Surely all the weight I lost sweating it out at the garden this summer is being regained in the next four days. I have already indulged in homemade cheese ravioli and meatballs from Corbo's bakery followed by tiramisu from Presti's bakery for dessert last night. It was like a battle of the bakeries except cannoli wasn't even involved this time! Tonight's dishes were gnocchi in vodka sauce followed by hazelnut gelato for dessert, again delicious. It's great to see such an involved community so enthusiastic for a cause, even the flower pots are patriotic!
All of the commotion just up the street hasn't seemed to interrupt daily life at the garden yet. I'm still continually learning new things and enjoying new experiences. Yesterday, Robin and I took a trip to Sunbeam Nursery, a wholesale nursery facility in Avon, OH. She was in search of some new plants for the C.K. Patrick perennial walkway. I'm really glad she took me along, it was a neat experience to gain another perspective on the industry.
I don't think most people realize the complexity of the system and what their plants go through just to get into the yard. For instance, depending on how the plant begins (seed, cutting, etc.) it must be shipped from the producer which in many cases is a different country, received by the nursery and planted then grown. Next it heads to the retail center in hopes of being purchased by the consumer. All along while predictions are being made on what people are going to be interested in this year as well as what people are no longer tending to purchase. And don't forget you're dealing with a live product! All in all it was a good learning experience allowing me to broaden my thinking horizon.
The afternoon was spent planting our new stock. There are still a few holes to fill but Robin is still looking for a certain variety of fern to complete the space. I think it looks rather nice and we chose a good selection of plants to balance out the previous empty area. I wish I could be around to see it really fill in, but she said she would send me a picture next spring!
Today I received my first lesson in laying sod. Let's just say I learned was that it's a messy job! Thankfully, we were only working on a small area so it wasn't too awful but I honestly could not image sodding an entire yard, definitely something I don't see in my future. Otherwise, I believe it's pretty self-explanatory keeping in mind to stagger placement and remembering to cut out holes for the irrigation system.
In the afternoon, I thought one of my nightmares was coming true when Mark informed me I was assisting Bob with a load of mulch in Gateway! This was a nightmare, because mulching in Gateway in 90 degree heat was definitely one of the toughest tasks CBG had to offer (well in my mind at least)! Luckily, it was a much smaller load of mulch and I actually planted some dahlias while Bob did most the mulching. It wasn't so bad after all, plus extreme heat wasn't an issue.
Only a week and a half left here in Cleveland, and I am already realizing just how much I am going to miss this place as well as the people who contributed to making my summer awesome. One of my coworkers mentioned today that I am always smiling and how great that is. Well, I guess that's because I am truly happy, that's what Cleveland Botanical Gardens and this summer overall has done for me. I cannot wait to get home and share my happiness with some of the people that I love and missed the most.
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