Fanshawe College Blog Entry: May 20 - 26, 2018

Norna Hugasdottir

Sometimes a mess can be an exciting prospect in this line of work. Knowing that when we’re done, our hard work can so fully transform a garden bed is an incredibly rewarding feeling. As we finished off our work at Z building this week, it’s fair to say that we left our mark on the gardens that are notoriously the wildest on campus, due to contaminate soil at first planting. It should be clear from previous posts that we were working in close contact with the local geese, who served as supervisors until our task was complete.

The rising temperatures and more favourable weather for holidays and travel mean that sunscreen and proper clothing and equipment is a must for working outside!

From the picture above, you can see that we have not yet edged the gardens but will return soon in teams for mulching and edging. This is probably the most strenuous tasks but yields the most dramatic results, in the end. Other gardens across Fanshawe can expect the same treatment as we move across campus this summer!

Anyone visiting campus will also start to notice the number of new plantings that are starting to be completed across the grounds. Old winter-interest plants missed in the spring, having served their purpose, and spent flowers like tulips, are being removed while we add red and white geraniums, as well as revamp all the planters on campus with exciting new arrangements! With over twenty planters across campus, there is much to do, and for everyone to enjoy! We all hope that you like them!

Looking a little sparser than before, the greenhouse has begun to empty of our local orders going to Western Fair and Cuddy Gardens, and we will soon be cleaning it completely out to sanitize and make space for our new crops for this fall. Meanwhile, it stays home to lingering student projects, stock-plants, experiments and quarantined interiorscape plants that need a spa treatment. And of course, one can’t forget the plants just itching (presumably) to get outside to their new homes across the gardens at Fanshawe!