[Green] Pollinator Project update and a request

[Rebecca Phillips]

Hello, all,

It looks as if everything we planted is doing well. Andrew's dwarf zinnias are in full bloom, the spiderwort is about to open, and the liatris is sending up flower spikes. Everything else has perked up from the transplanting and seems to be putting on some new growth--hooray!

I made an executive decision this morning and put in some violets removed from the Maple Street sidewalk area (another public garden is taking shape over there--stay tuned). Our site is experiencing quite a bit of erosion because of the soil disturbance from removing all those thousands of ditch lilies and daffodils, and the mulch we added last week is not quite doing the job, so my hope is that the violets' root systems will help hold the soil while the other plants establish themselves.

Now, the request (actually, more than one):

  *   Because we did not wait to plant Phase One until all the site vegetation was dead, we have a weed problem: specifically, Johnson grass<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_grass>, two species of bindweed<https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/hedge-bindweed.aspx>, one with a root resembling sweet potato, and poison ivy.<https://www.greenbelly.co/pages/how-to-identify-poison-ivy> I have been using my plastic bag technique to remove poison ivy plants from our exposed area, but it is coming back. Assistance with removing the invaders would be most welcome. I will probably head back to the site around 7:00 this evening if anyone wants to join me--but feel free to join the fight anytime you are in the neighborhood.
  *   Does anyone own an edger and have proficiency with said tool? Creating a neat edge between the Fort Street grass and the irises at the top of the slope would improve the aesthetics of our planting. As most of you know, I am not particularly good at pretty. Also, if anyone has access to extra landscape timbers, old bricks, stones, or something else that would make a nice edging and which you are willing to donate to the project, we could  create a material border between the pollinator bed and the lawn strip. All ideas for edging are welcome.
  *   We have had enough rain that the site has not required a lot of supplemental water, but as we move into the hot part of the year, more frequent watering may be necessary. If you are willing to be part of a watering/monitoring schedule, please let me know. This is not a majorly time-intensive commitment right now since the site is relatively small--maybe 45 minutes each time, if that.  The city has made water available at the street and the Swaneys are letting us store our hose at their place.

Thanks to everyone for all you do--on so many good projects and important issues.

Rebecca

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."-- Cicero
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