Re: >gardens

Melody..........sorry about the previous messages.  First I told you to cut
back and take care of yourself.  Then I told you to undertake plant sales
and bed expansions.  Well, all I can say is, the decision is yours. :+)

Kitty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center"
<4042N15@nationalhearing.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:56 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] >gardens


> Melody asked
> >...how long did it take
> > > for you demo. gardens there to evolve to where they are now?
>
> Since the first gardens were put in (I think) in the early 90s from MG's
> plant divisions, much was unnamed or misnamed, and some unique, some
mundane
> or downright invasive.  When the new Hort Ed, Ricky, took charge in the
late
> 90s he tried to shape things up but found that the previous Hort Ed had
> allowed the MG association to control things - including the money.  They
> refused to release funds for maintenance or improvements, so he responded
by
> training vast numbers of new MGs, escalating CES controlled plant sales,
> garage sales etc, to build up our funds and manpower.  For several years
he
> tried to get the association to release the $7000 for use by MGs, but
> finally gave up.  It's a shame that money gained by hard working MGs was
> lost but we worked harder than ever and the gardens and our bank account
> reflect that.
>
> My reason for mentioning this is that there's a sort of huge blip in the
> development of the gardens with big changes that began about 1998-99.
>
> As I mentioned, the Cutting garden was added about 2000.  The Cottage
garden
> was completely dug out and revamped with new plants about 2001, and looks
> full and lush today - well, not TODAY, but in summer of 2004 it did.  They
> did the same to the Woodland Fen about the same time, but we're still
> working on it.  Apparently the group didn't want to part with unnamed
> hostas, but the new group this year will finally eliminate anything withou
t
> a name.  My point is that gardens evolve.  Especially these because there
> was plenty of room to improve on them.
>
> Remember the old saying about perennials?  For some reason I can't but
> ...the first year they adjust to their new surroundings, the second year,
> they get established, and the third year they come into their own.  So I'd
> use 3 years as a ballpark figure to make a display garden look like
> something if you are starting with young plants.  Also, a lot depends on
the
> manpower, maintenance schedule, and available amenities.  Water closeby?
Is
> fertilizer, mulch, etc, budgeted in?  Do MGs stay on top of weeding and
> other tasks?  People have to commit or it's not worth doing.  We had a few
> MGs donate Iris and daylilies for propagation, to grow on for plants for
our
> sales.  They put them in and walked away.  As an intern I did a lot of
> weeding, and after I tore out miles of bindweed covering that bed, Ricky
> said he wanted everything out of it and seed it over.  I said it was a
shame
> because it was a good idea.  Yeah.....guess who is now in charge of seven
> propagation beds?
>
> So you want to expand your demo garden.  Well, it takes money and
> commitment. Soil amendments, fertilizer, water , mulch, insecticides,
plant
> material, etc...these all add up.  Before Ricky came to our CES, MGs
lugged
> all their own tools, hoses, etc back and forth; now we have a well-stocked
> tool shed, paid for by our money-making efforts. Now we have waterlines.
> You say " talking about a
> > > program that doesn't even do a plant sale, but I figure maybe I could
> > > talk them into expanding the demo. garden easier than a plant sale."
> Why won't they do a plant sale?  Heck, I did a one-person plant sale out
of
> my driveway last year and brought in $1000 in 5 hours from plants I grow
> myself.  Imagine what your group could do!  IMO, gathering funds comes
> first, then expansion.  Otherwise, you might have to do the expansion on
the
> cheap, it might not get the care and protection it needs for lack of funds
> and/or commitment, and it might then be a poor demonstration of what MGs
can
> do.
>
> If your group insists they can't come up with enough plant material for a
> sale, let me know, I can give you some tips.  Maybe the problem is a
> location.  Will your CES or county fairgrounds give you space to grow
plants
> for sale?  Perhaps the same space that you might later use for that
> expansion?  Or maybe each group member could commit to growing one variety
> at home for the sale. Location for the sale itself?  If CES or fairgrounds
