Gardening Help Needed

Two "Random Acts of Green" are happening on the island in the next week and gardeners are needed. You don't have to have any experience, just a willingness to help enhance our island.

1) Dune Re-vegetation Project - Alita Bagley, Beach and Dune Task Force, is working with UT-B to re-vegetate our dunes and needs help THIS FRIDAY (Nov 9) between 2:00-6:00pm. Meet on the beach at Padre Grand. The following is an email SPI Gardens received from Alita:
"We are planning another work day on Friday and sure could use some help. Do you suppose any of your SPI Gardens volunteers or anyone else you know might be willing to help. I believe the students are coming in the afternoon around 2p.m. and will probably work for 3 – 4 hours. We are also looking for an additional pick-up or two to use to haul vegetation to the greenhouse in Brownsville . We had two pickups on Saturday and once they were full we had to stop."
Call Alita at the Chamber of Commerce (956)761-4412 if you have questions.

2) SPI Corner Project Work Day - the Chamber Enhancement Committee is spearheading the greening of twelve corners along Padre Blvd. this Saturday November 10, 2007 and needs help.
Meeting Location – Zeste Gourmet
Time: 8:30 a.m.

Swap and Tour HUGE SUCCESS
Swapping of plants and gardening knowledge, plus getting to view some of SPI's beautiful "secret" gardens was attended by many at the 2007 SPI Secret Garden Tour and Plant Swap. Thanks to all the SPI Secret Gardens who generously opened their homes for many to see as well as SPI Garden participants who helped organize the event.

A Spring Secret Garden Tour and Swap is in the making ... if you would like to be on the tour in the spring please call Nancy Marsden (761-2626) or Ann Smith (772-1948).

We would also love your comments and suggestions on how to make it better. POST THEM HERE!!!

SPI GARDENS
Secret Garden Tour and Plant Swap

There are so many unique and beautiful residential, public and commercial gardens on our island that attract birds and butterflies.

The Secret Garden Tour and Plant Swap
is your chance to “SPI” on a few South Padre Island gardens PLUS pick up a few plants to plant in your own garden!!!

Join us Sunday Oct 28
Turtle Park on East Morningside
2:00 – 3:30 Plant Swap
Bring plants to swap - or buy one PLUS …
Pick up a map of the 2007 Secret Garden Tour

3:00 – 6:00 pm Secret Gardens open for tours

A $5.00 donation would be appreciated

All proceeds will go towards plantings throughout the public parks, beach accesses, bay endings … anywhere that would benefit from a Random Act of Green!!!

For more information contact Nancy Marsden 371-9120
or Ann Smith 592-1325

Look at this beautiful Lantana. With a little TLC .... all beach accesses and public areas could look as beautiful as this.

YOU CAN HELP!!!

SPI GARDENS - "Committed to Enhancing the Island with Random Acts of Green"
is spearheading an effort to plant lantanas all over the public areas of the island. The butterflies LOVE 'em.

We have already planted many but sure could use your help. If you are at the local garden center and see lantana - pick one up - put it in your own garden, OR drop it off at 121 E. Carolyn (in front of the right side garage door) by Monday Oct. 8 - and SPI Gardens will plant it.

The butterflies thank you, SPI Gardens thank you!!!

If you see a truck or car with this SPI GARDENS sign on it, parked at some beach access or next to a vacant lot or at a pocket park.... you may be witnessing a "Random Act of Green". Thanks Ann Smith for coining that phrase and for making this logo.

The butterflies will soon be arriving so get ready for them. Plant lantana, blue mist, prairie milkweed, zennias, palafoxia, sunflowers................

Update on Saving the Yellow Sophora

Linda McDonigal and I raided the empty next-door lot owned by Kerry of Island Native Surf Shop, with permission of course but it was fun to use the word "raid." The goal was to save a couple of Yellow Sophora from exctinction should the lot be sold - and it is up for sale.

First, there is a little confusion about what these are but they do resemble the Yellow Sophora, also called the Soap Bean or more commonly the Coral Bean. Nancy Patterson, proprietor of this board, thinks they're really a rare form of Indigo plant but ... after we transplanted them the plants seem to die dead as a doornail, thus preventing further plant identification.

Yup, those plants nearly died and for a month they just threw leaves, turned a nasty black color, and looked like heck. Then Linda, a master naturalist who lives a block behind us, called last week and said she had buds! New leaves! So I looked at my baby, which looked doubtful, but YES, it now sports some shoots for sure.

I don't know if you know how hard this was. First, last year I had to defend them from a huge agricultural tractor mower called a brush-hog. Then we worked hard for about 4 hours on excavating the Yellow Sophora or Indigo from the ground - we created a mess about 12 feet around because the taproots went down at least four feet. THEN we had to dig new holes for our new plants. Linda was a real trooper but we both had a back-ache for two weeks after that.

Then the plants nearly died. Linda called Frank Wiseman, the local native plant guru, and he said to never give up because it could take a season or two before they might ... just might come back. We are so thrilled now. We won the day! Commercial growers can't do this kind of thing. Despite almost insurmountable circumstances ... it worked.
/Sam