Hi All and Happy Spring!
It’s time to think about Monday mornings and beginning our efforts to beautify the Project GREEN Gardens (PGG)! Our first Monday together will be May 4th from 9 – 11. If you haven’t dropped by the Gardens recently, please do! So many blooming daffodils, scilla, hellebores, promises of naked ladies, mums, peonies, iris, trillium, and more. Many of you ordered plants from Pleasant Valley Greenhouses for specific locations around the PGG. If you would like to see your order, please let me know and I’ll send it ASAP. There are containers of fertilizer in the garage for all to use. When emptied, let me know and I’ll get more. Did you get your Project GREEN hat at the end of our 2025? If not there’s a box of hats on the table inside the garage with your hat. If you’ve forgotten the garage keyless entry code, please let me know and I’ll send it your way. By the way, congratulations upon donating 1200 hours caring for the 2025 PGG! An awesome number of volunteer hours worthy of many thank-you’s. It was a grand year!
As always, things happen at the PGG when we’re not around. Jim Peters and Cindy Parsons have taken turns driving “Fern” a couple times a month since last October. Sticks and branches have been collected and put into a pile near the new fire-pit. In February, Project GREEN volunteers and Master Gardeners met for a seed sowing project, year 2. 66 milk jugs filled with soil and flower seeds were planted and spent the rest of winter on the Ashton House patio. This project was headed by Sue Mullins. Susan Ahrens has watered as needed throughout the patio time. I am estimating 50 hours have been spent on these early season activities. If anyone has donated time and energy (not included in this listing) at the PGG since we began 2026, please let me know.
Project GREEN is hosting a planting party Tuesday, April 21 beginning at 9 a.m. until noon. Those invited along with Project GREEN volunteers are: Iowa City Parks and Recreation, Heritage Trees volunteers, Master Gardeners, and the Ashton House’s Malory Smysor and clients. Our goal is to plant LOTS of prairie plantings as plugs at the fire-pit area. Trees and shrubs will be planted behind the seating wall at the site. Once again Pat Yeggy will be our 2026 Plant Label Chair and have labels ready for us as we plant. Thanks to Tyler Baird for the list of plugs:
- Allium cernuum
- Amorpha canescens
- Asclepias verticillata
- Baptisia alba
- Bouteloua curtipendula
- Carex pensylvanica
- Carex vulpinoidea
- Dalea purpurea
- Echinacea pallida
- Eryngium yuccifolium
- Helenium autumnale
- Koeleria macrantha
- Lespedeza capitata
- Liatris spicata
- Monarda fistulosa
- Parthenium integrifolium
- Penstemon digitalis
- Ratibida pinnata
- Rudbeckia triloba
- Schizachyrium scoparium
- Silphium laciniatum
- Sporobolus heterolepis
- Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Verbena hastata
- Veronicastrum virginicum
- Viburnum dentatum Blue Muffin
- Nyssa sylvatica ‘Wildfire
Oh yes, there will be s’mores served at the fire-pit for all to enjoy when our work is finished! Sounds like a fun party!
Trees and Shrubs will be planted behind the fire-pit wall, of course with labels! Thanks Pat!
Cindy and I plan to get the rain gauges out at the PGG. If you see they need to be emptied go ahead and do so, but please note the rain amount and send me the data and day emptied.
Looking forward to seeing LOTS of Project GREEN volunteers on April 21 and May 4! Until then, happy gardening. Diane