Where to start… Hooray, the ferns are alive! The top bed looks pretty good. The lower bed, not so much with a little too much sun! No surprise to anyone. It didn’t help that the sprinkler system wasn’t working for a short time, and they relied on hand watering. The up side is fewer weeds. It is amazing how tough ferns are. They are hanging in there, but not very gracefully. As there is no irrigation in that section of the bed, the wavy cloaks have been especially affected. I don’t think they are meant to be in a desert. We’re working on having a system put in.
The pond is off while we are in stage two of water restrictions. It’s starting to get a little stinky and that might help keep the kids out. This would be a good time to drain it and to restack the walls. Are there any volunteers to play in muck? Let me know, I’ll help.
Many have asked, “What’s happening on the Woodland-Fern Bed grant?” Let’s start with the TGCoA - Fern Team and its mission statement:
“To use the fern bed to inspire and educate the visiting public in the beauty and diversity of ferns. To promote the use of fern varieties well adapted to the Texas climate. To enhance Zilker Botanical Gardens by designing beds featuring the form and foliage of ferns in ways that may be used in any home garden.”
After that, we worked towards: getting bids and cost for budget, figuring out labor and contributions, informing various persons about our project for feedback, receiving letters of approval and other required documentation. Once all the ducks were in a row, Laura again wrote a super grant for submission to the Austin Parks Foundation (APF) -ACL grant funds. We turned it in four days early. Go team!
Excerpt from the grant “About Our Project”:
The Garden Club of Austin Fern Team is seeking funds to expand Zilker Botanical Garden by providing additional planting area and developing a woodland shade garden along the walkway into the Rose Garden. This is prime real estate at Zilker Botanical Garden which is currently covered in weeds, ivy, other invasive and non-native plants and hackberries. With funding from this grant request, we will clear this area and double the size of the beds. This project is a continuation of ongoing work designed to enhance the beauty of Zilker Botanical Garden as well as showcase plants which thrive in heavy shade. We intend to clear the area, add appropriate boulders and rockwork to match existing rockwork, prepare the planting medium, and plant and identify all new plants added to the fern and shady woodland garden. The Garden Club of Austin has been working to improve Zilker Botanical Garden for more than fifty years. We have an established track record and have more than forty volunteers maintaining work we initiated, installing additional plants, or raising funds for Zilker Botanical Garden fern bed.
We are now waiting patiently in hopes of grant approval. It will take APF a couple of months to review all grants. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, lets all do a rain dance!
- Christie Rodgers
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