It's Fall in the Children's Garden and What Do I Have to Show for It?

The Children's Garden project has continued all summer long. I have pushed and prodded it and it beginning to show signs of loveliness! The garden is all laid out and folks are gearing up to finish their parts before the garden is closed up for the winter.

1.) I completed the last of the major excavation this week--the labyrinth. Yay! Ah, to complete the mulching and planting--within the next thirty days I'll say!

2.) I have two ladies and their volunteers planting the prairie flowers in the next couple weeks, and they will be including an official certified Monarch Butterfly Waystation.

3.) I have one teacher/master gardener and her students creating the bog this Friday (weather permitting).

4.) The playhouse/classroom/storage/whatever-we-need-it-for shed was installed in the garden a while back and has a fresh coat of yellow tinted primer on it--very attractive with the green steel roof.

5.) The picket fence and gate are installed and looking like it will be painted in the spring with gusto.

6.) Four shrubs are planted in different parts of the garden. And short sunflowers matured in lovely variety. Some purple coneflowers were planted late summer in the hopes of spring green and summer beauty next year.

7.) The buckwheat cover crop used over the hot summer was a beautiful success, and has gone by the wayside to be replaced by lovely green grass.

8.) Two holes were dug in preparation for the two new trees that will be planted this week--a thornless honeylocust in the labyrinth and a columnar oak near the playhouse/multi-purpose building.

I say that's not bad for year one and about 200 hours of my time! An alphabet garden, an herb garden, arbors, signs, two child-size picnic tables, benches, a shade canopy, the human sundial and many more plantings are to come next year. Compared to this year, I think it will be a complete breeze!

Yes, I have continued to take pictures and over the winter, I may actually get them available online. I pray...