Nice (and Timely) Soaking Rain

We had a great rainy morning that fluctuated between drizzle and the occasional downpour.  More significant rain and storms were both west and east of us as times but we ended up with a nice soaking rain throughout the gardens.  Nice shot above of the ‘Princeton Gold’ Norway maple (Acer platanoides) which glows with plenty of colorful interest this time of year.  Our grounds staff of Larry H., Big John, Alex and Shania all had busy days with both inside and outside work once the weather cleared.  Big John made three trips for plants on this rainy day.  Our volunteers included Barb C., Sandi, Vern, Maury, Bill O, Denmis, four volunteer form the Mercy Health system and a great team arrived for the volunteer planting evening.  See further below for some highlights. The format of my blog has become weird so we’ll see how this one goes through!

Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Variegatum’ – woody tree (above)

white fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) above – woody tree

annual ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ fuchsia (Fuchsia triphylla) with perennial ‘Sun King’ Japanese spikenard (Aralia cordata) offering a nice background!

 

‘Kimodo Dragon’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

 

‘Dark Shadows’ golden ragwort (Packera aurea) – above

Dutch Mill Drive™ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) – annual

another new path will be installed soon!

 

the hungry boy above has been munching away daily and has very little fear of humans!

Our first of three Wednesday Volunteer Planting Evenings (6 pm – 8 pm) are usually well attended and we had a great turnout with Big John, Tina, Gena, Barb, Alan, Marleen, Cathy E., Tina B. and Sue C.  We planted two areas and moved on to some preliminary planting in the new Wellness Garden