Phase three of our Pollinator Garden Bed Project

The mulch arrived, thank you Park Department, and volunteers quickly got it spread....so we could move onto the planting part!

Two beds were planted one day by two teams of volunteers.   My team planted the Judd Park bed, which involved four of us.  Two of my trusty neighbors and a new acquaintance who lives next to the park!  What to plant where was the first decision making process and I finally arrived at a plan so distributed the plants out where they should be planted!  Yep, there were sufficient plants!  The sigh of relief was loud!

We split into two teams then and went to work pushing the mulch away from the spots, digging holes and planting the plants,  Before we collapsed, we quickly gave each plant a good drink of water from the water jugs we had brought with us!  Just two hours after greeting each other when we arrived we were done!

Then off we went to explore our new acquaintance's garden beds, which we had been admiring from a distance while we worked!   More about that in another post!

The bed doesn't look very impressive but it is a work in progress.  Denny has made a temporary sign for each bed to explain what was going on in these spots.  The majority of plants were started this spring and being perennials it will take them about three years to mature.  The first year we expect they will sleep while their roots grow and spread below the soil line.  Next year they should creep in their growth and the third year they should leap to maturity!  Meanwhile we will enjoy the show, keep an eye on them and their moisture needs while providing education to the neighbors and park visitors.

I recently discovered we will be able to apply for certification to become "A Monarch Waystation", which is a new feature and includes signage for each bed!  Wow!  This project is turning into a very worthy addition to our neighborhood parks!  I now have visions that we just might become leaders to spread this project to the many other neighborhood parks in this wonderful city of ours!  Well, it is nice to dream a bit!  Every journey begins with a single step and often the destination goal expands after a successful outcome. 

Note the path designed to encourage close interaction with the plants