Chaddock all cut back roses and tied the large ones up. Judith also watered the house plants. Vicki Goodwin dug a hole for a new shrub, and cleaned/disconnected the rain barrels for the winter. Crys Wells helped Julie Holmes put away the furniture and Joe Harte and Pesha came for treats. Just kidding, Joe put the water feature away for the winter after it thawed out. Peggy Sheldon-Scurlock also joined us and did many little tasks.

We took a short break to plant and honor a long time resident (Tess). A Desert Peach was planted near the sheds. Her son and daughter-in-law came by and visited with friends. They spent Friday at a memorial for her at the Peaks. They live in San Diego but will stop by occasionally next year to see how the shrub is doing when they visit their 2nd home in Flagstaff.

On Saturday, the "Girls for Good" arrived shortly after 8am. I didn't count them but there must have been 25 or more. I was thankful that Diana Watt was here to get most of them working in the canyon to remove garbage and pine needles. I took many others and had them washing pots, planting bulbs, working on compost, sweeping and putting away some of the hardscape we forgot on Thursday. Marilynn VanWagoner came and helped supervise some of them planting bulbs and watering.  At 11am my crew of 5 from Make a Difference Day arrived. They only had an hour but they took down a swing, planted a few more bulbs, swept, and put away pots, tools and anything that was still outside. All in all it was a very successful day with many hands to get the work done. 

We are pretty much done for the season. I am going to the garden next week to finish up some little tasks and water as needed (Mon. & Thurs.). The tools should be cleaned, we have stakes to put in the ground for snow plowers, and that is about it.  If anyone wants to join me I will probably not be there until 9am. For the winter, we will need to water weekly indoors again. I will talk to Judith about how often she wants to come and get back with you to see if anyone wants to help. Oh! I forgot, Karen  Kent stopped by today, and took several plants home to care for this winter. I spoke with Karen Overton and she will stop by tomorrow and take the Christmas cactus that was in Adams room. Thanks to Judith's care it is blooming in three colors. Spectacular! I cleaned up the coleus today (FG pot) and it still has some life. I thought the freeze had finished it.

Thank you for another great season, and making an extra effort when asked because of our small crews. We will begin planning for next year in January. If there are any bad Thursday and you want to join us, please let me know. As usual, it will be a breakfast meeting.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." -  Marcel Proust  

Thanks,

Loni

Workdays 10/15 & 10/18

On Monday, Toni Barnes beat me to the garden and began deadheading lavender. Marilynn VanWagoner helped her, picked some lettuce for the house, and help me put tools away. Joe Harte came with Pesha and placed tubing around the tree trunks. A couple of years ago we had animals in the garden gnawing on the bases of them and the tubing worked last year to prevent that. The trunks are getting larger and we will have to try chicken wire next year. I took down the last of the tomato vines and got rid of some of the dirt in the pots, and began to prepare the wildflower bed for planting on Thursday (raking and removing rock). Dave Hill and Murphy spent their last regular Monday. They will be moving to Cottonwood and coming only twice a month during the winter as weather permits.

The weather continues to be cold in the early morning and warms quickly making our work easier. Thursday was no exception. David Hockman returned from a long year of injury recovery. He worked on repairing our back pathway with Linda Guarino. They also put away our heavy granite bird baths for the winter. Linda did her usual work on the compost and David moved some bricks. Judith Chaddock watered indoors, and helped Laura Davis remove vines from the gazebo in preparation for repairs and resealing. It was quite a job with 4 years of growth on the vines and thousands of seeds on the clematis. Betty Marcus came and watered the new transplants in the garden, she also helped me close up the garden for the day. I spent my time mulching a couple of roses, putting hardscape away, planting wildflowers, and watering.

Work by the city continues on the FUTS trail on the corner of Turquoise and Switzer Canyon. Next year we will have to recreate the corner garden where the sign is. That and beautifying the area surrounding the sheds will be our major focus.

Work will continue for at least another week in the garden. It may go into November depending on the weather and how much is done. If the weather remains dry we may need to water in November.

