How many of you put in time to keep the landscape from becoming a weedscape in some public, church or charity site? I am just wondering... I work on a 'reading garden' for a nonprofit in the town near me, and am heading out this morning to yank weeds and dig in some compost for ground cover over at my church while the morning is still cool. (Which reminds me... any suggestions on a low groundcover that is drought-hardy, not prickly, non-toxic and able to take light foot-traffic? I need something out by the patio that the preschool uses. Hm.)
We have a courtyard garden at church that I usually help plant. Someone else then maintains it during the summer.
Sounds pretty. A young lady at the church decided we needed real beds and a bunch of the people got together and did them, I had to work. They look really good, but not too many people want to maintain them. So a couple of us take turns.
Finding people to maintain seems to be the biggest ongoing struggle everywhere. We all like the fun of planting, but who wants to weed in the middle of summer? We have an elderly couple who usually keep up the front beds, but they've been ill and the flowers show it - I did a bunch of weeding and it still needs more. Thankfully, one of the stores here is clearing out its summer plants for only fifty cents each, any plant at all - a lot of them were beyond help, but I got several to plug into the blank spots where other things had died from neglect and it looks much nicer.
"(Which reminds me... any suggestions on a low groundcover that is drought-hardy, not prickly, non-toxic and able to take light foot-traffic? I need something out by the patio that the preschool uses." How about [info=anthemis tinctoria]camomile[/info]? It also smells lovely when walked on just like Hanks suggestion of [info=thyme]thyme[/info].
We have an older congregation, so they have us younger folk do the planting since we plant annuals by the flat. Luckily the sign-up sheet was full for maintenance, must be lucky I guess.
Thanks - I'm looking at a couple varieties of thyme, they may just be the ticket. I'd originally thought of something like a corsican mint, but it looks like it would need more water than it's likely to get. I'm planning out some bulbs for this fall, to put in the more neglected planters. Hopefully this will give them some kind of color every year without needing to be replanted so often.
There is a flower box along the front patio at the libray. It has always had dirt but no flowers. I noticed the other day that someone had put some iris's in it. There is a huge rosemary bush at one end next to the building. My friend in Wyoming maintains all the church gardens. She is in her 80's now and says this is her last year. She's trying to get all things that maintain themselves for the most part but there will still be a need for weeding. So, if you are anywhere near Wheatland, Wyoming and feel the need to pull a few weeds go to the Methodist church and check their flowerbeds. Dooley
It's not church or charity but I do maintain the gardens at City Hall where I work as finance clerk. No one else wants to do it and I would rather be outside than in. This spring most of the older shrubs were pulled out and new landscape rocks put in. I planted Stella d'Oro lilies across the front of the building. At the employee entrance at the side of the building, I have started a perennial bed. There is also a perenial bed I started years ago in the front. It was mostly whites and yellows. That's why I decided on the Stella d'Oro lilies. Planters are filled with marigolds and white allysum.
