Olivia White Hospice Home Garden Volunteers: November 2013

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, November 4, 2013

2013 Goals/Accomplishments

Olivia White Hospice Garden

Goals/Accomplishments for 2013 Season

Usual garden maintenance (bringing out hardscape, weeding, watering, planting (annuals and lost perennials), repairing and adding drip lines, repairing walkways, general garden maintenance, composting, harvesting vegetable for the home). Worked 2 weekdays (Mon. & Thurs.) and one occasional Saturday a month.

-Drip lines repaired and added to the north Switzer Canyon Bed, and all new plantings

-Drip in front ½ circle partially dug up with suspected leak (near mailbox). Bed replanted and mailbox repaired and moved to north Switzer Bed.

-All walkways and brick pads repaired.

-Repairs done on 3 rain barrels – leveled and supported ground areas

-Added two new stone paths – corner from Turquoise to Switzer Canyon Drive sidewalk and Switzer sidewalk to rose garden.. Each lined with malapai rock.

-Produce harvested for the home included: tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, potatoes, onions, squash (variety), Hopi corn, beans, sugar snap peas, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and herbs
-Continued tree care – pruning, removal of Elm, and protecting from animal damage. Several new trees planted

-Cleaned the garden and weeded throughout with frequent rain during July/August

-Replanted and landscaped the corner or Turquoise and Switzer Canyon

-Landscaped the area surrounding the sheds

-Landscaped shade garden along Switzer Canyon

-Landscaped the north Native Garden

Orient master gardener program and new volunteer gardeners, and provide education individually.
-Orientation done for the Master Gardener class, groups, tours, and individual new volunteers

Replanted and landscaped the corner of Turquoise and Switzer Canyon
-Weeded a large area frequently due to extensive rain

-Pruned ponderosa pine and several other trees

-Put stone back on corner and added some perennial flowers and grasses

-Rock pathway put in by Boy Scouts from Turquoise to Switzer

-With weeds returning quickly on the path, weed cloth was added

-Area behind the sign weeded and bunch grass seed added to cut down on weeds

Landscaped the shed area

-Boy Scouts built 2 new trellises. One to block the view of the parking lot and another to camouflage the shed. Donor sign added to the project.
-Red runner beans and clematis planted on the shed trellis.

-Clematis and honeysuckle planted on the large 8 foot trellis to block the view of the parking lot

-AmeriCorp put in a sandstone pad with material donated by Diana Watt

-Bench from anonymous donor refurbished by Diana Watt and placed on the sandstone pad

-Bird feeder/bath added to the area to cut off walking in between trellises

-Small shrub donated last year placed at front corner

Landscaped the Native Garden where sheds were moved last year
-Wildflowers scattered on the south side of the walkway

-Weeded north side and removed many New Mexican Locust that had spread

-Sandstone pad done by the Palmers on the east end of bed
-New bench donated by Crys Wells

-2 colorful pots added to that pad area

-Rock garden added at the west end of the bed S of the walkway. Plants transplanted from other
parts of the garden.

Work on improving storage and safety in the garden, and adding additional hardscape.
-Two page orientations to the garden updated for seasonal gardeners and a one page for one day volunteers with new requirements by Northland Hospice. 32 volunteers cleared for work
-New green bench donated and assembled by our crew

-Moved 1 rain barrel and leveled all three with cinder blocks

-Mailbox repaired and moved. All mailboxes cemented in for safety
-Removed outdated chemicals.

-Removed pine needles from canyon in water flow area again

Add and revise Educational items for visitors, residents, and volunteers

-Sign on back patio with: Food available to pick, What’s blooming?, Rainwater levels, What’s new in the garden?
-Revised general info about the entire garden, the individual garden plant lists, garden map, Rose Book, and Donor Book

-Individual plant lists added to the blog

-2 Garden Lectures for volunteers (Composting-Linda Guarino & Weeds-Dorothy Lamm)

-Continued to add new signs for plants throughout the garden. Special sign added to recognize the Master Gardener contribution in the gardens .

