Weekend Duty Blog
Friday April
8, 2016
Friday was a
busy day beginning with the CLT certification tests taking place at Cuddy
Gardens throughout the morning and afternoon. With all the practical modules
being tested the grounds were abuzz with students as well as Landscape Ontario
personnel. After the CLT’s were completed we received our orientation and assignments
for the weekend duty and set out to work. Along with collecting some debris for
one of the backpack blower test sites we helped clean up the pruning sites by
removing the cut branches and returning the test trees and shrubs back by the
greenhouse. The day came to an end with us working in the dry garden weeding
and cleaning up leaves. All in all it was a great start to the weekend with
some near freezing in the morning that got nice and sunny as the day rolled on.
Saturday
April 9, 2016
This
morning’s weather started very similar to yesterdays, very cold morning and the
ground is frozen. We had some flurries in the afternoon and very little
sunshine. Eric removed the old plastic labels from the beds and replaced them
with new sturdy zinc labels and metal posts to ensure they would be visible for
a long time. In the rock garden, taller posts were exchanged with shorter ones
to provide a more uniform look. Elizabeth pruned out the dead wood from the
boxwoods providing them with better air circulation and light penetration. Pruning
was also done to the wisteria leaving one leader stem that will grow along the
trellises and provide beautiful flower panicles. Last year’s spent lilac blooms
were also pruned off to make way for the fresh new blooms that will be coming
in. Older branches in the Redleaf Rose were removed to make space for new
growth and provide that stunning red colour. The iris crowns and grasses were
cleaned up and dead leaves were removed. We finished the weeding in the dry
garden and lightly cultivated the beds. Then, any low spots left in the garden
were topped up with soil. Finally, the gravel walkway was raked to remove
debris. Despite the snow, spring is still pushing blooms.
Sunday April
10, 2016
Today the
weather did not co-operate at all. When
we arrived this morning the ground was frozen with no sun in sight to thaw it
out. With the snow and ice storm looming
all the backpack blowing was done as early as possible. All the walkways and driveways were cleared
of debris, nice and pristine. An attempt was made to re-mulch the pathways in
the hosta garden but to no avail, the freezing was too much. Given the weather predicament we set to
pruning the three Smokebush shrubs, as these shrubs will regrow quickly. Along with all the branches that had been
pruned out a dead tree was also added to our growing brush pile. With the bushes pruned up and the mess
cleaned we set off to work in the hoop houses.
This proved more difficult than anticipated due to weather, once
again. Pots that needed to be refilled
with media were frozen in place and could not be lifted and fixed and tags were
so cold they would snap if moved. In the
end cleaning and fertilizing was completed and all the pots arranged in an
aesthetically pleasing manner with tags facing front. Last, the final touch on the lower garden was
placed when the bench was moved back into its rightful spot. Minus the freezing weather it was another
successful day at Cuddy Gardens!
Elizabeth
Lazear and Eric Patterson
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