The Month of May at Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: We have been quite busy in May preparing to add plants to expand our color palette at both projects, in addition to adding collaborative-grown natives to the Doggie Thrift Store and Little Lake Eureka, and were finally able to plant on June 1.
Jennifer grew several varieties of Zinnia from seed to add to the Profusion varieties that we purchased and planted at the Doggie Thrift Store. Jerry selected and planted en masse a variety of sunflower (Tuscan Sun) that Charity Cox recommended in her presentation on our trip to the White River Nursery. They were given a highly visible area near the mailbox at the Doggie Thrift Store. Chartreuse sweet potato vines were added to the upper bed to brighten things up there. Linda planted several species of native plants in the picture window bed near the store.
We lost an American Beautyberry this late spring that was planted in this bed, and are wondering if acidity from the pine needle mulch might be the reason. We are in the process of removing the pine needles, and may do a soil test on this bed. Agricultural lime could be added if the soil pH is too low.
Little Lake Eureka: Gardening has been a challenge, with the flooding that occurred in April, and the road closure due to work on the natural gas line. We are making plans to obtain more compost from Public Works in August when more becomes available. The Japanese Iris that we divided last year bloomed really well! For more color, Impatiens was added in the shady corner near the Lenten Roses, and Zinnias grown from seed were added. The late-blooming native Blue Aster was topped to keep it compact, Narcissus leaves were clipped back, and the Boxwoods were sheared.
It has been a great experience for several of the Master Gardeners to volunteer for the Eureka Springs Native Plant Collaborative. We are anticipating that these plants grown from seed collected in this region will perform well in the gardens and be excellent sources of food for our pollinators. Collaborative-grown native plants used in both gardens are listed below: American Bellflower, Bradbury’s Monarda, Royal Catchfly, Wild Indigo, Arkansas Blue Star, Golden Alexander, Great Blue Lobelia, Cardinal Flower, Closed Gentian, Jacob’s Ladder, and Muhly Grass.
Our next workday is scheduled for June 9 at 9am. We will begin at Little Lake Eureka and then move to the Doggie Thrift Store. All volunteers are always welcome. ~Jennifer Boardman
The Month of April at Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
April 28: Today’s volunteers: Karen Welch, Linda Rogers, and Jennifer Boardman.
Little Lake Eureka: planted new white Encore azalea. The road has been closed to Little Lake Eureka due to construction, and we had a very hard time getting in and out of this location. It is going to be a challenge to take care of this project at our normal workday time until the roadwork is completed. We will have to see whether we can include this project in our garden tour in June. Plans: Deadhead narcissus, and add more color to the beds with annuals and perennials.
Doggie Thrift Store: added the following perennials to the sunny bed: ‘Hot Paprika’ coreopsis, ‘Black Adder’ hyssop, and ‘Hot Lips’ salvia. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ was planted en masse in the upper bed near the highway. Noticed some leaf damage on some of the new plants and treated them with neem spray. Plans: add more lamb’s ear to the beds, add more varieties of zinnia for color. Add colorful hardscaping.
April 14: Today’s volunteers: Linda Rogers and Jennifer Boardman.
Little Lake Eureka: set boundaries for the blue asters near the birdhouse by removing the plants not within a certain area, moved torch plant into a sunnier location to promote blooms, introduced orange tiger lilies to the end of the bed near geraniums, fertilized epimideums, russian sage, etc., moved small poppies to better location, trimmed liriope. Plans: shape shrubs and honeysuckle, plant more annuals to add color variety.
Doggie Thrift Store: planted new plants: Profusion zinnias, euphorbias, lavender (Hidecote and Spanish), angelonias, lantanas, and orange tiger lilies. Removed dead rose near store. Plans: Add more perennials and annuals to the beds for more color.
April 7: Today’s volunteers: Linda Rogers and Jennifer Boardman.
Little Lake Eureka: removed wild violets from the garden beds and Linda sewed zinnia seed in the bed. Plans: trim back the liriope, move the torch plant, manage the blue aster, prune the honeysuckle, boxwoods, and barberry.
March 31, 2022
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Eureka Springs: March weather can be iffy for gardening in NW Arkansas. Linda, Karen, Jerry, and Jennifer squeezed in a few workdays, pruning the sages, spirea, and Lenten Roses.
Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer volunteered in the Eureka Springs Community Center greenhouse with the native plant seedlings, hoping to acquire a selection of these plants for our sanctioned garden projects. Jennifer plans to start zinnia seedlings for the gardens in early April for added color at both projects.
Karen asked and received help from the Doggie Thrift Store to purchase plants there this spring. So far, she has purchased some lavender and euphorbia plants for the sunny beds. We look forward to rejuvenating and adding variety to our garden beds this year! ~ Jennifer Boardman
February 21, 2022
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: Jerry, Linda, Karen, and Jennifer met for our first workday of the year. We all pitched in and pruned back the mums, sages, and spirea in preparation for Spring.