Continue to schedule group workdays

-Regular crew of master gardeners and hospice volunteers (10 new seasonal)

-Earth Day (6)

-Boy Scout Troop 7129 – 2 crews (15 & 12)

-AmeriCorps/ACA (9)

-Girls for Good (Seasonal Bird Care)

-Girls for Good (Make a Difference day -14)

Publicity
-Tours for special groups - Flagstaff Garden club, Peaks Bungalow Residents

-Continued the blog for weekly updates on the garden - (owhospicegardenvolunteers.blogspot.com)

-Donations: Arboretum Soiree Basket ($100), Seeds and potpourri Coconino County Fair

Fundraising
-Cards, seeds, potpourri, jewelry, and bricks for gazebo
-Sold fundraising items at: CMGA Plant and Garden Sale, 1^st Friday Art Walk

-Annual 10% Day at Warner’s

-Wish List Book Donations - Garden Bench ($600), Other items donated (see attached for detailed list)

Daily Sun Thank You 11/2/13

The volunteer gardeners at Olivia White Hospice Home would like to thank the Flagstaff community for their support during this garden season. We had a spectacular year with many volunteers and a very wet monsoon season. The gardens, especially the roses, were more beautiful than ever. As usual we had both financial and physical support from many. Warner’s Landscape & Nursery continued by adding an 11^th “10% of Proceeds Day” for the gardens. All the nurseries (Warner’s, Violas, Native Plant & Seed) provided discounts on plant material and advice during the season. Five new master gardeners signed up as seasonal volunteers along with two community gardeners, to help our regular crew. Special thanks go to those groups that continue to support us throughout the year with their gift of time. Boy Scout Troop 7129 helped us with several projects. Two of the boy scouts working towards Eagle Scout, completed big projects for us in the garden. One built two large redwood trellises with donations from the community and work by their troop, families, and friends. The 2^nd scout had his group put in two stone paths again with donations. AmeriCorp came this year with some volunteers from the American Conservation Experience (ACE). This was their 7^th year to visit and they built a sandstone pad, lined a stone path with weed cloth, and finished another stone path. The Girls for Good came for their 2^nd year. During the garden season they came twice weekly to feed and water our birds. At the end of the season the group came and removed pine needles from the canyon water area and washed many of our pots.

This is my last year coordinating the gardens at Olivia White and I want to thank each and every individual and business that helped me make this a community project. My job was made so much easier by all the material and support I received over the last 10 years. The master gardeners will continue to make this one of their garden projects, so keep supporting them with your kind and generous spirits. Gardens provide so many benefits to our health; lasting friendships, opportunities to learn and teach, continuous sensory experiences, food, reminders of the cycles of life, physical activity, distraction from physical or mental pain, and of course at hospice a way to give back to the community. Create a garden at home (small or large) or find one to work in. It has made my retirement meaningful, fun, at time challenging, and rewarding.

As the garden grows so shall the gardener.

Old Proverb

Loni Shapiro, Master Gardener

and the volunteer gardeners of Olivia White Hospice Home

Last Week of 2013

"One of the most delightful things about gardening is the freemasonry it gives with other gardeners, and the interest and pleasure all gardeners get by visiting other people's gardens. We all have a lot to learn and in every new garden there is a chance of finding inspiration - new flowers, different arrangement or fresh treatment for old subjects. Even if it is a garden you know by heart there are twelve months in the year and every month means a different garden, and the discovery of things unexpected all the rest of the year."- Margery Fish, We Made a Garden, 1956

In our last week in the garden we finished all work needed to close the garden for the season. On Monday, Julie Holmes and I took down the grapes and clematis in the gazebo while Betty Marcus watered trees and shrubs. The gazebo is cleared if there is need to stain in the spring.

On Thursday, we had a small crew finish the work. Sue Ordway, Rebecca Davis, Betty Marcus, Becky Lewis, Judith Chaddock, Whitney Fessler, and Linda Guarino worked for a couple of hours then joined me for a walk through of the garden. They watered indoors and out, removed some annuals from pots, cleaned up the compost, finished up putting away irrigation, deadheaded, disconnected hoses, put tables, chairs, swings away, and covered a bench and birdhouse. Josh Bangle joined us for the walk through. It included location of materials, ideas for next year, and some procedures. See Linda Guarino for questions. Books left are a Rose book and donor book in the house library, and a Review with pictures of 2013 with a Wish List book on the entry table in the house.

Thanks to all who helped in my last year at the garden. It wouldn't have happened without each and every one of you. I will think of you when I am in my own garden next year, and as I am getting one of many massages at Flagstaff Face & Body. Don't work too hard next year. I will see you all in one of the many venues gardening in Flagstaff has to offer.

"Out of gardens grow fleeting flowers but lasting friendships."- Beverly Rose Hopper

"I've learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means you move on and treasure the memories." - Alicia Boxer

With love and gratitude,
Loni

PS I am adding my thank you from the paper to the blog in case you missed it. You will also find a list of all our accomplishments.

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