A very big Thank You to all of the hardworking, literally ground-breaking crew that spent several hours on Saturday August 17, constructing our new Rain Garden! Rick Gullickson started on his Bobcat at about 8:30 am, excavating the site and pulling out the pear trees, moving dirt, filling holes, and also chain sawing the trees into shorter sections. Shelley and Norman Selle, Bob Brown, Rachel Barker, Sandra Stark, myself, Karen Zweizig, and Joanne Brown spent at least two hours shaping up the edges, breaking up clay clods, spading up and loosening the dirt, and pulling out rocks, weeds and sod. Then we started planting, and kept on planting for another couple hours. Rachel, Mary Mullen and Susan Rutter took photographs. Zach’s son Ezekiel helped plant butterfly milkweed. Almost 160 plants were put in, as well as two buttonbush shrubs. At about 1:30 we stopped planting and began mulching, watering and cleaning up. Thanks also to Jason Garvens for letting us use his water.
On Wednesday Aug 21 four of us returned and put in about 100 more plants, for a total of 260 + plants. The plants include 24 different species, and came from a variety of sources. Some were purchased at the Arboretum Native Plant Sale by myself and neighbors. The Neighborhood Association purchased plants at the Native Plant “remainders” sale. I planted many from seed last fall and this spring, and Plant Dane donated 70 plants. Sandy Stark made and installed an 8 x 11 inch laminated sign to explain the project. Approximately 50 “person hours” of volunteer work has been put in on the two work days.
Since the construction we’ve had two rain events of about ½ in each, the first early Sunday morning Aug 18, and then again Monday morning the 26th. The first rain had soaked into the garden by the end of that day. Monday’s rain had filled the garden to overflowing, but it all soaked in by some time Tuesday morning. The plants are looking good. Bottle Gention is blooming already! Photos are courtesy of Mary, Rachel, and Susan.
Thanks, again, to all the hardworking volunteers, and also to Molly Fifield Murray for her sound advice on design, and plant choices. We will resume work sessions in mid to late September to finish planting.
If you are interested in helping, please email me, Carol Buelow, area6@cmnna.org.
