DIVIDING PERENNIALS - A Workshop

Earth Day, April 22, 2018, was a perfect time to do some digging to help educate gardening beginners by unearthing some plants and rinsing off the soil.  Eric Sternfels led a Weavers Way sponsored Workshop - free to members - to shed some light on the practice of dividing perennial plants.

Eric contends that it's less unnerving to slice through a seemingly healthy plant when you understand the underground structures which deliver water and nutrients.  In early Spring,  most divisions not only survive, but they thrive.

MARCH MULCH MADNESS

On the very last day of March, a chilly morning brought nine intrepid volunteers to NWP to spread 12 cubic yards of mulch onto the garden beds. Besides offering a warm blanket to cover the soil, this layer will hopefully inhibit some weeds, hold some moisture, and ultimately break down into nutrient rich compost for the plants.

 Delivered and dumped into two mulch mountains, the team - armed with wheel barrows, rakes, and an indominable spirit -  got to work!  They toiled under the sun, listening to alternately soothing and invigorating music, until the mountains were moved and the sidewalks reappeared. 

Several of the crew celebrated their accomplishment with eggs and milkshakes at the Trolley Car Diner.

KUDOS to Candido, to Susie, to Angus, to Syd, to Steve, to Mark, to Kate, to Eric & to Janet.

Plant Sale Planning

Although the calendar says "Spring," the thermometer still feels like Winter. Meanwhile, the Friends of Ned Wolf Park are excitedly planning our annual Plant Sale for Saturday, May 19th, 2018 from 10 am to 1 pm. We are looking to sell more plants, a wider selection, at prices well below retail to fund our ongoing efforts to maintain and enhance the park. In addition to donated and locally raised perennial plants for sun and shade, we're hunting to source some herbs and annuals to sell as well.  And we are thrilled to again be able to offer a small quantity of glazed pots donated by Campania, International. Look forward to our raffle planters that will feature artfully composed containers that will thrill you all season if you are the lucky winner.  If you visit, you can count on enthusiastic, knowledgeable neighbors to offer gardening advice and to share design tips for those who need it.
It is sure to be a fun day!

Late Winter Blooming

Just ready to burst into yellow flowers this is a shrub called Mahonia.  This rangy shrub has evergreen foliage that is reminiscent of Holly. It is around 6 feet tall and nearly as wide, located to the left of our tool shed. Each spoke of its radial flower clusters has dozens of buds that will soon turn lemon yellow. Most surprising is their sublime spicy-sweet fragrance.  Because it's such an early bloomer, it draws the attention of any pollinator that has emerged from winter hibernation.  And that will lead its pollinated flowers to become small ovoid fruits, colored like blueberries, which will form by late spring.  This season, there looks to be an enormous number of clusters so on a breezy day this March don't be surprised at the heady aroma wafting through the park.

Snowdrops are already in bloom, but until the gray skies turn sunny they won't open their trio of petals to appear more like flowers than buds. The tiny bulbs in these clumps are multiplying fast. Perhaps we should divide a few clumps to creat a broader carpet of SNOWdrops?

Here come our fancy Hellebore blooms. As buds emerge from the soil, they appear blush-colored, but they will open to a blend of pink, cream, and ivory. Then in a few weeks, they will turn pale celery green.  The marbled foliage and dusky pink stems are last year's leaves which will soon be trimmed away to make room for a fresh new set.
Look for these behind the wall of our central paved terrace.  This exceptional cultivar of Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Sun Marble' is no longer available in the trade nor from our mail order source 10 years ago.

Lastly, ephemeral Winter Aconite is finally starting to spread from seed dispersed as this plant disappears - both foliage and flowers by mid Spring.

Winter Library Hours

The Little Free Library movement is strong here in Mt. Airy.  And it is such a satisfying and easy way to give, receive and feel good about your neighborhood. So when this handsomely made box on its cedar post was offered to NWP in 2015, accepting it was a no brainer. But, since the offer did not include a commitment to maintain and stock it, we did wonder if we might have bit off more than our volunteer ranks were willing to chew

.

Those fears proved baseless. The box has been used with increasing frequency for over two full years. Folks are often seen coming to drop off or select books at all hours. Kids often make a B-line to see what might be worth going home with as their parents catch up and help survey the pickin's.
Given all that community love our LFL has gotten, we thought it best not let seasonal darkness reduce what has become an important draw to the park.

Enter the LFL's own holiday lighting scheme! Just 'cauz we gussied up the park with showy sparkly lights doesn't mean we want to diminish our beloved literacy enhancing device.

 

Inside the box, a motion activated light will make it effortless to read the book titles even in a blackout thanks to a few AA batteries. Walk away and the light will shut off in 30 seconds

So, next time you are in the park, see if there's a book you might like to take with you!!!

 

2017 holiday deLIGHTS

The addition of a dedicated electrical source in October, gave the Friends of Ned Wolf Park our first opportunity to add holiday lighting.

We chose a design strategy that was easy to install & to dismantle. It offers big impact for both motorists

& pedestrians. There's very little to store, and it is cost effective.

The first component of our concept uses borrowed tomato cages which are inverted and strung with mini-light strings. Our grove of ten conical trees creates a landscape statement in the ornamental gardens that give Ned Wolf Park its distinctive character. Just as the traditional growing season has come to an end, this new "planting" should remind our community that our park is a worthwhile destination year-round

 (especially with our very active Little Free Library that continues to stay well stocked by our neighbors!)

The other element that is especially effective for pedestrians is the constellation of laser light stars in green and blue. Projected onto the party wall at the back of the park as well as on the walk and tree branches, these slow moving points of light evoke fireflies or snowflakes. The photo barely begins to capture the effect.

The lighting operates on an eight hour daily cycle that starts with a daylight sensor.  Already we have received rave reviews from children and adults who are excited by the magical celebration of light in winter, event though that season has yet to begin.

Our "evergreen trees" are surprisingly innocuous during daylight hours.

Yoga in the Park

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, a group of breast cancer survivors and supporters gathered to do some yoga in Ned Wolf Park.  Led by instructor and near neighbor Megan Do Nasciento , the participants enjoyed unusually warm weather and one another's company for a morning workout at this unique venue.  Coordinated not to conflict with the regular Tai Chi sessions held later in the morning, we are excited that our park has become a place where rejuvenating and strengthening activities for individuals coincide with social connections.  We hope everyone enjoyed the event where funds were raised to support Breast Cancer research.