Grumpies Galore

We didn't get much rain overnight but the .25" that did come down certainly helps. It looks like there is a chance of rain throughout the week which would be most welcome and helps us delay running our irrigation system. Directly above is one of our many tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) blooming in the fern & moss garden. They are just gorgeous right now with blooms almost 12" wide and there are some wonderful colors out there. We had lots of visitors today including some groups that enjoyed the gardens and lunch; many with cameras and tripods with them as well. It was a nice day to visit and it looks like most of the cottonwood (Populus deltoides) seeds have fluttered down and we're seeing the start of serious germination everywhere! UGH.

Plenty of Grumpies arrived this morning and jumped right in to projects with the exception of Maury (above) who started the morning with a nap. Actually, he and Dick P. are working on fixing our water fountain among other projects. Vern (directly below) put some sealer/stain on the new planter box that they built for the Garden Gala (July 13th) auction coming up soon. Our Home Garden Tour is the following Saturday (July 20th, 9 am - 3 pm). Jim D. and Gene (second photo down) were out in the rose garden and did a nice job spreading 60 bags of cocoa bean hull mulch around the roses. This mulch is functional and looks sharp but isn't my favorite mulch. The gardens did smell like chocolate for a while though but keep in mind that consumption of this mulch can be poisonous to dogs. The third photo down shows Bob C. and Dick K. (aqua shirt) cutting back the ornamental onions (Allium) in the formal annual sections. We'll get these eight sections prepared for planting by the Bower City Garden Club ladies this Thursday. We have a nice progression of clearing, weeding, preparing and planting each area and we're finishing a couple beds every week. Jim and Dave continued work on the new obelisks and Ron Y., along with help from Dick H. and Larry, brought back a bridge (see below) from the Japanese garden for rebuilding and widening. Our intent is to rebuild this to accommodate our carts and be wider for visitor access. Ron P. and Dick H. spent a good portion of the day repairing the lighting system for the dump truck. Rollie and Dick P. helped with various projects and Dr. Gredler was out mowing early this morning. Mary W. helped plant and Karen M. tidied up in the Japanese garden. Gary and Pat C. worked on signage issues and we also saw Ron W. and many others today as well.

The grounds staff had another busy day which included some watering duties for everyone. Larry set up a sprinkler and did some spot watering but also spent time getting that bridge, push mowing and other duties. Big John and Terry started the day planting another 32 boxwoods (Buxus 'Green Velvet') in the parking lot islands. Both guys also rototilled areas in preparation for planting. Terry also did some shearing and watering while John prepared an area for asphalting and also helped with watering. Jenny and Cindy worked all morning in front of the Parker Education Center where they cut bulb foliage, weeded and planted more annuals (orange-themed) throughout that space. Our entire entrance garden is about 95% finished with a couple accent pieces left to go in shortly. Jenny also tidied in the English cottage garden and watered. Cindy also had some weeding/tidying duties and watered the yard which continues to get more picked over each day. I was able to spray herbicide in some select areas and placed plants in two locations for installation tomorrow. We should have another productive week of planting but will shortly have to shift to weeding and more "tidy work." Below are some additional images from today.