Hi Mary,

Thanks to everyone who came last Tuesday to continue spring cleanup at the Rhododendron Walk. It was unseasonably warm, we had a huge turnout, and finished about 3/4 of the rhododendron walk. Yay!!! Thanks also to gardeners Stuart and Mario who did the heavy lifting, and to Maryam who offered horticultural guidance. We were asked to remove “every single leaf” stuck in the azaleas, without breaking off any buds. We quit a little early and visited the vegetable garden, where Liz, John, and Drew had laid out the early spring planting. If you haven't gone to see the Veggie garden since planting, do go down there -- it's a treat!

This week, on Tuesday we will be scuffle-hoeing the Walled Garden pathways to remove weeds and make them look fresh. Tuesday, meet at the Walled Garden at 9:00 AM. Thursday's task will depend on what is most pressing that day, so we will send a quick email to the people who sign up for Thursday to let you know where to meet and what we'll be doing.

We will work until noon. We will have tools but feel free to bring your favorites. If you have any questions, please feel free to text or call Trish for Tuesday at (917) 837-8372, and Maura for Thursday at (917) 601-3609 if you arrive and can't find us.

Remember to sign up for or sign into Volunteer Local and click on the shift(s) you plan to attend this week. We've opened up shifts into May. There's a button at the bottom of this email, after the photos.



-Trish & Maura

Getting started: The Rhododendron Walk lies beneath some of the oldest oaks on the property... and boy do they drop a lot of leaves!

Progress! It seems to be bare earth after we finished, but there are literally thousands of perennials just waiting to bound out of the ground.

The unseasonably warm weather made our task even more time sensitive. We want to remove the oak leaves and least years' perennial growth before the plants started spring growth in earnest.

BEFORE: Some of the work was bulk, and some was detail. This azalea has oak leaves stuck inside that need to be removed by hand. Detail all the way.

AFTER: Same azalea... all tidied up for its flower show in the next couple of weeks!

While you all were here cleaning up the Rhody Walk, I was at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden (everyone there calls it "The Botanics") which has an extensive collection of Rhododendrons. This is Rhododendron rex ssp. fictolacteum.

As a reminder, we have a NEW volunteer scheduling system called VolunteerLocal. So rather than click on the RSVP each week, click the link above to schedule your class days in VolunteerLocal. The first time you go into there, you'll have to complete the Volunteer Application, and future times you'll sign in with your name and email address.

You can sign up for the shift(s) each week, or plan ahead. We will not run out of spots in Garden Class, and we want a fairly accurate number so we have enough supplies, so feel free to wait until my Monday email as usual to sign up each week.

Please download the VolunteerLocal app for iPhone. You will use it to check in for class when you arrive. So far, the app isn't useful for anything else, just check-in.