Hi All,
There were 9 A+ gardeners who volunteered at the PGG on Monday, October 21 from 9 – 11 a.m. Those in attendance were: Rina Sjolund, Lisa Haverkamp, Evelyn Frey, Monica Hoherz, Mary Laughlin, Linda Bergquist, Hetty Hall, Erin Buscher, and moi. At 9 a.m. the temperature was 54 degrees, wind speed 0 mph, our rain gauge showed 0 inches since we met October 14, and the air quality was 56 considered “moderate.” By 11 a.m. the temperature had risen to 66 degrees, making our morning together a perfect day.
We had a very short list of chores to accomplish, dig canna lilies and elephant ears. Sounds easy, eh? With little to no rain to report for weeks (months?), the hard ground was a challenge. Everyone had brought their best spade, fork, root slayer, but after standing on our shovels after digging a few inches we seemed to hit a level known as “hard as nails.” Last week’s PGG summary reminded us to be gentle when digging the canna rhizomes and elephant ears bulbs to save for 2025. Well, that recommendation was soon broken! Patience and perseverance took over our group. By 11 a.m. tarps were filled with the above ground remains of the cannas and elephant ears. A couple very heavy tarps were filled with rhizomes and bulbs. Soon we exchanged tarps for buckets to put next year’s plantings. Check out the pictures below!
Tomorrow, October 28 will be our last work session for 2024. It’s always a bitter-sweet day to say good by to our Project GREEN volunteer friends. We’ve spent nearly 1000 hours together caring for the 2024 Project GREEN Gardens.
Recently while working at the Gardens, I received a thank you from a gentleman on a bicycle who wanted me to let volunteers know how much he enjoys the Gardens. His daily ride always ends at the Gardens where he takes time to enjoy the beauty and serenity of the 8 + acres. Tyler Baird (Superintendent of Parks and Forestry) asked me to tell volunteers, “Thanks for keeping the gardens looking good for another year at the Ashton House! It always looks nice and is also inviting from Park Rd for those driving past.”
Joyce Carroll (Arts Supervisor for Iowa City Parks and Recreation) wanted me to pass along to volunteers, “Thank you to all Project GREEN volunteers, for all the work you do! The grounds surrounding Ashton House are spectacular because of you. I’m sorry to see the beds put to sleep for the winter, but look forward to the Spring bloom. It will be magnificent again in 2025!”
Here are the numbers after 25 weeks volunteering at the PGG: Weeks 1 – 24 + Week 25 = 940 1/2 hours + 18 hours = 958 1/2 hours for 2024 Project GREEN volunteers!
With tomorrow’s week 26 work session, our brunch November 4, AND Roger Swartz’s 2024 hours caring for the Little Free Library it is VERY possible our total will go beyond 1000 hours! What an amazing number for Project GREEN’s amazing volunteers.🤩 Many thanks to all!
Tomorrow we will pull annuals from our many beds. We will do our best to pull tarps to the usual places, at the end of the long driveway & NW corner of the parking lot. Anyone wanting a fresh bouquet, bring something to gather pretty blooms to take home.
Looking forward to seeing Project GREEN friends tomorrow morning. Until then, happy gardening! Diane