The Gardens of Fanshawe College
Summer Blog
Blayne D.
May 2-6, 2016
Monday
Spring has officially arrived with cool
winds and a warm sun. Plants are starting to bud up and bloom while the student
gardeners are gearing up for a great summer on campus! The crew set out to
tackle the front of T Building where there was a big need for weeding, cut
backs and some edging. Since we all have been trained on equipment operations, the crew put to use their skills in taking up the RTV and trailer to use for
compost and tools. In the afternoon, they set out to bring life back into the
entrance on Fanshawe Blvd by cutting Sedum and weeding.
Tuesday
While I was working all morning in the
greenhouse, the others were then trained on the hedge trimmers and then set to
work on cleaning up and cutting back grasses by the entrance they were working
on Monday. Scott set out to do some interior plant care and hit up T building, the Registrar’s Office, around Oasis and near the book store. In the afternoon I
was then trained more on the tractor and trailer for our upcoming employee
training test.
Wednesday
We all arrived at the Cuddy Gardens for
more training on bigger and smaller equipment such as back pack blowers, line
trimmers, head shears, mowers, rototillers and aerators. By going through all the power equipment,
this assured that we all understand the safe operations. We started off the
afternoon by weeding by the main entrance then we moved onto transplanting by
the hoop houses. Transplanting perennials was done in the most efficient way in
order to complete as much we could. We set up an assembly line where a few
people would be filling pots with soil, then brought to others who were potting
up these plants, they were then labelled and put on a cart to then be wheeled
into the hoop house to get watered. They
will be sold or used in the annual Cuddy Open Gardens which is the first
weekend of June.
Thursday
Scotty was in the
greenhouse pinching back petunias for our customer orders, watering and other
duties. Everyone else was at Z building working on weeding and cut backs on
some Hydrangeas. After lunch we went up
on the green roof. This is the first time the summer students and I have been
up on the green roof and we were given a general overview and the future tasks
we will be doing on a rotation. The main reasons for
installing green roofs is for storm water management, air pollution reduction,
energy use reduction and aesthetics. Below is a bird’s eye view of Fanshawe’s Z
Building with the live roof present. Sedums and Allium and
other drought resistance perennials are some of the plants grown on the roof.
While on the green roof we came across a mother goose and her young. We all
stopped to enjoy the view for a moment and take a few pictures. We went to
continue our work at Z then headed back to the college at 3 pm to unload and
help out in the greenhouse before a truck load of mulch came our way.
Friday
We all finished up doing cut backs from
Thursday and completed a bed of weeds all morning. While finishing off the
areas around Z we came across a couple beautifully flowering daffodils and
tulips. In the afternoon some were still up at Z and a few also working around
campus. As a second year I’m excited to be back working at the college with my
new coworkers. Overall, the beginning of our summer employment has been a blast!
With the promise of great weather to come and a new crew to create lasting
memories and experiences, I know this will be a summer to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment