Greetings from the Garden!
What an incredible spring! Despite all that Mother Nature could throw at us with her 75 degree days intermixed with rain, snow, sleet, and hale, the gardens looked absolutely stunning. The past month has brought us countless spring blooming delights – the early Witch Hazels and Lenten Rose, colorful cherries and pansies, subtle snowdrops and Siberian squill, graceful forsythia and magnolia, robust Redbuds and daffodils, not to mention the show-stopping tulip and hyacinth displays.
Thanks to the diligence of our garden volunteers, our Spring Blooms shined brightly this season. In addition to work in the gardens, we have unpacked the Nursery and prepared the way for the thousands of annual plugs that we potted at the offsite greenhouse. We also hosted a very successful Sustainable Urban Landscape Symposium and Tulip Luncheon. The past month has also seen major improvements to the site at Bowyer Wetland, as well a great deal of work completed in the nursery.
What will the next few weeks bring? Annuals! As the tulip blooms subside, we begin digging and selling tulip bulbs. Once the beds are turned over, we will begin planting annuals for our summer display. During this time, we will plant over 40 display beds and dozens of decorative containers. Late spring and early summer will also see us cleaning up the Native Plant Gardens, getting them in top shape to show off their native specimens during the summer season. It will also be the start of our garden education and encounter season. With so many visitors, it is a great opportunity to promote gardening for wildlife! Bowyer wetland and Nursery is expected to continue to grow and increase in native plants and the Pollinator Carnival is just around the corner!
Save the Dates
Horticulture Volunteer Education Session – Native Orchids of the Eastern US – Thursday, May 3rd from 12:30 pm to 2pm at the Safari Lodge
Tulip Bulb Sales – May, dates and times vary as bulbs are processed (Details TBA)
Pollinator Carnival – Saturday morning in late-May (Details TBA)