> won't give you a place to conduct the sale, how about a local parking lot?
> Put up a tent.  Not only will you be making money, you will be raising
> awareness in your area about MGs.
>
> It takes commitment and imagination, but you, Melody, are not short on
> either.  Your job, though, for the time, is inspiration.  You have to
light
> a fire under these people.
>
> Kitty
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center"
> <4042N15@nationalhearing.com>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:40 AM
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] Fuchsia>gardens
>
>
> > Melody,
> > First I'll just give a description.  In a later message I'll more fully
> > answer your question about development, though this explains some of it.
> >
> > Most of the gardens were started before I became an MG.  They started
them
> > for the most part from plants culled from their own gardens.  There were
> > some existing trees surrounding the Extension Service Building which
gave
> a
> > few of the gardens some backbone.  They raised money by selling plants
> from
> > their own gardens and had other fundraisers including garage sales and a
> > brick sale (for some $ amount contribution your name is on a brick walk)
> > One MG contributed the design and much of the labor to build a stone
> potting
> > shed.  The shed sits at the north end of an enclosed loose-fence
(there's
> a
> > name for that type- split rail?)  The south entrance has a small arbor
and
> > the west entrance has a huge arbor area entrance with sitting area. The
> east
> > end has a walk through composting section.    The fenced-in area is
> > quartered; half was herb garden and half vegetable.  When the Youth
> > volunteers lost their garden to university plans they took over half the
> > vegetable garden - so each is a quarter. Then they established the Monet
> > garden which later became Pastel Pathway.  Next to that is Birds, Bees,
> and
> > Butterflies garden, across from which is the Cottage garden, against the
> > north side of the  building.  Behind PPand BBB is the Prairie garden and
> > west of all that used to be a Wildflower garden, across from the still
> > exisiting Entrance garden.  The front of the building (facing east)has a
> > Moonlight garden which faces the trial garden and, south of Trial, the
> > Woodland Fen. About 2000 we added a Cutting garden in the space between
> > Trial the fenced area. The other side (south) of the building is the
> > Ornamental Grass garden.  The Back of the building (west) has the
Terrace
> > Hydrangea garden and, through another huge trellised arbor is the Patio
> > garden.  About 2001, various conifers were moved and some new ones
> acquired
> > to create the Conifer garden, across the glade to the southwest of the
> > building.  This year we are adding a rockgarden to the outside of the
> fenced
> > in garden and facing the Prairie.  The roofgarden is going on top of the
> > shed next to the terrace garden.  The Propagation group has seven
gardens
> > spread out around the grounds.  The grounds include a "glade" to the
west
> of
> > the building - which is shrinking because Ricky needs space for more
> plants
> > he wants  - which is where we hold our plant sales.   East of the
Cutting,
> > Trial, and Fen, is a "glen" (don't know if these terms are appropriate)
> > which we put in around 2000.  This is a nice wide path with a sitting
> area,
> > lots of neat shrubs, lilies, daylilies, iris, daffodils.   Where the
> > university cut through the kids garden a couple of years ago for a
walkway
> > from a skybridge to our north we've been developing an outer edge of
> > grasses, butterfly bushes, extra-durable perennials like Sedum, and a
few
> > Austrees and some evergreens.
> >
> > Kitty
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Melody " <mhobertm@excite.com>
> >  BTW, I've been meaning to ask you...how long did it take
> > > for you demo. gardens there to evolve to where they are now? We have
one
> > > tiny little demo. garden at our county fairgrounds, maybe a plot that
is
> > > 15' x 25' tops (and that is estimating generously) and I would so love
> > > to be part of getting that expanded. Of course, you are talking about
a
> > > program that doesn't even do a plant sale, but I figure maybe I could
> > > talk them into expanding the demo. garden easier than a plant sale.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Melody
> > > Hills, IA
> > >
> > > "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."
> > > --Albert Einstein
> >
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