Friday Sept 27th We began our practical with the cleaning and ultimate rearrangement of the poinsettia crop. The enormity of this task was unanticipated, as it occupied most of our day and we were (sadly) unable to attend to many of our other duties. Labelling of the various cultivars is in progress. The greenhouse was watered thoroughly, as were the elephant ears and other perennials currently residing in the outside storage area. Garden mums were installed in a square planter located outside H building near the bus stops, which involved the removal of all annuals and residual weeds. We received a small shipment from AM Cuddy Gardens, which is to be sprayed with insecticidal soap so it can join the rest of our plant material in the greenhouse. Included in the delivery were our succulents, a ficus trained by way of espalier, and a slew of other interesting flora. The rest of the weekend will be busy, as the organization of the poinsettia crop must be completed by Sunday. Saturday Sept 28th The students were off to a late start in the greenhouse today as it was the much anticipated Veteran’s Memorial Parkway tree planting. Over 400 trees were put to ground with the help of hundreds of green thumbed, community-minded volunteers. The event was a great success, and the mass planting was followed promptly by a complimentary lunch with live music. Pictures were taken and clean up commenced. Following the event, serious progress was made with the organization of the poinsettia crop. Yesterday’s plant shipment from Cuddy’s was sprayed with a diluted insecticidal soap solution, thus making it possible for them to join our collection. Tomorrow will be our busiest day, with the final clean up in the greenhouse and other tasks needing to be addressed. Sunday Sept 29th After two and a half days of thorough organization and labelling, the poinsettia crop is now in proper order. In preparation for congress, pineapple mint perennials were cut back and rooted in thirty 3” pots for later use. The weekend students created signs for various greenhouse operations and tools, including the different pot types and plant labels to assist other students’ in their greenhouse activities. Pothos plants were given new homes in hanging baskets, having been sitting in 3” pots for several weeks. Everything was given a light watering, as the day was overcast and UV levels were low. All in all, a productive weekend was had.