[gardeners] Saturday in Someone Else's Garden

barbb@micron.net (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 18 Jun 2000 13:32:27 -0600 

Yesterday I volunteered with a group of people to help landscape a new
mobile home park (the one the Atlasta people moved to if you're reading
this, Margaret.)  The residents are mainly elderly and fixed income, and
were forced to move out of their old park to make way for a new shopping
complex.  Wasn't scheduled to start till 9:30 and it was already hot.
There were about a dozen of us for one yard, and we were bright eyed and
bushy tailed, thinking we were gonna be outta there in about 2 hours.  Then
we started to dig.  All 12 of us in unison ... Clank!  Musta hit a stray
rock or 12.  Move the shovel over 3".  Clank!  Turns out the entire yard
was rock and hard-baked clay.  One of the ladies called her son to bring
some picks over.  I convinced people it wasn't worth digging to plant in
that soil, cause they were just going to die.  So we got together $35 of
our own money and I went to Zamzows where the manager recommended some
planting soil - and gave us 20% off because I looked so pathetic, probably.
  :-)  When I got back, 11 people had been digging for over an hour, picks
were on the scene, and there were only 5 very shallow holes.  We did the
best we could, but really couldn't get holes dug deep enough to give the
little guys toe room.  When we watered them in, the water stood for hours
before soaking in.  In 6 hours we planted about 10 perennials, 2 tiny
evergreen trees, and a couple dozen annuals, and laid 800 feet of sod.
They only gave us 500 ft of sod which left a big bare hole in the yard, so
another volunteer and I went and um ... procured ... yeah, that's the
ticket ... we procured another 300 ft and got most of the yard done.  Dunno
if any of it's going to live.  Hope so.

Better news in my own yard on Sunday.  I didn't get any feedback on whether
blue and green hostas clash, so decided to put green hostas, a couple kinds
of pulmonaria, and some heuchera as foundation plants on one side of the
entrance.  Got them planted this am and they sure look nice.  Had to order
the blue hostas - couldn't find even one in town.  I'll put them with
Heuchera 'Velvet Knight' on the other side of the entrance.  Have almost
decided to fill in with lilium, as they're tall enough for the back of the
border and bloom in late summer and fall.  Does anyone have a fave mail
order place for them?  

Barb