Dec 9 Workday and See the Newsletter

Our next Matzke Butterfly Garden Work Day will be Friday, December 9^th, at 8:30 a.m.  This glorious weather allows the monarchs to continue their life cycle. Drop by the garden and have a look.

Looks like we will have cool weather on the 9th.   The Monarchs are out and about when the day warms up, but not nearly the usual number.The garden is looking pretty good and will need only minor trimming and pruning.  Chuck will be doing fence repairs as we have two panels broken where they attach, and one that was on the ground yesterday when he checked. 

We will need clippers, gloves, trowels,  knee pads, or garden stool.  

The Houston Federation of Garden Clubs has a wonderful newsletter with good information and great pictures.  They featured our Children's Program Butterfly Program in their 16 page December issue, beginning on page 6 or 7.  It includes nice pictures of our garden and several of the children’s programs.  The link to it may be found by clicking HERE 

We are thankful for your support and help this past year and look forward to 2012

November Work Day is the 10th at 8:30 a.m.

We have four flats of Pansies to plant which won't that long.  Always some dead heading to do.  I hope you can join us.

"Planning the Stone"

This afternoon, Carol Bennett, ABCS Board President,  the stone mason, and Martin Heemer, ABCS Board Member, met to plan the location and setting of the stone monument Martin is donating to Matzke Park.  It will commerate the work of the original Association for Better Community Schools (ABCS) group that 17 years ago began work to save what is now Matzke Park from being a strip mall when the school district put the 20 acres up for sale.  ABCS has since been a major supporter of the building of the Butterfly Garden as well as the playground for special needs children.  The monument will be erected in the next month and located in the grassy area just north of the park office.

Oct 28th Work Day

Welcome Fall! Cool weather at last.  Here are 2 Monarchs sleeping through our scheduled Work Session at the garden this morning at 8:30 AM.  Of course the 55 degree temperature may have had something to do with their torpor.  We got roses trimmed and a lot of weeds pulled.  Thank you Joan, Janet, Cathy C and Chuck for all your hard work as usual.   We enjoyed some hot plum tea and cookies in addition to our exercise.  How about others of you ?    Come join us Nov 10th at 8:30 AM for our next work day and the planting of 4 flats of fall flowers.  You can do no wrong and need no special gardening skills.  Yes we have stand up work that does not require you to be bending or on your knees.  

Sylvia McMillan has completed painting our Children's Program Monarch Photo Cut Out Board.  It is beautiful. Thank you Sylvia, a wonderful and creative job.

Work Day Friday October 27 at 8:30 a.m.

The Garden has lots of butterflies!  Georgeine says the garden is looking very good but does need weeding and pruning.    You will need clippers, hedge clippers, the roses will need some trimming.  We will cut out the dead rose bushes.  Hopefully we can complete our trimming until the December Work Day.

 

There is a 30% of rain in the forecast for tomorrow morning, if it is pouring rain,  then we should move the work day to Monday, October, 31 8:30 a.m.

 

The old glorious knobby oak tree has died and has been cut down.

Work Day for October

Work Day for the Butterfly Garden will be Friday October 28th.  More details as we get closer to the 28th.

Fence,Trees,and Plants

Well, it took a few days and lots of sweat, but we finally got the fence repairs finished, the vines pulled/dug out, and the roses fertilized. They should be able to breath and grow much better now.  Carol also got all the rocks re-aligned and weed free.  (these three pictures were taken on Friday, Sept 22.)



Sad, sad, sad.  The park has lost a number of the big pine trees due to the drought.  And now, it looks like some of the wonderful, very old, oaks are giving up the ghost.  The park staff have been watering the trees all summer but Mother Nature can't be replaced with a garden hose for things of this size.  Our big trees by the garden gazebo still look ok, thankfully.

                                                      The garden is looking very healthy, given the weird summer.   We have a lot of very large Butterfly Weed plants, but have seen no caterpillars.   Usually we are having to buy new Butterfly weed throughout the summer just to replace what the caterpillars eat.  Not so this year.  Many are shoulder height as you can see here. We did see one Monarch while working on the roses, however, so that is a good sign.