How the Garden Grows

Yes, another post on the status of the garden weed and maintenance issue.  

The Ladies of Norchester Garden Club decided they needed to hire help to weed the beds at Matzke Park Butterfly Garden. The beds quickly become overgrown. 

It's a daunting task to weed either end of the Matzke Butterfly Garden fence line.  Once again, thanks to Ms. Joan, The Three Amigos Landscape crew undertook the challenge. They were not concerned with fire ants, vines and long grasses. We are hoping that we can engage their services more regularly to help maintain the fence line bed in particular.   

This is an excerpt from the email we received last night.....

Two men came and hand pulled the fence bed. Finished and then pulled in the Murphy bed and a bit in the Butler bed and very little in the Castellani bed.  Did a nice clean up. At the end of the fence bed by the water fountain where that tree was smothered in passion vines they got a ladder and cut out some of the branches of that tree .   The passion vine was so wrapped around they tried and tried and could not get it pulled out. I sat on the bench and watched the hundreds of butterflies feasting on that purple bush.  Is that purple bush a salvia?. (Yes it is)  The lady returned with some more monarch caterpillars and she and her little boy put them on butterfly weed in the Butler bed. (See the previous post from Sep 5) Fantastic to be out in such weather. 

If you can't or don't like to get your hands dirty, you can still do your part. It is a simple thing.  Please register your card for the Kroger's Rewards program to help us pay for landscapers to help maintain the garden beds.  Register for the charity number 82607.  It is with Association for Better Community Schools (ABCS) and all of the proceeds are given to the Garden Club Treasurer. If the Norchester Garden Club will no longer maintain the butterfly garden then Pct 4 has said it will be torn down and converted to just grassy area.  The precinct does not have resources and the budget to maintain a garden.

These pictures are from Monday, Sept 11.  In addition to weeds, there are many fine butterflies .