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As Diane Temple says, "Garden tending means: watering, mulching, planting and cutting back, deadheading and weeding… We just love doing it, and we discovered years ago that we are also tending each other: talking, listening, hugging and learning from one another about life and gardening. Diane Robinson and I have led the gardeners with mutual respect for each of our areas of knowledge."
In 2015, Memorial Garden shrubs were removed, and Jeff Snow, Mark Crepeau, and Richard DeMichele prepared the gardens for planting in the spring, doing the heavy work and mulching spring and fall that year. Diane Robinson, Jen Atherton, Carole Sawdon and Diane Temple designed, planted and tended perennials and annuals. The members of the garden team continued to make the gardens beautiful every year. Over the years, they were joined by Fredye Sherr, Karen Desjadon, Terry Robinson, Beth Barker, Marilyn Kantargis, Sue Zielie, John Lewis, Sharon Wooding and Michael Egelton.
Every year all the gardens are mulched with the help of men and women working together. The mulch beautifies the gardens and helps plantings thrive and meet challenges from the weather. Diane Robinson plants stunning lilies every year, and our peonies are breathtaking every June. Sue Zielie plants colorful annuals every year in memory of her daughter. The roses bloom all summer, and winter berries delight the eye with berries fall and winter. There is color on the walkway, or in the Memorial Garden during the warm weather, starting with a burst of tulips in May, and day lilies in July, and fall color in September in the Lounge Garden.
Each year more gardens have been planted, and now the church is surrounded by gardens blooming or bearing fruit all year. Initially we planted for beauty, and now we also target planting native plants to help the environment.
If you see any of these dedicated folk on a Sunday morning, please give them a big "Thank You" for all their hard work.
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