Saw Some Lions Today

Another golden conifer above in front of the building. This is another golden falsecypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Spangle') that continues to look great but is getting some good growth and may need to be relocated soon. Note the holiday lights still on this specimen. Our gang has done a great job with taking down this event. Unfortunately, they are stuck taking down lights and picking up cords that weren't put up in a thoughtful way for those that are collecting them. My cords have received some criticism as well!

Rod and I spoke at the Noon Lions Club meeting today in Janesville. We talked about the value of membership and showed some neat images of the gardens while talking about what is coming up this year. They were a nice group and the presentation seemed well-received. I've presented to them before but that was many years ago. The daisies (see to left) will be ready for interested artists very shortly. Our guys have done a nice job on this project and have actually started working on the stems and leaves that will be used to support these finished pieces in May. We'll put all 27 out in the gardens and encourage the community to enjoy these out in our garden setting. Maury and Dr. Gredler both worked on this project today with Doc moving on to more obelisk painting transition (chartreuse to red). Note his enthusiasm to the right. With his radio earphones, we like to pretend like we're talking to him until he takes them off. Volunteer abuse? Indeed.

Bill and Little Jerry were in today and worked mostly inside as it is bitter cold outside and getting worse this week. Larry worked on getting various items out and ready for our 2010 painting and we spent some time deciding on a new utility vehicle. Our recent, generous donation has allowed us to purchase a new mower and we'll continue to look for deals on utlity vehicles as well. Bob T. was in today as was Dick W. The seed orders are really pouring in this week and we received another set of biodegradable pots called DOTPots. These look like the compressed peat pots but are actually 80% wood fiber. Check out http://www.dotpots.com/ for information on these pots. They look nifty and I noticed that they had no drain holes. Checking their website, I found the following information of interest (from their website...)

It's what's NOT in the DOT Pot™ that makes it better! Unlike glued peat moss pots, biodegradable DOT Pots are made from all natural wood fibers, 80% spruce fibers and 20% peat moss and nothing else! DOT Pots contain zero glues or binders -- allowing the plant roots to grow right through the pot during a normal production cycle. The plant's growth is not impeded by the walls of the pot. This creates a vigorous, non-girdled root system that spreads out evenly and uniformly...The highly porous technology of the DOT Pots allows us to exclude one more ingredient from the DOT Pot -- drain holes. Without glue or binders, air and water flow freely through the entire container without the need for drain holes
We'll use samples for demo and will actually try some out and see how well the break down out in the environment. I also noted that the pots were stamped with FRANCE on the bottom and followed another link to additional information on the DOTpot website. See below.

The origin of the DOT Pot™dates back to France in 1962. The Fertil Company began producing biodegradable wood fiber pots in the Vosges mountain region of France to meet the needs of local growers. What they were looking for was a better way to transplant their fruit and vegetables into the growing fields. They needed a way to reduce transplant shock and save on labor costs. A biodegradable wood fiber pot was the answer.

Nice shot of 'Autumn Rain' iris (Iris germanica) from Tim that looks awesome. We'll see this baby in just over 120 days...