<p> AUGUST 2015</p><p> and pruned dead wood from the Palo Verde tree. Tasks Accomplished They also removed huge clumps of aristia in the Mystery solved…with help from a woman on one Perennial garden and in the process uncovered a of Gayle’s garden tours…we finally ID’d the little tree next to the white hibiscus in the Perennial garden. It is Hamelia patens or Firebush…native to Honeysuckle vine…hence bamboo stakes now American Tropics and Sub Tropics…butterflies and holding it up. At the same time we also discovered a hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers and new Daylily that I’m hoping with multiply now that insects and other birds feed on the fruit. The it has more room to grow. Earlier in the month they coloration of the leaves and flowers of this plant are helped me plant several Bush Morning Glory, quite striking and harmonize beautifully with the Convolvulus cneorum in the beds we’ve been adjacent Fountain Bush. I am so happy to finally working on in the Lower garden. learn its name. Sherry planted aloe pups around and behind our Rafael continues to make sprinkler repairs and recently completed Ginny Worthington Bench; and adjustments. He and Jose also rake pathways, then she lightly pruned some of the native shrubs in remove fallen branches and keep our street edge the area. She’s also planted clumps of Crocosima clean. Several weeks ago while repairing a broken bulbs along the road edge in the cul-de-sac and head in Lower garden, they uncovered some long cuttings of succulent groundcovers in the Lower buried concrete rip rap steps and a pathway leading garden. Last week she rearranged some of the plants down towards the property line. It’s all cleaned up under the Cherry tree and pulled out some now and the path was planted by Rafael with native aggressive groundcover around the trunk of the agaves. Belle of Portugal Rose. Then she spruced up the Bromeliad garden and cut back Tickseed and Whil is repairing a couple of spots along the pond Barlaria in Mid garden. edge where the sides have eroded and water leaks out. He also plugged up a hole in the wall in the A few weeks ago Barbara, Sherry and I spent a Atrium and organized the tool closet in the Potting morning working on our Staghorn ferns…we Shed. Now our long handled tools hang neatly rewired a large one to put back in the Atrium and against the wall…and most have an outline marked mounted small fern pups…provided by Marsha… so volunteers can easily see where to return it when onto boards assembled by Sherry. The smaller ones work is finished. I also had Whil help me and are being cared for in the Kitchen garden and will Sherry install a safety rail along the lower path in be for sale when they take off. the Perennial garden…he put in the metal posts and we fastened the bamboo to the poles. Plans are to Bonnie faithfully waters and fertilizes the potted replace the rotting handrail on the other side of the plants, cleans the pond, sweeps walks and putters in path with a similar treatment. the Potting Shed. A few weeks ago she brought her visiting grandson, Scott, to help her. Volunteer Activity This past month Barbara planted bright orange and Needed Repairs: hot pink Kalanchoes in the Atrium garden bringing Sherry and I made a list of repairs for Whil to do as a welcome burst of color to the space. She also he has time. Two items are the handrail I mentioned pruned wild ivy vines and cut back Barlaria in the above and repair mortar on the flagstone steps Perennial garden. coming down from the cul-de-sac entry. The bamboo fence I mentioned last month is on the list Sherry and Mark dug out more invasive bamboo as well but we felt that we need to complete repairs runners from the Zoysia grass in the Gazebo garden related to visitor and volunteer safety first.</p>