Work remaining:
Roses - prune, tie up large bushes
Compost - clean area around compost, put wheel barrels away for the winter
Wash pots and put away
Rain barrels and water feature - empty, clean and store
Repair glider or send to Hodgepodge
Plant a small shrub
Water indoors and out as needed (new plantings, wildflowers, etc)
Put last of hardscape away - windchimes, etc.
Winterize sensory pots - prune and mulch

Workdays this week include our usual Mon./Thurs. and Saturday which is Make a Difference Day.
Hope to see you sometime this week.

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!"     Percy Shelley

Thanks,
Loni

Workdays 10/8, 11, & 13

I returned to the garden on Monday. Marilyn VanWagoner came and cleaned all the hummingbird feeders for the winter. The crews came for the FUTS trail and we determined we had to move several shrubs that were in the way. An e-mail was sent in case anyone wants more moonshine yarrow. Diana Watt called her husband who came to help and Marilyn & Laura Davis helped dig up the shrubs (2 cotonasters and one liliac). I also helped with getting them in wheelbarrels and watering so we could plant on Thursday. They were difficult to get out having been there for probably 10 years and without soil preparation.

On Thursday, Joe Harte came and planted the cotonaster near the new shed area. Linda Guarino spread the rock I purchased for the 1/2 circle garden, and Carol Lease started a brick pathway to the 2nd shed.I picked all the remaining tomatoes with a threat of frost this week and began putting FG hardscape away. I also hung the suet feeders. Joan Abbot came and turned of the the main valve on the drip. She will drain the rest of the system next week.

Saturday brought a large crew of volunteers from NAU's Honors Class (13). They planted all our bulbs, spread the remaining mulch, and put all the FG hardscape away. They were only there for 1.5 hours but got much of our fall work done for the season.

Service Project - Honors Class at NAU

Yes, we still have work to do! Our last day will probably be Oct. 27th - Make a Difference Day. On the list for this week and next:
Clean up tomato pots and put away
Take vines down off gazebo
Compost
Watering new plantings and indoors
Continue to put hardscape away
    Remaining windchimes and other art items
    Hanging pots in the gazebo
    Bird baths (clean and put away)
    Clean bird feeders and put away
    Put away bentwood bench
Deadhead lavender and Russian sage
Plant wildflower seed on north end of house
Wash pots
Empty rain barrels and disconnect
Finish shed pathway
Winterize sensory pots

At end of season wheelbarrels will be stored by the office.
Hope to see you sometime this week or next.

Thanks,
Loni

Workdays for the Last 2 Thursdays

Report from Betty:

On Sunday the 30th of September there was a break in one of city's main water lines in the 1/2 circle garden. Betty and Ed Marcus came after a call from the house. They were told that the city would bring a back hoe to repair the area on Monday morning. They removed plants in the area, putting them in pots and some of our raised beds in preparation for the repair. The city came on Monday morning and made the repair but did not need to use a back hoe. Work the next two weeks will include putting that garden back together. Linda Guarino, Crys Wells, and Marilynn Van Waggoner also helped on the workday. 

Note from  Becky:

We had a good workday yesterday,

Laura, Judith, Marilynn, Linda, Betty, Joe and myself -- a good crew.

Betty, her husband Ed, and Linda saved plants in the front half circle so that the water main break could be fixed without damaging the garden. Ed and Betty also salvaged important rocks. Linda and I replanted everything on thursday and Linda got the drip system repaired and working, she even ran it for about twenty mins or so! It looks great! Betty got all of her pots back.

Marilyn worked on deadheading and general clean up.

Judith watered indoors and mulched a few of the roses that had been missed.

Betty watered and "cleaned up"

Joe put in pavers in font of the shed so that the snowblower can get out easily and just so it looks better. Joe will put plastic around trees next time he works.

Laura worked in the medicinal garden.

I think we got a lot done but your whole list is not finished primarily because of attention given to the front half circle.

Betty and Ed deserve a special thank you for being so responsive when help was needed quickly.

I returned to the garden Sunday morning to see what was needed for our workdays this week. It was nice to have a couple of weeks off (my first for the summer) to just relax and get ready for the end of season push.

Thanks,
Loni