In the upper bed near the DTS sign, Jerry removed a large area of liriope, which came out of the moist soil very easily. Karen thought about purchase ideas to present to the thrift store board, in hopes we can add to the garden plants with their help. We all agreed to try different varieties of zinnia flowers in the large bed by the highway to help provide more color during the gardening season. Linda suggested trying some zinnia varieties with a little height.
Jerry provided a list of the Master Naturalist plants that we would have access to use when ready. Jennifer contributed Hungarian Blue Poppy seed, and we scattered some in the 3 beds near the highway. Over the winter, the beds by the highway were amended with a top dressing of compost and manure, and we are hoping this will help to produce more color in the garden.
Little Lake Eureka: Linda, Karen, and Jennifer pruned back the blue asters, and removed old, tired leaves on the blooming Lenten Rose plants. Mums were pruned back, and we are hoping some of them may have lived through the winter. Linda cleared the spillway drain of leaves and debris in hopes of preventing flooding of our garden space.
No larkspur or poppy seedlings are sprouting there yet. Several people walked by the garden while we were there, and commented on how beautiful they think this garden is. Karen suggested that we move the catmint out of the pot and plant it directly into the garden bed. For more color this year, we may add zinnias to this project as well. ~Jennifer Boardman
November 4, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: On October 21 Jerry, Jennifer, and Karen set to work on managing the Rose of Sharon shrubs near the building to prevent so many seedlings from sprouting underneath them. We decided to prune off the seed pods to see if this would make a difference, along with suppressing seedlings with the mulch that was added to the bed last April. The newly added American Beauty Berry shrub is looking beautiful this fall!
Little Lake Eureka: On November 4 Linda and Jennifer finished pulling the spent Cleome plants, dispersed Brown-eyed Susan seeds, and noted that the city had turned off irrigation there. Plans are to move the torch plant to where it would receive more sunlight at some point. The ornamental grasses at this project are at their peak of beauty as well. The native Blue Aster in the photo is one of our last flowers to bloom in this garden, and it is spectacular right now!
Doggie Thrift Store: Karen, Linda, and Jennifer met at the store and planted several Violas of various colors in the sunny bed near the highway for cool weather color. The ornamental grasses and Mums near the road are beautiful right now! The irrigation system has been turned off there, and the project is ready for dormancy. ~Jennifer Boardman
October 7, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store- The sunny garden bed near the highway is under autumn renovation at the hands of Linda, Karen, Jerry, and Jennifer. On Sept. 21, we moved most of the Lenten Roses out of this bed and over to the shadier bed by the highway. Karen and Chuck Welch added some beautiful mums to the bed for fall color.
On Oct. 7, we thinned and concentrated the iris in the bed to the area near the yucca plants, where they will receive the most sun. A great amount of fibrous roots hindered our iris digging, and we believe they are coming from the larger tree in the bed. We plan to clip off the Rose of Sharon seed pods at this project, since there were many seedlings underneath them in years past.
Little Lake Eureka– We removed the cleome plants that had finished blooming, clipped back the moon flower plants, and marveled at the Red Spider Lilies (Lycoris radiata) that were blooming. ~Jennifer Boardman
September 9, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Jerry, Linda, and Jennifer volunteered this week at our two gardens in Eureka Springs. The weather was wonderful for gardening, more pleasant then the recent heat.
Little Lake Eureka: We cleared out Cleome plants in areas where we anticipate Red Spider Lilies to bloom and did a bit of weeding throughout the beds.
Doggie Thrift Store: We discussed ideas for changes in each bed, and will focus first on the sunny bed by the highway. The plan is to move some of the perennials to other beds, amend the soil, and thin out the ground cover to free up space for more colorful summer flowers. ~Jennifer Boardman
August 26, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Little Lake Eureka:
Linda Rogers, Jerry Hembd, Karen Welch, and Jennifer Boardman began the morning at the lake. The Cleome flowers are beautiful now, and the Rose of Sharon at the corner of the topiary bed is in bloom. The mulch is still looking great!
Doggie Thrift Store:
We exchanged ideas on renovating the sunny flower bed by the highway, possibly this fall. The Bush’s Poppy Mallow has grown quite a bit, which is exciting, and the new American Beautyberry shrub near the store is thriving! We are looking forward to the cooler weather that Fall brings.
~Jennifer Boardman
July 29, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: Jerry, Linda, Nancy, and Jennifer started the workday cutting the Iris blades and Blue Fescue back, since they were finished blooming and entering a more dormant period. Nancy trimmed the Bee Balm back, and scattered the seed heads, and she worked on the shady bed near the highway.
