Re: >gardens

Oh, no, Kitty: I have no plans to get involved in this project right
now...I'm thinking someday in the distant future when I can get involved
in MG stuff again and actually be able to contribute a fair amount of
time to the project...but that won't be for a good many years. I just
figured our demo. garden has been this way for a good many years not, it
probably won't change any time soon, and I'm the kind of person who
likes to collect info. as I go and keep it on a back burner in my head
until I'm ready to use it. So I'll just store your info. away on my hard
drive until I need it, so thanks a bunch!



Melody Hobert-Mellecker
Director, Stewardship & Religious Education
St. Joseph's Parish, Hills, IA

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."    
--Albert Einstein

 --- On Wed 03/16, Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center < 4042N15@nationalhearing.com > wrote:
From: Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center [mailto: 4042N15@nationalhearing.com]
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 13:11:50 -0600
Subject: Re: [CHAT] >gardens

Melody..........sorry about the previous messages. First I told you to
cut<br>back and take care of yourself. Then I told you to undertake
plant sales<br>and bed expansions. Well, all I can say is, the decision
is yours. :+)<br><br>Kitty<br><br>----- Original Message ----- <br>From:
"Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing
Center"<br><4042N15@nationalhearing.com><br>To:
<gardenchat@hort.net><br>Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:56
PM<br>Subject: Re: [CHAT] >gardens<br><br><br>> Melody asked<br>>
>...how long did it take<br>> > > for you demo. gardens there to evolve
to where they are now?<br>><br>> Since the first gardens were put in (I
think) in the early 90s from MG's<br>> plant divisions, much was unnamed
or misnamed, and some unique, some<br>mundane<br>> or downright
invasive. When the new Hort Ed, Ricky, took charge in the<br>late<br>>
90s he tried to shape things up but found that the previous Hort Ed
had<br>> allowed the MG association to control things - including the
money. They<br>> refused to release funds for maintenance or
improvements, so he responded<br>by<br>> training vast numbers of new
MGs, escalating CES controlled plant sales,<br>> garage sales etc, to
build up our funds and manpower. For several years<br>he<br>> tried to
get the association to release the $7000 for use by MGs, but<br>>
finally gave up. It's a shame that money gained by hard working MGs
was<br>> lost but we worked harder than ever and the gardens and our
bank account<br>> reflect that.<br>><br>> My reason for mentioning this
is that there's a sort of huge blip in the<br>> development of the
gardens with big changes that began about 1998-99.<br>><br>> As I
mentioned, the Cutting garden was added about 2000. The
Cottage<br>garden<br>> was completely dug out and revamped with new
plants about 2001, and looks<br>> full and lush today - well, not TODAY,
but in summer of 2004 it did. They<br>> did the same to the Woodland Fen
about the same time, but we're still<br>> working on it. Apparently the
group didn't want to par

t with unnamed<br>> hostas, but the new group this year will finally
eliminate anything withou<br>t<br>> a name. My point is that gardens
evolve. Especially these because there<br>> was plenty of room to
improve on them.<br>><br>> Remember the old saying about perennials? For
some reason I can't but<br>> ...the first year they adjust to their new
surroundings, the second year,<br>> they get established, and the third
year they come into their own. So I'd<br>> use 3 years as a ballpark
figure to make a display garden look like<br>> something if you are
starting with young plants. Also, a lot depends on<br>the<br>> manpower,
maintenance schedule, and available amenities. Water closeby?<br>Is<br>>
fertilizer, mulch, etc, budgeted in? Do MGs stay on top of weeding
and<br>> other tasks? People have to commit or it's not worth doing. We
had a few<br>> MGs donate Iris and daylilies for propagation, to grow on
for plants for<br>our<br>> sales. They put them in and walked away. As
an intern I did a lot of<br>> weeding, and after I tore out miles of
bindweed covering that bed, Ricky<br>> said he wanted everything out of
it and seed it over. I said it was a<br>shame<br>> because it was a good
idea. Yeah.....guess who is now in charge of seven<br>> propagation
beds?<br>><br>> So you want to expand your demo garden. Well, it takes
money and<br>> commitment. Soil amendments, fertilizer, water , mulch,
insecticides,<br>plant<br>> material, etc...these all add up. Before
Ricky came to our CES, MGs<br>lugged<br>> all their own tools, hoses,
etc back and forth; now we have a well-stocked<br>> tool shed, paid for
by our money-making efforts. Now we have waterlines.<br>> You say "
talking about a<br>> > > program that doesn't even do a plant sale, but
I figure maybe I could<br>> > > talk them into expanding the demo.
garden easier than a plant sale."<br>> Why won't they do a plant sale?
Heck, I did a one-person plant sale out<br>of<br>> my driveway last year
and brought in $1000 in 5 hours from plants I grow<br>> my

