June/July 2019 Update

June and July have been productive months in the garden.  However, excessive rain in July once again caused some projects to fall behind schedule.  Areas of the garden were under water after receiving over 6 inches of rain during the course of a week.  A few of our plantings did not survive the flooding but replacements have already been purchased and are ready for fall planting.

A major weed control effort has been underway for several weeks.  Eighty-five cubic yards of mulch underlaid with landscape fabric is being placed throughout the maze.  Decorative rock and mulch are also being added to numerous flower beds underway.

We want to express our appreciation to Roger’s Group for the donation of a 2340 pound boulder  commemorating their support of the Garden.  The boulder faced with a bronze plaque has been placed in the Visitor’s Garden.  Gravel for the parking area and pathways are also being donated by Roger’s Group.

Due to the workload at the Garden, we welcome volunteers Tuesday through Friday beginning in August and continuing through early November.  Please call or email us for days and hours you would like to volunteer.  We generally begin at 7:30 a.m. and finish around 5:00 p.m.

April & May Update

We were able to complete much of our spring planting when the excessive rains finally ended but the weather turned to the other extreme, very hot and dry.  We have around two hundred plants remaining that we will hold until fall planting.

Two new projects are underway that will be completed in the coming weeks.  Excavation for a small parking area is currently in progress and a concrete slab in the meditation garden which will provide the foundation for a water fountain due to arrive in late June.  The electrical and plumbing installations that have been on hold pending the parking area excavation will now move forward.

We appreciate your continued financial support and volunteer labor.  Please check our upcoming work schedule by clicking on the Volunteer tab if you would like to help on upcoming activities.

March Update

The weather became more favorable for garden work during March. Our newest plantings to date include a variety of native plants donated by the Huntsville Botanical Garden.  These were placed throughout the Native garden.  Twenty “Encore” azaleas which typically produce blooms three times each year were planted in the “Pink” garden.  Several conifers and other evergreens were added to the Japanese and Children’s garden.  Some nice sculptures and concrete planters were purchased which will be installed in various locations as the garden continues developing.

Due to the extremely wet weather this past winter, we rescheduled some critical infrastructure projects for this spring.  Excavation will begin in May and continue through June for a water garden and parking lot followed by electrical and plumbing installations.

We always enjoy visiting with clubs and organizations to discuss the Garden and provide ways for those interested to help on volunteer days. The picture below was a recent visit to the Cub Scouts in the Henryville area.  Anyone who is interested in volunteering will find work days posted on this website.

A special thank you to those who divided and shared plants with us to establish in our Garden.  Please call us to determine if plants you wish to donate are needed at the Garden.

January/February 2019 Update

The Garden is entering it’s second year of development.  It goes without saying that we have had one of the wettest winters on record and there seems to be no let up with the unusual wet pattern.  Much of the work planned during the winter months was postponed due to the adverse weather but those activities and others will be underway soon.

The Advisory Board met in early January to set goals for the new year.  Our focus will move from foundational plantings to perennials, ground covers, garden structures, path development and the installation of a water garden and stream in the Japanese garden.

Work schedules will be posted on our website as soon as we have favorable weather.  We welcome anyone who would like to volunteer any amount of time on the many upcoming projects.  The photo below taken on February 23rd shows major flooding in the garden following a 6.25 inch rain event.

November/December Update

We have had a great year at the Garden and are pleased to provide the last update for 2018.  November and December were unusually cool and very wet.  However, we were fortunate to have a few good planting days and our emphasis was planting our first collection of native trees in the west garden.

Also, a special thank you to the Pulaski Garden Club for allowing us to share the Garden at their November meeting (photo below).  A beautifully handcrafted park bench was donated by a local resident Thanksgiving week and will be installed in the spring.

Please visit our website frequently as it continues to be expanded. Our newest feature provides aerial views of the garden.  To view a video click the Youtube icon and select “Progress Flight.” Additional videos will be posted periodically to give you a birds eye view of our progress.

We wish everyone a Happy New Year as we are excited about moving forward in 2019 with the development of Hope Botanical Garden.

October Update

We got off to a great start with our fall planting in late October but winter seems to be a little ahead of schedule with the possibility of a few snow showers at the time of this writing. The Flower Lovers Circle of Lawrence county visited the garden on October 23rd for an overview of the project.  We enjoyed their visit and welcome visitors anytime.  Also we were priviledged to speak to our local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) at their October meeting.   Three ladies from this group were able to assist with planting in the garden (see photo below).  They were a pleasure to work with and were a tremendous help in getting a large portion of the planting completed.  Several folks have contacted us wishing to donate excess plants from their flower gardens. We have accepted a limited quantity, however, next year we will be prepared to accommodate a larger volume of plants.  Please keep us in mind when dividing your stock.

A delivery of native trees is scheduled for arrival next week.  These trees along with our remaining container plants will be installed as soon as possible.  If you would like to volunteer please click on the “volunteer” tab.  Planting dates will be posted when weather is favorable.

Mary Lucas, Jerry Clayton, Sarah Robison, and Lou Durham

August / September Update

Despite a moderate drought with a 7 week period of no rain the garden has continued growing very slowly.  Without the use of a very efficient drip irrigation system we would no doubt have lost many plants. We are fortunate to have only lost one tree which will be replaced during our fall planting.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS— arriving on site the first week of October will be over two hundred trees and shrubs for our fall planting (photo below).  If  you would like to volunteer to help with planting please visit our volunteer page to see our work schedule and let us know when you would like to help.  We expect to begin in late October and continue through November.  Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Our electrical and water plans are being finalized and trenching will begin in a few weeks.  The parking area and service road along the garden’s perimeter are still being pursued.  A special thanks to Roger’s Group who has donated a large boulder which will be a main feature at the maze entrance.

We are grateful for all the donations that have been made toward the gardens development.  To date we have planted over 1300 plants. If you would like to donate a tree from our plant list that will be tagged “donated by” or “in memory of” please visit our online tribute store soon while there are still offerings available. Also, please consider making a recurring, monthly donation to the garden, it’s quick and easy using the donate link on our website.  It is only through your generous giving that we can continue to grow.

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