We commented that the newly planted Roundleaf Groundsel seems to be holding up well so far. Jerry brought his string trimmer and worked around the beds at both projects, which really makes them look much neater. The “Black and Bloom” Salvia is thriving in the bed near the stairs, and the Rose of Sharon shrubs are looking beautiful!
Little Lake Eureka: Linda has been keeping this project watered during the dry spells. We talked about mulching the garden again like we did last year. Nancy offered some of her mulch that she obtained through Carroll Electric, and so she and her husband, Virgil, met Jerry, Linda, and Jennifer on Tuesday, August 3rd and we put down a pickup load of beautiful mulch! This made that garden look beautiful, and will really help with moisture retention, and maintenance. Thank you, Nancy and Virgil! ~Jennifer Boardman
July 15, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Little Lake Eureka: with Linda, Karen, Jerry, and Jennifer volunteering. Karen and Jennifer cared for the plants on one side, and Linda and Jerry teamed up to work on the other side. We weeded, and discussed moving the torch plant this fall to a sunnier spot. Jennifer applied the deer repellent again to the plants that the deer cannot seem to resist.
The Doggie Thrift Store: Jennifer removed grass and Liriope from the beds near the highway. Linda and Jerry “sliced” half of the zebra grass in the bed by the store stairs since it was beginning to get very large. Karen fertilized and watered two roses, and put a wire ring around some ornamental grass that needed extra support. She plans to bring some Lenten Roses to transplant into the shady bed near the highway.
Overall, the gardens are looking good this summer! We plan to continue labeling our plants as well as we can to increase the educational aspect of the projects. ~Jennifer Boardman
July 8, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Little Lake Eureka: Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer began the workday at the lake today. We thinned Cleome, planted a re-blooming Azalea, and planted the small Echinacea plants (below) that Anita Engert had given Linda. The deer had been nibbling on a number of our plants here, so we treated them with deer repellent before we left.
The Doggie Thrift Store: Jennifer and Linda planted another re-blooming azalea in the bed near the thrift store picture window. We weeded and labeled plants in the shady bed by the highway. The watering system seems to be working well and the plants are looking good!
~Jennifer Boardman
June 17, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: Jerry worked on the upper bed by the new sign. He removed Liriope from the areas where the Campanula is growing and it looks much tidier now. The newly planted Bush’s Poppy Mallow is getting ready to bloom and we are watching closely to see if this native plant will do well in this bed.
The Round-leaf Groundsel is establishing itself in the shady bed near the highway. The American Beautyberry is showing quite a bit of new growth now! Chuck Welch was kind enough to get the watering system up and running again this season! Thanks, Chuck!!!
Little Lake Eureka: The poppy flowers are winding down, and leaving their just as beautiful everlasting pods for interest there. Cleome plants are coming up thick this year, and the larkspur is blooming. We have been watering here now, and will be introducing some Echinacea plants here soon.
~Jennifer Boardman
June 3, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Jerry Hembd, Karen Welch, Linda Rogers, and Jennifer Boardman volunteered to help out today in Eureka Springs.
Doggie Thrift Store: Jennifer removed the liriope from the shady bed by the road. Plans are to replace it with native Roundleaf Groundsel, which can grow in dry shade. Jerry planted a Bush’s Poppy Mallow in the sign bed near the Prairie Alumroot and Coneflower. In the bed by the thrift store picture window, he noticed that the newly planted American Beautyberry is now showing new growth. Karen and Linda tidied up the sunny bed by weeding out grass, pinching back chrysanthemums, and deadheading the flowers.
Little Lake Eureka: Linda weeded, sheared the boxwoods, including the one in the topiary. Jerry used a saw to prune tree limbs that were hanging low over the sidewalk. Karen used new plant identification stakes to relabel some plants where the tags could not be read. Jennifer pruned out winter kill on the standard honeysuckle.
Both gardens look so much better after some TLC from a workday! Thanks to all who help at these projects! ~Jennifer Boardman
May 27, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
The poppies are blooming at Little Lake Eureka and they are beautiful! Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer focused on Little Lake Eureka today. We removed the Wisteria, thinned Cleome seedlings, planted Begonias, a broad-leafed culinary Sage, and a Maximillian Sunflower. We are continuing to work on labeling the plants in the garden. Jerry string-trimmed around the perimeter of the flower beds, which makes everything look much tidier. ~Jennifer Boardman
May 6, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: On this workday, the shady bed by the road was weeded, and we introduced Money Plant (Lunaria) to this bed as well, since it thrives in dry shade. The mums were pinched back, and a Prairie Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii) was planted in the sunny bed near the new sign. The yellow Bearded Iris with copper accents looked so beautiful that day!
