Oh, what a journey it's been. In the last post - nearly a year ago - I made a to-do list for this blog. We were so busy watering and pulling weeds, it's taken a back seat. But not the plants. We are proud to be in our third year. Yes, we have LOTS of photos to post, however, it's a problem we all have these days - sufficient time!
Recapping the season: Many good things, new plants and mega growth - and two bad events. I'll post some pictures here to show how lovely things are in general, and then, a few showing the two downers. This year, no natural wind storms, no drunk garden vandals, but spray from the LIRR weed killers (who did not see our weathered garden signs), and a very sad visit from the DOT, who cut and pulled ALL the sunflowers along the parking side of the footbridge. They should have been heading for the underpass of the LIE. What shock to see this event, just as I came over the bridge August 28. But our community is broad and strong and we're on a communication quest to make sure this does not happen again.
And then the unfortunate: the latest was the DOT, who had 10 community service workers with big clippers. Luckily, many people saw them, and came screaming down to the street from the nearby buildings. But, it was too late. They had their hands on the potted plant when I arrived.
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| View from the footbridge looking down, where spare tires were dumped among the liquor bottles. |
Recapping the season: Many good things, new plants and mega growth - and two bad events. I'll post some pictures here to show how lovely things are in general, and then, a few showing the two downers. This year, no natural wind storms, no drunk garden vandals, but spray from the LIRR weed killers (who did not see our weathered garden signs), and a very sad visit from the DOT, who cut and pulled ALL the sunflowers along the parking side of the footbridge. They should have been heading for the underpass of the LIE. What shock to see this event, just as I came over the bridge August 28. But our community is broad and strong and we're on a communication quest to make sure this does not happen again.
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| A late afternoon LIRR train rumbles by. |
And then the unfortunate: the latest was the DOT, who had 10 community service workers with big clippers. Luckily, many people saw them, and came screaming down to the street from the nearby buildings. But, it was too late. They had their hands on the potted plant when I arrived.
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| Total destruction.
Look at our strong branching sunflowers - as they HAD been. This photo was taken three weeks
prior to the raid and they were probably 10 feet high.
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The other unfortunate event was mid July. Everything near the LIRR fence died overnight. Weed spray from the LIRR contracted service sprayed too wide, and it killed most plants within a foot of the fence. Later, the boss over on Borden said it was a mistake. He said they simply had not seen the signs. Many were from mammoth sunflower seeds from a friend in Colorado; they were about 5 feet at the time they were zapped, and had been babied indoors in the winter until they were planted. They would have grown to 12 feet and made a spectacular show along the fence. So sad. Next year, bigger and better signs.
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| At least 20 large sunflowers, as well as other perennials, took a hit. |
And, in case you don't remember: here's what the footbridge looked like without a garden! What a change.
This is very interesting. How can we find out more about this garden?
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