se
lf. Imagine what your group could do! IMO, gathering funds comes<br>>
first, then expansion. Otherwise, you might have to do the expansion
on<br>the<br>> cheap, it might not get the care and protection it needs
for lack of funds<br>> and/or commitment, and it might then be a poor
demonstration of what MGs<br>can<br>> do.<br>><br>> If your group
insists they can't come up with enough plant material for a<br>> sale,
let me know, I can give you some tips. Maybe the problem is a<br>>
location. Will your CES or county fairgrounds give you space to
grow<br>plants<br>> for sale? Perhaps the same space that you might
later use for that<br>> expansion? Or maybe each group member could
commit to growing one variety<br>> at home for the sale. Location for
the sale itself? If CES or fairgrounds<br>> won't give you a place to
conduct the sale, how about a local parking lot?<br>> Put up a tent. Not
only will you be making money, you will be raising<br>> awareness in
your area about MGs.<br>><br>> It takes commitment and imagination, but
you, Melody, are not short on<br>> either. Your job, though, for the
time, is inspiration. You have to<br>light<br>> a fire under these
people.<br>><br>> Kitty<br>><br>> ----- Original Message ----- <br>>
From: "Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center"<br>>
<4042N15@nationalhearing.com><br>> To: <gardenchat@hort.net><br>> Sent:
Wednesday, March 16, 2005 11:40 AM<br>> Subject: Re: [CHAT]
Fuchsia>gardens<br>><br>><br>> > Melody,<br>> > First I'll just give a
description. In a later message I'll more fully<br>> > answer your
question about development, though this explains some of it.<br>> ><br>>
> Most of the gardens were started before I became an MG. They
started<br>them<br>> > for the most part from plants culled from their
own gardens. There were<br>> > some existing trees surrounding the
Extension Service Building which<br>gave<br>> a<br>> > few of the
gardens some backbone. They raised money by selling plants<br>>
from<br>> > their own gardens and had other fundraiser

s including garage sales and a<br>> > brick sale (for some $ amount
contribution your name is on a brick walk)<br>> > One MG contributed the
design and much of the labor to build a stone<br>> potting<br>> > shed.
The shed sits at the north end of an enclosed
loose-fence<br>(there's<br>> a<br>> > name for that type- split rail?)
The south entrance has a small arbor<br>and<br>> > the west entrance has
a huge arbor area entrance with sitting area. The<br>> east<br>> > end
has a walk through composting section. The fenced-in area is<br>> >
quartered; half was herb garden and half vegetable. When the Youth<br>>
> volunteers lost their garden to university plans they took over half
the<br>> > vegetable garden - so each is a quarter. Then they
established the Monet<br>> > garden which later became Pastel Pathway.
Next to that is Birds, Bees,<br>> and<br>> > Butterflies garden, across
from which is the Cottage garden, against the<br>> > north side of the
building. Behind PPand BBB is the Prairie garden and<br>> > west of all
that used to be a Wildflower garden, across from the still<br>> >
exisiting Entrance garden. The front of the building (facing east)has
a<br>> > Moonlight garden which faces the trial garden and, south of
Trial, the<br>> > Woodland Fen. About 2000 we added a Cutting garden in
the space between<br>> > Trial the fenced area. The other side (south)
of the building is the<br>> > Ornamental Grass garden. The Back of the
building (west) has the<br>Terrace<br>> > Hydrangea garden and, through
another huge trellised arbor is the Patio<br>> > garden. About 2001,
various conifers were moved and some new ones<br>> acquired<br>> > to
create the Conifer garden, across the glade to the southwest of the<br>>
> building. This year we are adding a rockgarden to the outside of
the<br>> fenced<br>> > in garden and facing the Prairie. The roofgarden
is going on top of the<br>> > shed next to the terrace garden. The
Propagation group has seven<br>gardens<br>> > spread out around the
grounds. The grounds

in
clude a "glade" to the<br>west<br>> of<br>> > the building - which is
shrinking because Ricky needs space for more<br>> plants<br>> > he wants
- which is where we hold our plant sales. East of the<br>Cutting,<br>> >
Trial, and Fen, is a "glen" (don't know if these terms are
appropriate)<br>> > which we put in around 2000. This is a nice wide
path with a sitting<br>> area,<br>> > lots of neat shrubs, lilies,
daylilies, iris, daffodils. Where the<br>> > university cut through the
kids garden a couple of years ago for a<br>walkway<br>> > from a
skybridge to our north we've been developing an outer edge of<br>> >
grasses, butterfly bushes, extra-durable perennials like Sedum, and
a<br>few<br>> > Austrees and some evergreens.<br>> ><br>> > Kitty<br>>
><br>> ><br>> > ----- Original Message ----- <br>> > From: "Melody "
<mhobertm@excite.com><br>> > BTW, I've been meaning to ask you...how
long did it take<br>> > > for you demo. gardens there to evolve to where
they are now? We have<br>one<br>> > > tiny little demo. garden at our
county fairgrounds, maybe a plot that<br>is<br>> > > 15' x 25' tops (and
that is estimating generously) and I would so love<br>> > > to be part
of getting that expanded. Of course, you are talking about<br>a<br>> > >
program that doesn't even do a plant sale, but I figure maybe I
could<br>> > > talk them into expanding the demo. garden easier than a
plant sale.<br>> > ><br>> > ><br>> > ><br>> > > Melody<br>> > > Hills,
IA<br>> > ><br>> > > "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the
mysterious."<br>> > > --Albert Einstein<br>> ><br>> >
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