Little Lake Eureka: Linda and Jennifer were happy to have Karen Welch and Nancy Plagge join us for our workday. There was quite a bit of weeding to do this time, and more hands made this task easier on everyone. We also deadheaded the Narcissus flowers, and cut the winter kill out of the Russian Sage and Crepe Myrtle. This garden looks so much better now, just in time for the poppies to put on their show!
~Jennifer Boardman, Chair
April 22, 2021 Earth Day
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Little Lake Eureka: we planted native Purple Poppy Mallow, and a yellow cultivar of the Orange Butterfly Weed, Ascplepias tuberosa, ‘Hello Yellow’, purchased at the Eureka Springs High School FFA Plant Sale. Come on pollinators.
Doggie Thrift Store: Earth Day was a perfect day to work even if we were surprised to have the opportunity to gather some free pine mulch from the tree that needed to be removed due to it being a hazard.
Jerry and Linda worked on replacing the Nandina at the corner of the bed near the building with a native American Beautyberry shrub, Callicarpa americana. It will look wonderful there!
~Jennifer Boardman, Chair
April 6, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Karen Welch, Jerry Hembd, and Jennifer Boardman met at the Doggie Thrift Store. Jerry began removing the nandina near the building and we plan to replace it with a native shrub. One of the yucca plants in the bed near the highway had been broken off, leaving much of the huge root in place. We’re not sure how it got damaged. Jennifer transplanted clippings of a native sedum, Sedum ternatum, in two different areas in hopes it will thrive there.
Donna Sartorius, a past Master Gardener, joined Linda, Jerry, Karen, and Jennifer at Little Lake Eureka. Jerry sheared the dying foliage of the red spider lilies back, and a native columbine was added to the garden. Spent narcissus flowers were deadheaded. Plans to add more late summer variety in color are underway. ~Jennifer Boardman
March 22, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: We had such a nice time gardening together at our workday yesterday! Nancy Plagge made such a difference in the shady garden bed by the highway. She removed the Liriope that had mixed in with one of the ornamental grass clumps, and took out all of the chickweed and dead nettle that had grown up in the bed. She also helped by shearing back the spirea in the bed near the big sign.
Linda worked in the sunny bed by the highway and trimmed out all of the spent leaves on the Lenten Roses, and pruned the winter kill out of the Sages. Jerry sheared back the blue fescue clumps that had a lot of dead blades. We hope to see more new growth next time. He raked the leaves around the shady bed and it looks much neater. Karen and Jennifer pruned out all of the seed pods on the Rose of Sharon Shrubs. It won’t be long, and they will be leafing out and forming new buds!
Little Lake Eureka: Jerry and Linda worked together to divide the largest ornamental grass clump there. Linda transplanted some new Rose of Sharon seedlings into the garden, and Jennifer thinned out the barren strawberry ground cover. The Sages were trimmed back, and Karen, Linda, and Jennifer talked about introducing more deer-resistant plants that would provide a variety of color in August through Fall. Just a few Larkspur seedlings were spotted. A new neighbor to the garden came over to chat and tell us how much he appreciates its beauty! ~Jennifer Boardman and Jerry Hembd c0-chairs
March 16, 2021
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Linda and Jennifer first tackled some of the tasks in the Little Lake Eureka garden. The weather was great and the garden soil was perfect for digging into. Linda divided ornamental grasses, and Jennifer clipped the Liriope back. We spotted little poppy seedlings throughout the garden. We worked longer than expected at this garden site, took a short break, and moved to the Doggie Thrift Store to assess the gardens there.
At the Doggie Thrift Store, we began cutting the ornamental grasses back on Tuesday. On Wednesday the 17th, our workday continued with pruning the Coreopsis, Swamp Milkweed, and clipping the Blue Fescue and other ornamental grass. The Hyacinths are starting to bloom at both gardens, and the Narcissus flowers and Lenten Roses are at their peak!
There is more pruning to do at both of these gardens and we would love for all Master Gardeners to feel welcome to help take care of these beautiful sanctioned projects! ~ Jennifer Boardman
September 24, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and
Doggie Thrift Store
Our workday this week went well, and Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer were able to attend.
Doggie Thrift Store: The meadow sage is blooming beautifully right now! On a more frustrating note, armadillos have been searching for food in the garden beds near the store and the newly prepared bed by the big sign. Jennifer read that castor oil can be used to repel them, and so we sprinkled some of it around in the mulch to see if it would help. Karen suggested that we hold off on planting new plants until the armadillos move on. We are hoping by the next workday, we will be ready to move/divide perennials, and plant some new plants there.
Little Lake Eureka: The red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata) are blooming beautifully now! The cleome flowers are still holding up as well. The garden was needing some deadheading, and we talked about adding more mulch, along with planting larkspur seed this fall. The deer have been problematic at this project, and Linda tried putting some Irish Spring soap shavings around some newly planted mums. We are checking to see if it is helping to deter our hungry visitors.
