Monday, October 19, 2015

HLS Focus Renewed!


The weather today was quite mild although the wind was fairly severe.  What a nice view across the pond from our North point Adirondack chairs seen above.  We took advantage of the good weather and had a great crew of grounds people and volunteers out in the gardens throughout the day.  We still see visitors although the recent frosts this past weekend have necessitated wholesale removal of our annuals and tropicals.  We are saving some select plants but most will be composted as we continue to clear our 150,000 annuals that were planted just five months ago.  It was a great show though!  We're clearing quite a few areas entirely and preparing them for Spring already.  This clearing also benefits the continued set up of the Holiday Lights Show (HLS).

 Fall Fiesta sugar maple (Acer saccharum 'Bailsta') looking good!
 asters (Aster sp.) continue to offer color after some light frost
 Sugar Tyme crabapple (Malus 'Sutyzam') fruits
 late alliums (Allium sp.) above are still attracting pollinators
 'Morden Blush' rose (Rosa sp.)
 fall color on Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum)

Our volunteer turnout was strong today.  Alan (above) worked with Joe (below) on digging and removing plants from the Jungle Garden.  Pat M. (second photo down) was in that area too bringing down and processing the two giant obelisks for the next use in the HLS.  Many guys helped him lower these and Pat has it down to a science in terms of their relocation and conversion with lights.  Ron R. (third photo down) started on leaf collection and later helped Alan and Joe with removals.  Gary worked on some labels and Dr. Gredler was out mowing.  Gary and Maury also went to pick up pumpkins for the youth education program and Maury went on many errands for us as well after winterizing some water features.  The fourth photo down features Shirley, who along with Kathy (fifth photo down) and Eva, did a nice job clearing out perennials and leaves from the lower woodland walk.  Vern and Jim had carpentry projects and we saw Kris K., Dr. Yahr and many others today as well.







The grounds staff had a day filled with gardening and HLS tasks.  Above are Terry (left) and Big John. The guys worked on removing plants, emptying containers, plenty of HLS set up and other odds and ends.  Bob K. (directly below) ran our major power cords out in the gardens and had some other HLS-related tasks as well.   Larry H. emptied containers, dug tropicals and put up a whole lotta lights today.  Janice decorated obelisks and did some purging in the Thomas Jefferson Collection.  Cindy had some gardening tasks and shifted to setting up our milk jug luminaries for the HLS.  I was able to run quite a few cords today in between other tasks.


'Autumn Moon' fullmoon maple (Acer shirasawanum) - fall color
Icecap rose (Rosa 'Meiradena') is still hanging in there!
 fruits of the Himalayan spindletree (Euonymus hamiltonianus) - woody shrub
 some mums are still looking good out there!

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