Olivia White Hospice Home Garden Volunteers: Workweek 6/24 & 6/27

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, June 24, 2013

Workweek 6/24 & 6/27

On Monday with 4 volunteers in the garden we got many tasks done. Betty Marcus watered all the areas not on irrigation. Julie Holmes, Carol Hudenko and I worked on the corner in some nice cool weather. Betty actually got cold during the break and sat in the sun. The 3 of us weeded and cleared pine needles from the corner garden. We actually ended up with 10 bags of pine needles and probably will have 10 more on Thursday. The pine needles haven't been cleared from there in a couple of years. Once the worst is cleared we will put the rock back in place on the corner, and plant/transplant some perennials there.

I have talked with Jean Hockman about doing a Saturday garden tour this summer. We will be doing it on Saturday, August 17th at 10am. Anyone who wants to help do tours and just host is welcome. In the meantime we still have work to do to get some of the new areas up to par for a tour. I will talk with Judith Chaddock about some options for a potluck at her home and beautiful garden sometime in August. Since it is my last year, I thought we would do it in August while some of the out of town people are still here. We may do a 2nd potluck in September and invite the HodgePodge crew. They wanted to be part of my last season, and several of the crew there help us frequently - picking up new purchases, and hauling off our bags when we have too many, and finding garden materials for us.

Wow! On Thursday we had another busy day in the garden. Most of the volunteers who came (many early to avoid the heat) worked on the corner. Sue Ordway, Rebecca Davis, Judith Chaddock, Leslie Stone, Carol Hudenko, Becky Lewis, Jane Reukema, Joe Harte, Whitney Fessler, and myself all spent part of their time working on cleaning up the corner. We also have a new volunteer - Cyndy Crowley . Weeds, sprayed on duff, and pine needles were removed and bagged. Rock was placed over the corner area and Joe trimmed dead branches off the pine trees. The corner is almost unrecognizable with its new pathway.

Cleaned-up corner on Turquoise and Switzer Canyon

Betty Marcus and Marilyn VanWaggoner watered those beds not on irrigation and new plantings, and Judith watered indoors. Becky Lewis dug up a rose to root that was growing in the middle of a lavender. Carol Lease worked on the arbor entry. She put in 12 inch pvc pipe to place the fences in so that irrigation will not be effected when they are removed in the winter.

PVC at bottom of fencing to use as a guide for placing.

Whitney found time to wash all our pots and put them away. Judith provided the snack today and brought fruit bars which really hit the spot as the temperatures climbed. Dave and Murphy were out with several residents checking out the new blooms and work in the garden. Hattie Braun stopped by to see our progress with the roses.

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, no culture comparable to that of the garden ... But though an old man, I am but a young gardener."
- Thomas Jefferson, Garden Book, 1811

New Blooms:
Many daylilies, lavendar, roses (including Ketchup/Mustard), 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

Little Leaf Mock Orange

Daylilies

New in the Garden:
A revamped corner on Turquoise and Switzer
Honeysuckle vines on the new trellises

Work for the next few weeks:
Watering - inside and outside as needed (new plants - or beds not on irrigation)
Weeding - north Switzer bed
*Add some plants to the corner bed
*Irrigation - continue adding areas not on the system
*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
Transplant some blood grass
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
August 17 10am-12pm Flagstaff Garden Club Tour

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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

Gardens Founded in 2001 - Home in 2002

Volunteering in the Garden

Monday, June 24, 2013

Workweek 6/24 & 6/27

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