~Jennifer Boardman
September 10, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and
Doggie Thrift Store
Karen, Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer attended the workday Thursday, September 10. We planted mums, variegated Solomon’s Seal, and Japanese Anemone. Our butter daisy overwintered and is thriving, despite the nibbles from deer.
The Cleome plants are still flowering wonderfully, and Karen is dwarfed by some of the taller ones!
~Jennifer Boardman
September 3, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: For this workday, we focused our attention on renovating a corner of a flower bed at the Doggie Thrift Store. We prepared the area for a native perennial with a mounding habit that will stay on the smaller side. Jerry put down a layer of cardboard to suppress some of the weeds in this area, and then we added a thick layer of leaf mulch that was beginning to decompose. With a little time, the area will be ready for the new plant.
Jennifer worked on removing the ground cover from the bed by the thrift store window, and mulched the smaller, dry shade bed by the highway with pine needles. Karen’s husband resolved an issue with the watering system, and discovered evidence of an armadillo digging around the clump of zebra grass. Overall, the plants at this project are now looking happy!
Little Lake Eureka: The garden is looking beautiful right now with all the cleome plants in bloom. Our work team is coordinating to keep it watered.
~ Jennifer Boardman
August 6, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and
Doggie Thrift Store
It has been a month since our last formal workday. Nancy Plagge, Jerry Hembd, Linda Rogers, and Jennifer Boardman were able to attend today.
Little Lake Eureka: The cleome flowers are certainly the focal point at this time. The autumn sage bush is blooming nicely as well, and the birdhouse is sporting a new coat of paint. Linda, Karen (Welch), and Jennifer have been making sure the garden has water during this hot and dry weather.
Doggie Thrift Store: The Rose of Sharon near the store and the darker variety near the highway are blooming beautifully. Karen volunteers regularly in the thrift store, and she checks on the flowers and the watering system in between workdays. Jerry string trims the perimeter of the flower beds which really helps to tidy things up, and he plans to check on the garden between workdays as well. We had the bonus of observing several butterflies feeding on flower nectar at both garden projects.
Talk followed about plans for the rest of the growing season at both garden projects. Dividing and moving ornamental grasses and other perennials is on the list, along with reworking a corner of a flower bed at the Doggie Thrift Store.
~ Jennifer Boardman
July 9, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and
The Doggie Thrift Store
Our workday this week consisted of individual efforts throughout the week. Some of our “regulars” were unable to make the time we set aside, but we all pitched in when we could, and both projects are looking good!
Doggie Thrift Store: Jennifer focused on removing grass from the large bed near the highway. The autumn sage near the new thrift store sign is beautiful right now. Karen has been monitoring the watering system since she volunteers in the thrift store almost daily. It seems to be working much better with Chuck’s adjustments and improvements, and the plants are much happier.
Little Lake Eureka: Linda has been watering there as needed, and worked earlier today. She has been shaping the boxwoods. Jennifer deadheaded some of the perennials and will assist with keeping the garden watered as necessary. We are communicating in between workdays about the needs of the projects. We plan to stretch out the time between workdays to every 3-4 weeks now that hot weather has set in. Each garden season has it’s own rhythm. ~Jennifer Boardman
June 25, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and The Doggie Thrift Store
Master Gardeners at the Doggie Thrift Store and Little Lake Eureka included Jennifer Boardman, Jerry Hembd, Linda Rogers, and Karen Welch. Chuck Welch, our honorary member, joined us at the Doggie Thrift Store. Doggie Thrift Store: The topic of water was front and center. There have been some issues with water pressure and the soaker hoses working properly. Chuck did some checking and testing, set up the automatic timers, removed some hose restrictors, replaced one of the soaker hoses, and showed the group the two “Y” connectors where we can connect another hose for manual watering. Karen shared some information she had gathered regarding native plant possibilities for the gardens with an emphasis on plants that can thrive without regular watering. We will continue to consider our options.
We finished up at the Doggie Thrift Store by focusing on the front bed. This included trimming the iris plants and verifying the soaker hose was working. We were also faced with a mystery. Since our last workday, someone had very significantly cut back the rose bush in front of the building. Not certain if this is a case for Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson at this time.
Little Lake Eureka: We undertook a variety of tasks. A batch of Marigolds was added at the front part of the garden. The Wisteria was clipped and the Boxwoods shaped. Thinning was done with both the barren strawberries and emerging Cleome plants. Water was again a topic of conversation as we discussed the frequency for watering now that the weather is hotter and drier. ~Jerry Hembd
June 11, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and The Doggie Thrift Store
The poppies are blooming at LLE and the gardens are looking good as they slide into summer.
Little Lake Eureka: Karen, Nancy, Jerry, and Jennifer enjoyed thinning barren strawberry, providing support to a top-heavy poppy, deadheading, and general upkeep to this project. Linda worked as well on the garden at another time. She weeded and planted some dianthus. We are talking about new additions to this garden in the fall, and possibly spacing out some of the plants that are doing really well.
