2010

We have flashed into another year, starting to catch up to the present. As we descend take a peek at what our Cedar Valley treasure looks like now.

As we approach our favorite green space, we are struck by the difference from the first time we landed here. The landscape is buffered by the graceful sweep of trees. We see color peeking out at us. The old stockyard fence has been replaced by stately brick columns. There is just enough of a rise to give a small air of mystery as we proceed. Let’s go in and see what is happening this year.

PLANNING

Notes for the year

As the new growing season starts a number of small projects are planned. We will plant a variety of perennials in the Rose Garden to add year-round interest; the enabling beds will be planted with annuals and grasses; a variety of fruits and vegetables will be planted in the Children’s Garden; tracks will be added to the Railroad Garden with additional dwarf conifers and six new directional signs are to be installed. Hired Tyler Franklin as a summer intern. Sub-committee formed to produce a Site Development Report, the following is the report summary.

SITE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT

MAY-SEPTEMBER 2010

The report is a result of review of the original master plan and the most recent site plan, brainstorming, online and other research, visits to other public gardens, review of the Arboretum’s mission and values, and systematic rankings by the committee of generated ideas.  The committee consisted of members with a variety of backgrounds and experience at the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanical Gardens (CVABG). While developing this report, the committee took into account the fact that development & maintaining of current hardscapes and soft-scape requires volunteer/staff time, as well as funding. Therefore, the emphasis of this committee and its resulting report is to present recommendations that will enhance, not eliminate, existing features of the Arboretum, while taking into consideration that funding and time are requirements for current and future hardscapes and soft-scape.

This report will set forth recommendations for future development and planning of the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanical Gardens for the next three to five years. The report is divided into two types of development; hardscapes and soft-scape.

The next step is to present this plan to arboretum stakeholders and obtain their feedback concerning the plan.  Stakeholders would include volunteers, staff, individual donors, foundations, HCC staff and board, educators, and other community leaders.

Then the committee will incorporate the feedback into a final plan, which will be presented to the board of directors.  The board of directors will approve, disapprove, or approve with changes, the plan.  The plan will become a major part of the strategic planning session which will be held January 29, 2011.  At that time concrete plans will be made to initiate the implementation of the site development plan, under the umbrella of the arboretum’s strategic plan.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Hardscape consists of buildings or other structures

Soft-scape consists of plantings & organization of planting areas

EVENTS

This was an annual fund raiser held right before the fall festival, we had wine and hors d’œuvre and usually a silent auction. It looks like this year we had a demonstration from Deb Ewolt an area artisan.

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It rained this year!

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PROJECTS

This is a copy of an end of the year report, it highlights the projects for the year.

In the past, this gate was kept closed when the site was not open. It was deemed problematical whether this was necessary. It was decided to remove the gates from the pillars but without losing the decorative value of either the gates or the pillars. This would also help to accentuate the newly revised entrance garden.

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The following is an image of a newsletter that explains this project

The family provided $15,000 to fund this project. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in May.

Once again, we are amazed at our volunteers, as a group of them have decided that they will do the construction for the pergola and the planters. This will start with the removal of the older style structure, it is deteriorating and the new pergola will be built in this same spot.

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GARDENS

Examples of new plantings in the Rose Garden

What with the re-configuration of this space and re-purposing of the raised beds, it now functions as our Annual Gardens. This is especially relevant since the old spaces where annuals were planted have changed. The iris bed is gone, the tulip bed is gone, the wattle garden has become Tim’s garden, and the space to the East is now the Display Gardens

New Annual Gardens

There were photos this year of the individual community gardens labeled with last names

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TREES

Nothing about trees except the brief mention in the planning notes about some new conifers.

VOLUNTEERS

As always, we could not do without them.

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One last hurrah for the Community Gardeners

Yolanda Little                                     Stacey Palmer

Howard and Roberta Craven              Dorothy Wright

Kay Rewerts                                       Paul Kammerdiner and Melinda Young

Jack and Diane Golden                       Mona Storm

Cassie Luz                                           John, Kelly and Renee Fisher

Dick King                                           Mary Fratzke

Tim Spengler                                       Janet Ludolph

Brandi Lynch

Time to leave one more year behind.