Native Plant Gardening Days at Deer Park

Dear Plant Sangha and Friends:

Here are the dates and what we are planning to do.  You can see there is something fun for everyone!  We can let you know about other days and events too.  We will do lots of mulching and working on irrigation.  If you have skills in irrigation, we would love your help.  No matter what skills you have (even if you don't have any) , we would love your help.  No matter what your past experiences, anyone can mulch! :-)

The items in bold cost need to be purchased, in case someone knows of a donor who might wish to donate to the landscaping.  Please let us know you are coming by contacting Laura at earthlover@sbcglobal.net 

NEXT GARDENING DAYS:  TBA

Plant Sangha Fall Plan: Sowing Seeds for Spring Flowers and Summer Shade

 Meditation Hall  SOUTH

·       Replace dead plants under big window with 2 more Mexican Lobelia or Brittlebush

·       Trim the Palo Verde again after he is done blooming.

·       Plant a lavender in Southwest well  (or Mex. Lobelia)

·       Weed path up to hall  ( Solarize, mow, or handpull))

·       Finish irrigation lines 

·       Cage and Shade new plants.

·       Mulch hot hillside some more. (terrace to keep mulch around plants)

·       Cage plants under Englemann oak.   Move roses

·       If we can, we’d like to put in more butterfly host plants along the path to encourage our winged practitioners to frequent Deer Park. More color too

More benches all around the Meditation Hall to make seats for older people, and others who can’t stand for long times, but can’t sit on the grass.

 Meditation Hall  EAST

·       Weed both sides of the entry driveway up to the Hall.  Keep the strawberries—they are doing well and may have fruit to eat soon. (maybe add some plants)

·       Mulch and clear near the existing live oaks so they grow better. Berms and basins

·       Add water harvesting berms and ditches to the lemon trees  

·       Mulch lemon tree garden

·       Bench for lemon tree area.  Would anyone out there like to make one?

·       Terrace new bare hillside and mulch

·       Mulch whole corner.

·       Mulch some more so we don’t have to weed next year.

·       Tie up Tipu trees. 

 Meditation Hall  NORTH

·       Dig berm and water catchment along the north side of the Meditation hall to catch water

·       Add mulch to entire northern planting area to keep weeds down

·       Mark Gooseberry and Iris douglasiana.

·       Need more Rocks.  Everyone bring rocks you think would like to move to Deer park.

 Meditation Hall  WEST

·       Super mulch in areas near Redbuds

·       Mulch the open dirt areas.

·       Cage the redbuds.  Probably need 10 cages for other plants

·        Stake properly the five flowering trees

• Remove berm around Silk Floss tree.

• Clean around bell tower, liberate the ceanothus, remove rabbit fence and clear dead stuff   and major weeds.
• Plant around Peach with Carex praegacellis and other grasses. A grass mandala?
• River rocks and weed fabric to finish creek and catchments.

DINING HALL LEVEL

Dining Hall NORTH

·       Resolve big erosion ditch under solar panels.  Terrace, berm and basin and plant with buckwheat.

·       Enhance the drip irrigation for the fruit trees so that they get enough water.  They should be wrapped around in a circle if possible, with many drips

·        Feed all fruit trees.  Use good compost from below. And mulch remaining unmulched trees (all)

·       Trim the black sage up and mulch under Oak and Coral Tree.

·       Remove all suckers under the plum tree.

·       Mulch the Norfolk Pine and the Olive trees.  Trim Olives too if they need it. (up so people can walk under them.

·       Add a water catchment berm below the line of fruit trees and above.  This will help a lot next winter.

·       Weed and wash solar array.

·       Mulch as much of the area around and between the trees as possible.

 Dining Hall EAST

·       Plant Elderberry at top of dining hall stairs.  

·       Mulch the heck out of the pine tree that is there and make sure it gets water.

·       Hurry the mustard to its transformation.

Dining Hall SOUTH and WEST

·       Clean up under pepper tree

·       Cleanup around Squirrel area

·       Create an herb garden there near the kitchen

·       Plant a live oak at the foot of the stairs with water berms.

·       Cleanup area near wash and dry spot.

·       We could poke some holes in the big black drainage tube, or re-direct it on some more water needy or desirable plants.

 Solidity Garden

·       Re-do the irrigation to be more water saving. 

·       Plant low water grasses that can be sat upon. 

• Move the Dharma discussion rocks closer together?  Plant something pretty in the middle.