The Doggie Thrift Store: Chuck Welch has the water system set for us, and Karen turned on the faucet, so plants there are all set for drier weather. At this time, the gardens seem to be holding their own, with the exception of the ongoing process of removing some weeds. ~Jennifer Boardman
May 28, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and The Doggie Thrift Store
Doggie Thrift Store: Tiffany worked on the front bed quite a bit, removing grass and weeds. The spring garden’s transition to summer in the other front bed required quite a bit of attention: deadheading Lenten Rose and spent Iris blossoms, pinching back the mums for later blooming, plus weed removal. More groundcover work was done on the bed near the store window.
The volunteers working in the store commented on how well they liked it now. Linda, Karen, Jerry, Tiffany, and Jennifer worked at this project today. Little Lake Eureka: The crew shifted over to the lake. Jerry thinned the ornamental grass and blue aster from the area where he replaced the butterfly bush. A yellow coreopsis was added to the front of that bed.
Ajuga was transplanted from the Doggie Thrift Store to the bed near the new pathway. Linda and Jennifer moved the Epimidium away from the Lenten Rose so each of them would have more room. (Hey, everybody benefits from proper social distancing). The topiary received some careful grooming and it looks much better now. ~Tiffany Windle
May 14, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and The Doggie Thrift Store
Little Lake Eureka: The peonies are beautiful there right now, and the poppies will be blooming soon. Jerry, Linda, and Jennifer were there, and they worked on thinning some of the ground cover in areas of both garden beds. Linda brought shears and worked on trimming the shrubs. We noticed some very small Cleome seedlings beginning to make their appearance.
Doggie Thrift Store: We focused on the beds closest to the store, and decided to begin removing the ground cover in the bed under the main windows where we planted shrubs in 2018. Jerry pruned the Rose of Sharon shrubs again to promote bushiness instead of height. The public is welcome to stroll through these beautiful gardens.
~ Jennifer Boardman
April 20, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
The Thursday crew in Eureka Springs: Jennifer Boardman, Tiffany Windle, Linda Rogers, Karen Welch, and Jerry Hembd sure appreciated the cooperation of the weather gods. It was an awesome morning to be out and working with/in nature.
Little Lake Eureka: The tasks included adding more pine needle mulch, picking a location for and installing a serpentine pathway of stepping stones through one of the beds, repair of the landscape timber retaining wall, checking labels and tags to accurately identify plants, trimming of the large honeysuckle, and the usual weeding and trimming.
Linda shared information regarding the trimming back of asters from a recent online training that was then implemented in the garden.
Doggie Thrift Store: The group was joined by Chuck Welch, who was immediately made an honorary member. He showed us how the irrigation system is hooked up and programmed. We then trenched along the sidewalk to lay out some of the irrigation hoses. Chuck also did some serious re-stacking of the landscaping stone around one of the beds to repair damage.
The Rose-of-Sharon was trimmed back away from the windows at the request of the manager. All beds were weeded and touched up. The gardens at both locations are looking good. We received comments of thanks and appreciation at both locations from passersby. ~ Jerry Hembd
April 16, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
We had a pleasant and productive spring workday at these two sanctioned projects.
Doggie Thrift Store: Linda Rogers, Jerry Hembd, and Jennifer Boardman were present. Jerry did a lot of work on the shaded bed near the highway and now it looks much better. After he weeded and mulched the bed with pine needles, he transplanted some spiderwort plants that were needing a new home in the bed. Linda worked on the sunny bed near the highway. She weeded and deadheaded narcissus bulbs. Jennifer raked up pine mulch and removed purple dead nettle from the rose bed near the store.
Little Lake Eureka: We enjoyed caring for this garden in the sun by the lake. We found a few larkspur plants, and Linda carefully removed the weeds near them. We saw several poppy plants in the beds and tried not to disturb them. Even though Jennifer tried to weed before putting pine needle mulch down, there were still some weeds sprouting through it, and so Jerry and Linda took time to groom the beds. Most likely, the pine mulch layer needs to be thicker to suppress weeds. We discussed the strategy of using mulch there to suppress weeds but still maintaining our beautiful, flowering plants that reseed themselves each year in the garden. It could be that we decide to use mulch in certain areas there, and leave some of the ground open for our flower seedlings to grow. We will continue to be mindful and social distance ourselves as we work. A reminder email will be sent out closer to that time. There are certain jobs that could be tended to before then, and if anyone would like to know more about these, Jennifer, Jerry, or Linda would be the people to contact. ~ Jennifer Boardman
March 10, 2020
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Carroll County Master Gardeners had their first workday of 2020 at the Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store projects in Eureka Springs. So glad to see new members, Teresa Gathright and Sharon Roberts, attending and helping with the spring chores! Both garden sites were in need of some TLC in preparation for the fast approaching spring season. The narcissus flowers were definitely stealing the show at both projects!
