Clarkesville Library Children’s Garden Project Report for May-July 2022
There were two workdays for the Clarkesville Children’s Library between May and June, with individuals also providing additional maintenance of the plants, particularly watering along with help from the library staff during the dry and hot days in June. Fortunately, July has brought some scattered showers to provide some much needed help from Mother Nature. One new planters contains a Pizza Garden (tomatoes, basil, and peppers) while the other planter has red pentas.
GARDEN PHLOX IN THE CLARKESVILLE LIBRARY LIBRARY CHILDREN’S GARDEN
The Fairy Garden crew met late in May to begin making some new additions to the Garden. Rhonda Milam hosted a crafting day May 26, 2022. Vegetables, some critters and books were crafted for the fairy village. Some of these are shown in the photos below. The Fairy Garden crew will meet again on July 13 at 2:00 p.m. at Rhonda’s again to craft other additions for the garden.
The Library has registered our little garden with Former First Lady, Rosalyn Carter’s, Pollinator Garden Trail, and we hope to see a photograph of the garden published in a book being prepared for her ninety-fifth birthday.
Master Gardeners are involved in so many different community projects. Here’s an update on just one of them.
A small group of dedicated Master Gardeners (including Holly Sparrow, Janice Bridges, Lavon Callahan and Susan Kreuger) met at the garden to install a pizza garden (herbs donated by Lavon) and two small seed plots for the children to plant. Further work was made on moving the oak mulch to a single location and also weeding our mulch path and the garden. The fairy garden committee also met April 21 to determine a plan for creating that garden. The next step is to meet with library staff to find out how this project can help with the children’s programming this year.
SPRING IS POPPING IN THE CHILDREN’S GARDEN
Clarkesville Children’s Garden
At a recent workday at the Headwaters Master Gardeners Children’s Garden at the Clarkesville Library, a hefty 9 bags of oak leaf debris was bagged for removal. The recently removed Oak tree had given up most of its leaves and sawdust from the tree removal was used to create a path on the far side of the garden. Pictured are dedicated MG volunteers Janice Bridges and Susan Kreuger and some winter/early spring Lenten Roses from the garden. Next up - plan the new plantings in what will now be a full sun garden rather than a shade garden! Fun!
UPDATE FOR CLARKESVILLE LIBRARY CHILDREN’S GARDEN JUNE 16,2020
As spring is about to end, the Daffodils, Lenten Roses, Solomon’s Seal, Rhododendron, and Azaleas have finished their bloom along with most of the annuals (the Violas, Pansies, Cabbages, and Chard). Some of the herbs are going to seed such as the Parsley, and these herbs have been left in the garden for visitors to see the seeds forming.
As summer arrives, the Clarkesville Library Children’s Garden continues to bloom. Currently, Daisies, Crocosmia, and Hostas are blooming. Other summer perennials are beginning to form their buds such as the Black-eyed Susans, Garden Phlox and the Chrysanthemums. Cucumber seedlings have been emerging and beginning to climb the support pole. Our “Pollinator Planter” has a host of Salvia blooms and our “Pizza Planter” has developed a few small peppers and tomatoes. We look forward to adding some name tags to the plants later this summer.
Now that the library is open again, we hope to see a few more visitors to the garden. Visitors, particularly children accompanied by parents, are welcome to visit the garden.
The Clarkesville Library Children’s Garden project originated in 2018 as a project of the Headwaters Master Gardeners and the library. It has been tended during the COVID -19 period by a small group of dedicated Headwater Master Gardeners since March of this year. During that time, the spent annuals have been removed, the garden has been weeded, new plants planted, the planters renewed since winter and a new coat of mulch has been added since March, while the garden has been regularly monitored, fertilized, and watered. This has been accomplished by Lavon Callahan, Rhonda Milam, Helen Neimast, Holly Sparrow, and her husband. Other Headwater Master Gardeners who would like to help are welcome. Just contact Holly Sparrow.
Recent pics (September 2021) from the Clarkesville Library Children’s Garden project. 1st two pics show Rhonda M and Susan K from the Fairy Garden (FG) group alongside the new creation. Secrets to be found in the garden, designed to be woodland/rustic with a focus on reading, include - a fairy house with planters outside - a kiddo’s wheelbarrow filled with a reading tree, reading fairy, bench and a veggie garden - hand-painted books - an outdoor fountain - stone paths- and even a fairy pool complete with “beach” and their very own pool house! We are waiting for the fairies to move in! Also pictured are flowers still blooming away in the garden! Your MG group at work in our communities! In addition to Rhonda and Susan contributors to the FG include Holly S, Lee B, and Lavon C.
