Church Gardens, volunteers, free plants

 

Every church here in Grand Rapids has some sort of garden/ flowerbeds/ pots. Some are pretty spectacular! Yours probably does as well. 

My church has some flowerbeds at the entrance of parking lot and two very large pots at the main entry door. There is grass/lawn and beds with large bushes as well that really don’t need much care.  The pots get changed every season- pussy willows in the spring, mums in the fall etc. You get the idea! It’s a nice touch. It’s dedicated volunteer work!

At the church where Rose attends there is an extensive church garden! It needs weeding and plantings in the spring and much watered during the summer to keep it looking good until fall. It’s mostly annual petunias, marigolds and alyssum.  Rose is in charge of it all.  She and her daughter have already spent many hours there weeding and preparing the beds for this year's plantings. 

Today was the first planting day. Unfortunately, the request for helpers that was published in the church's bulletin last week brought no response. So, today Rose and I, along with the daughter, spent 3-4 hours planting in deliciously cool weather (with no rain). We got so much done and it's starting to look good BUT there is much more to do!  Bit by bit, I guess!

I rescued some Millennium Allium that had spread there and will go in my front yard. The deer find them too strong so we will leave them to grow and spread as much as they want to. They will look pretty with the iris and Shasta daisies!

I also rescued some very tiny Cosmos babies that had come up from seed. I'm hoping that they will bloom in August!

My rewards for a few hours work, perhaps! ( I LOVE free plants! )