Little Lake Eureka: We took time to point out some of the perennials that were beginning to sprout, raked leaves, pruned the boxwood, sage, and wisteria, and discussed how to repair some damage that had happened over the winter to the wooden border. We moved our sign to a more prominent location in the garden, as well.
Doggie Thrift Store: The ornamental grasses were clipped, and the spirea, nandina, Rose of Sharon, and meadow sage were pruned. Leaves were raked out of the beds, and the Lenten Roses were tidied up by removing the older, damaged leaves.
It seemed that these gardens needed our attention about every 2 weeks last summer, and the volunteers attending today thought it would be a good idea to have that be the goal for this year. We plan to find a routine time that works for the regular volunteers at these projects. All members, old and new, are always welcome to come and join in, or to just visit these gardens! ~ Jennifer Boardman
September 5, 2019 Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Yes! Another beautiful work day at LLE and the Doggie Thrift Store. Trimming, weeding, cutting back plants and planting. Looking great! We also discussed the plant maps.
~Thank you Jennifer and Jerry.
August 16, 2019
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer were present today at Little Lake Eureka for our workday. We managed to stay fairly dry, dodging the few raindrops that did fall during the time we were there. Salvia and Melampodium are in bloom, along with the Cleome. Linda helped with identifying the current plants in preparation for marking the map, and she transplanted some marigolds into the garden from her home. Jerry and Jennifer helped with the weeding and deadheading. Jerry used his string trimmer at both gardens to give them a finished look. Time went by so quickly at Little Lake Eureka that we decided to pass on weeding at the Doggie Thrift Store today. Our next workday is scheduled for Thursday, September 5 at 8am, beginning at Little Lake Eureka. ~Jennifer Boardman
July 26, 2019
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Thursday was a long and productive work day at Little Lake Eureka and the Doggie Store. We started at LLE where Jennifer & Karen worked on the maps. Jennifer, Jerry & Tiffany weeded the beds. Tiffany, in a vain attempt to keep the Cleomes from overtaking the bed, cut seed pods off while trying to avoid the honeybees, which seem to love the Cleome. We also found part of a snake skin in the bed, glad it wasn’t attached! The Doggie shop again found us weeding and mapping. Jerry cleaned out the black & blue salvia from one bed. We also found 2 locust shells in the bed. We’re thinking that’s what’s eating some of the plants.
July 11, 2019
Doggie Thrift Store and Little Lake Eureka
Linda Rogers, Jennifer Boardman, Tiffany Windle, and Jerry Hembd were blessed with noticeably cooler temperatures on Thursday morning as they spent an hour each at Little Lake Eureka and the Doggie Thrift Store. The 8 a.m. start time helped as well. The every other week approach to these two gardens is proving to be a good strategy. Jerry has taken over keeping the grass and weeds trimmed neatly. At the Doggie Thrift Store there was more weeding, serious salvia thinning, clearing plants around the newer bushes planted last year.
Work at Little Lake Eureka included weeding, boxwood trimming, pruning, removing dried poppy plants, and thinning the cleome plants. Tiffany and Jennifer pulled poppies out of the cleome beds. The cleome look fabulous right now. Tiffany is making sure that we have fewer next year. We are pulling them out by the handfuls! The Shasta daisy is looking beautiful. Jennifer loaned Jerry a spade to transplant part of the daisy cluster over to the other 1/2 of the garden. The salvia bush is looking great!
June 27, 2019
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Linda, Tiffany, Jerry, and Jennifer worked at the Doggie Thrift Store today. The gardens there needed to be tidied up, and they look much better after we were done. The Rose of Sharon and Black and Blue Salvia near the Thrift store entrance are blooming and looking beautiful.
At Little Lake Eureka, Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer weeded some and cleaned the debris from the spillway grate. The cleome plants are blooming now, and we all admired a zebra swallowtail feeding on them.
We decided to find time for another workday in 2 weeks.
~Tiffany, Linda, Jerry, and Jennifer
June 14, 2019
Little Lake Eureka
The rain stayed away and allowed us to have our workday! Our group decided to focus our effort on the Little Lake Eureka garden. Linda says it is now “looking respectable”. Linda, Karen, Tiffany, Jerry, and Jennifer attended. While weeding, we talked about our mapping projects and focal point ideas. We will have another workday in about 2 weeks.
May 28, 2019
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
Our workday at Little Lake Eureka and the Doggie Thrift Store went well today. At Little Lake Eureka, Linda Rogers, Sue Davis, Jerry Hembd, and Jennifer Boardman were present. Weeding was number one priority there, and we made good progress. We are still thinking about adding another garden structure to enhance visual appeal.
