Full Speed Ahead

It was another busy day around the gardens with plenty of volunteer action both inside and out. While I normally don't post our "Grumpy" volunteer lists until April, the weather has prompted an earlier start for many of our tasks and we are officially back in business. The photos above show some of the activities this morning. At the top are Ron Y. (left) and Del (right) who did a nice job sweeping and raking our paths clear of debris. This tidying makes a big difference and is vital now that we have some steady traffic in the gardens with so much in bloom now. The second photo down shows Urban (on ladder) and Stan (new Grumpy) doing some pruning on a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'). These guys have done a nice job and are finishing up the last of our structural pruning on the smaller trees that we can reach. Directly above is Dick W. in the distance dealing with the nightmare of blue lyme grass (Elymus arenarius 'Blue Dune') that was planted last year and has sprouted in many locations. We use this vigorous perennial grass as a seasonal element for the steely blue foliage but it is a thug and warrants subsequent removal of any little sprigs that decide to grow. To the right is the third of our oak leaf art projects to be returned. I really like the look of this one (nice job Pat C.!) and it will look spectacular out in the gardens this summer. We still have 13 of these available if anyone is interested and will extend the deadline for return accordingly. To the left is the white grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides 'Album') in the woodland walk garden with some advantageous backlighting.

Dave T. and Jim went on a supply run for their obelisks and are starting to construct the supports for our horizontal, PVC pipe planters. Ron W. did another road trip for us and then joined the guys out in the arboretum. Marv and Terry sized up some projects, rototilled and are figuring out how we'll install our big planters. Marianne did a nice job straightening signs and is sorting out the mess of sign replacements, needs, etc. She's very organized which is uber-helpful to me. Kay continued working in her portion of the shade garden and beyond and did a nice thorough job. Her timing was perfect for catching some of the invasive plants that are "rearing their heads." Jumbo Jim was in with two RECAPPERS and they did a nice job cleaning up the alpine garden. Dr. Gredler dove right in to the first mowing of the year and shifted to painting in the afternoon. We also saw Big John, Janice, Chuck, Bill O., Karen M., Corky, Joan, Jason and many others. We also had a great meeting with Golden Kiwanis members regarding the Spring Tree Sale (see RBG website!). Pat worked today and did a nice job clearing brush, weeding and staking our weeping ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Pendula') which is no small task. Larry worked on multiple projects including the installation of our first two culvert pipe planters (silver). To the right is the beautiful saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) near the Japanese garden. This tree is at peak for us and the pale pink blooms make a great impression individually or en masse. Directly below is the white Siberian squill (Scilla siberica 'Alba') which is currently peaking with the blue version (Scilla siberica) as well. Look closely for the insect (ant?) checking on these blooms. I was able to get outside in the gardens for quite a bit of time and touched base with just about everyone out there. I created some concern, as I always do, when I carried a bunch of flags out in the gardens. Usually flags, marking tape or spray paint in my hands equates to a less than desireable project for staff and/or volunteers. I did go out and mark the locations for most of our obelisks and our large culvert pipe planters. These walk-arounds also allow me to see what projects are the most important as we start our "brush fire approach" to maintenance due to this heat wave. I'd love another 20 people each day for weeding and hopefully we'll muster the troops soon. Two photos up is the fresh young foliage of the 'Looking Glass' false forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla). The blue flowers of this perennial should also emerge shortly. Directly above is another cool hellebore (Helleborus) called 'Mellow Yellow'. I like the color on this one and am, again, propping the drooping flower upwards for the photo. To the right are more of our early grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum). They are really starting to bloom in the warmer areas near the water and we'll see the peak of the grape hyacinths in about 10 days or so. While I've seen many magnolias blooming already, most of our later varieties haven't bloomed yet. The yellow-blooming varieties, while budded out, seem about a week away or so. However, near the pond along the children's garden, I saw this 'Gold Finch' magnolia (Magnolia hybrida) today and it is looking quite nice with those flowers around 5" long. To the right are the blooms of one of our lungworts (Pulmonaria sp.). This variety is 'Victorian Brooch' which is primarily known for its spotted foliage and ability to take some tough conditions in part shade to shade. Deer and other critters tend to leave lungworts alone as they have a "sand papery" texture that isn't real palatable.

Tonight Janice and I will present for the Rock County Master Gardener program over at the UW-Rock County campus. Mike M. is in sunny CA for a "conference" so we'll talk about RBG and the opportunities for volunteerism. Directly below are the blooms of the wind anemone (Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades') which is planted in October as a small bulb. At the bottom is one of the many patches of very active ants out in the gardens, also taking advantage of the warm March.