July 2nd Garden Gathering

Dear Friends, 
Join us this Saturday, July 2, 9-12, for garden stewardship.
I would like to spend time:
in the Journeys and Refuge garden, weeding, watering and tying up berries and grapes.
Also, we can start harvesting gooseberries and currants to make cool summer drinks for:  Celebrate the Garden, Celebrate Ecology Day next Saturday, July 9. (Separate email headed your way soon)
Also, cleaning up the pile of branches by the Fire pit,
Weeding north of the cold frames
Weeding Northern Avens and Helleborine orchids wherever you see them
Water the Nature Play Space and remove green plastic screening.

Hurray for the work of the Waters Waterers (WahWahs). The gardens look fabulous.  We had a funny entanglement with Jen yesterday. No, not with Jen, but with the hose. The main garden hose is very long because we need to reach the parkway plantings along Sunnyside. Poor Jen was dragging a spaghetti pile of hoses and getting stuck all the time. Here are two strategies we can consider for hose wrangling:
because each section of hose has a valve at the end, we can keep the last two sections coiled up, just inside the Sunnyside fence and attach it only when watering the parkways, and, or, when you have the hose extended to its maximum length, and are finished watering, walk with the end of the hose all the way back to the cedar shed. So, now you have a long straight hose going out, and the other returning. Grasp the hose at your feet (that is closest to the water spigot, and begin coiling in a hula-hoop sized circle, pulling and coiling, pulling and coiling until the whole hose is neatly coiled, with the working end on top waiting for its next use. It took me about 3-4 minutes to do this. We have several expert wranglers who can show you the ropes. Beth, for example.
The prairie is abloom with pink wild roses, yellow heliopsis, Monarda, and sky blue spiderwort. Check it out, breathe deep.

Pete