At the Doggie Thrift Store, Jerry, Karen, and Jennifer were present. We worked on the Toad House bed, pulling weeds, and fixing a leak in the irrigation system.
In the beds near the store, we thinned out the Black and Blue Salvia that was intruding on the newly planted shrub space. The “Hot Lips” salvia is looking beautiful there right now!
At both gardens, there is still more to do, and we plan to call for another work day in 2 weeks. ~ Jerry Hembd, Tiffany Windle, and Jennifer Boardman
April 26, 2019
Little Lake Eureka and Doggie Thrift Store
We had a work day at Little Lake Eureka last Friday! Linda met us with her map, and Jerry and I weeded for a bit. We had a turtle friend watching from the spillway! If you look closely, the turtle is swimming in the lake. Our topiary is filling in slowly, and the Cleome is sprouting!
Another workday will be in order in a few weeks. Everything is growing so fast now!
~ Jennifer Boardman
March 17, 2017
Sunday was a beautiful day for working at LLE. We cut off the grasses and liriope, trimmed the salvias and the Russian sage and the honeysuckle tree. The leaves that were left over from fall were removed along with dead branches and plants. Also started a map of the gardens. Thank you goes to Jennifer, Tiffany, Jerry, Sue, and Karen. ~ Linda Rogers
August 22, 2018
This workday featured a whole lot of sunshine and people stopping by and remarking on “how beautiful the garden was” and “I didn’t know that the Master Gardeners took care of the garden.”
We weeded and tried to ask each other “what is this plant.” I explained to Jerry, Jennifer and Tiffany that in the past with heavy rains the spillway from the lake flows over and both Linda Rogers and I have actually had to clear the spillway. My husband, Chuck Welch, brought a pick up full of compost from the City and it was spread down both sides of the walkway where the dirt can wash out. We also spread a few shovels near a peony that needed some extra dirt.
It was stated that the garden looked a lot better. ∼ Karen Welch
July 9, 2018
Jennifer Boardman, Donna Sartoris, and I dead headed, removed dead plants, weeded and planted. We made quite a difference. Little Lake Eureka is looking much better. Thankfully it was a good temperature. ∼ Linda Rogers
May 16, 2018
Many thanks to Jennifer Boardman for helping at LLE today. We trimmed the boxwoods, weeded, fertilized, moved the agastache, and cleaned out the grate in preparation for a rainy week. ∼ Linda Rogers
April 11, 2018
We met at LLE at 1:00 today for an intensive weeding workday. The weather was beautiful, but windy. Mariellen Griffith, Jennifer Boardman, Jerry Hembd, Donna Sartoris, Jane Houseal, Sue Davis and myself worked with great intensity to separate the weeds from the poppy, larkspur, and cleome seedlings. They all grow together because the wanted plants propagate themselves. We can’t use hoes at this point. The garden is coming together quickly. The daffodils are blooming. Sue took the pictures because she wanted pictures of us actually working 😉 ~Linda Rogers.
April 4, 2018
What a great day for a workday. A little cool but very sunny! Tiffany Windle, Jane Houseal, Jennifer Boardman, and Sue Davis worked so fast that they accomplished everything on my list . . . plus a lot more! Deborah Thompson logged it all in her notes. Thank you for all your help. We will return next Wednesday, April 11, at 1pm to weed some more. We might even spread mulch. Happy to see the poppies and the larkspur starting to grow big. Come and join us! ~ Linda Rogers
Work accomplished:
June 23, 2017
Karen Welch, Mariellen Griffith, Donna Sartoris and Linda Rogers worked on some summer garden maintenance at LLE today weeding, trimming and deadheading.
May 30, 2017
Poppies in Memorial Day splendor in this peaceful garden below East Mountain.
April 19, 2017
I put in a few plants today which led to more weeding. A visiting couple asked me the name of the tree with purple blooms (Royal Pawlonia). Then they wanted to know the name of an evergreen they had seen on which the needles pointed to the ground. Not the branches. Only the needles. Anyone know the answer?
They were from Missouri and commented on the great work the Master Gardeners were doing. This is one of the beautiful peonies at Little Lake Eureka. ∼ Linda Rogers
April 10, 2017
Karen Welch and Linda Rogers put in hours last Monday digging out Liriope, Vinca and the Lamium that was taking over the deer. Like all gardens, it all is a work in progress.
Update: April 3, 2017
Despite the spring rain, the work of master gardener volunteers continued today at Little Lake Eureka.
What a trooper! Mariellen Griffith tidied up by raking and dead heading. Linda pulled out some of the easier weeds that did not have to be dug. And the rain kept on coming down. ∼ Linda Rogers
Photos-March 17, 2017
Click on any photo to view slide show.
