Tidbits from the Botanic Garden, April-May 2019
“Season” is over and our snowbirds/seasonal residents have all headed north once more. But before the action wound down, the Botanic Garden at Lakes Park buzzed and hopped with activity throughout the spring.
Botanic Garden tours end for the season
April saw the end of our monthly Botanic Garden Tours for the season. Tours were led by Master Gardener Paula Novander, who delivered an outstanding service to the Park. Thank you, Paula! Here are Paula’s remarks from her final tour:
“I had 5 people today – 1 couple who recently moved to Shell Point and 3 visiting from Michigan. One couple has time-share out on Sanibel. They stayed with me for 1.5 hours – we even did the “Fruit Loop” and walked thru Children’s Garden on the way back. Lovely breeze so not too hot. They all loved the Park and said the same thing – never knew what was behind the signs…”.
Apparently, the front gate of Lakes Park has been mistaken for the entrance to a gated community! We imagine that to the wildlife, it IS a gated community of sorts.
Final Community Garden harvest donated to Community Cooperative
Lakes Park can boast some of the most dedicated and generous volunteers on the planet. On April 9th, Bill Johnson, one of the leaders in the Community Garden, reported the following:
“Congratulations, Lakes Park Gardeners and friends. Today April 9, 2019 we made our eleventh and final donation for the 2019 growing season. We donated 250 lbs. of produce and food giving us a total of 1807 lbs. [for the season]. This year was pretty awesome.
Thanks to the “A” Team (Dorothea, Jim, Jerry & Ed) for helping with the harvest which was done in the rain.
I would also like to thank the following garden beds for their kind donations 1, 5, 13,18, 32, 38, 39,40, 48, 57, 59, 61, 65, 69, Kathy Busick and the Children’s Garden.”
Final spring fling for the “A Team”
The end of season means our volunteer forces dwindle. One by one, members of the “A Team” returned to their summer habitats. Here’s Kathy Kobal, sporting a clump of potatoes dug out of the ABC bed in the Children’s Garden – a rainy day could not deter her from her last day in the garden! Thank you, Kathy – your dedication is inspiring ❤️
Here’s a slide show featuring some more of our volunteers, many of whom were on their last work day; use the navigation arrows below the photo:
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