Tag Archives: Volunteers

Getting into the flow

Cooling off at the harvest table

The volunteers at Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard are finally getting into the flow…of our new irrigation system that is. We raised money for it’s installation in 2009 and it was installed in October that year. But due to various circumstances we haven’t been able to use it since then. No longer! Thanks to Tom Feeney from Parks and Recreation the system is now working perfectly. Instead of dragging buckets across the park from Lynn’s house, we’ll be stretching a hose across the park to water our 14 fruit trees and we can set a sprinkler up near the pollinator garden to water that perennial bed.

Today was also a special day because we welcomed two wonderful new volunteers. Newcomers Hani and Michael joined our regulars: Lynn, Sherry, Susan, Cliff, Alex, Ildie (who came by for moral support), Debra and Rocko the dog (or is it Franco) who barked his encouragement from under a nearby shade tree. We completed the mulching of the pollinator garden and cut down any thistle as a way to weaken the plants. It is looking great and we’ll meet up next Sunday for more of the same.

Black Eyed Susan

So what’s up and out in the perennial bed? Black Eyed Susans are now blooming along with the Bee Balm and Daylillies. The sage is thriving and the lavender and thyme are digging in their little roots. Come and join us next Sunday for more stewardship. For more information look at our stewardship calender on this website.

First Blooms

Purple Coneflower Uncovered

It’s taken over 200 volunteer hours and we’ve finally weeded the perennial bed in Ben Nobleman Park. Under the thistle, almost choked by the quackgrass and hidden by the overgrown junipers, we uncovered some lovely purple coneflowers, a lovely drought resistant native plant. In the last two weeks our noble volunteers have also replanted the bed with beautiful new plant material some of it is already blooming…

Perky Sunflowers

Most of the new material came from nurseries. But the perky sunflowers were donated by volunteer Debra Anthony, a passionate plantswoman who grows everything from seed. So when this little beauty makes you smile, you have Debra to thank for that.

In the new planting we also have a variety of daylillies. The first to bloom was Hemerocalis Flamenco Queen. Over the years these hardy drought-resistant plants will multiply until we have a strong mass of flowers to admire on a hot summer day.

What’s next? Well, we continue to mulch the bed with cedar mulch to help retain the moisture and to keep the weeds in the bed at bay. And now, back to the fruit trees! We will weed around the pear and plum trees this Saturday starting from 8am. Come join us!

Recognize this bed?

So, do you recognize this bed? This is what the Ben Nobleman Park perennial bed looks like after about 180 volunteer hours of research, redesign, weeding, weeding, weeding and planting together with hundreds of dollars worth of new plant material generously paid for by a Walmart Evergreen grant, a Fiskars Orange Thumb Grant, and herbs including lavender, sage, tarragon and thyme generously donated by Richters Herbs. A total of more than 20 amazing volunteers (plus the morale building contributions of Rocco the dog and Alice the Baby) helped to make this transformation possible. And while this weekend’s work – in the pouring rain part of the time – got us over the biggest hump, we still have lots to do. Next sunday we’ll be finishing the weeding around the stone edge of the bed and planting the edging materials from Richters Herbs and then we’ll meet regularly on Thursdays and Sundays to maintain and irrigate the bed and our orchard trees to keep the park looking beautiful. Come and join us! All are welcome. To keep up to date on stewardship days, keep an eye on our calendar on the webpage. THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

The bed after 180 volunteer hours to renovate

The Perennial Bed Before Renovation

Just a few of the wonderful, crazy volunteers who helped make it happen