Check out this article in the Montgomery Advertiser!
Category Archives: The Gardens
Scarecrow Construction
Saturday 9/26, 8:30am, we will meet in the gardens to construct and install scarecrows. We will have hay, plastic bags, duct tape, a few corn stalks, different types of clothing, some forms, etc. Feel free to bring anything you would like to contribute to this fun project. Some interesting characters are underway so come help get several more ready to populate the Gardens
Please come, bring a friend, and have some fun helping get the Living Block of Old Alabama Town dressed up with scarecrows for the fall season and ready for Mayor Strange’s press conference..
At the Governor’s Mansion Gardens
On 16 July, Herb Society members worked in the Herb Garden at the Governor’s Mansion. They tolerated the horrific heat and weeded, planted several herbs, and applied pine straw. The chef was very excited to see all the basil, and hopefully the swallowtail butterfly larva will not eat all the parsley and dill. Check out the “Before” and “After” photos!
Before:
After:
Memorial Day at the Governor’s Mansion
On Monday 25 May 2015, several (OATHS) Old Alabama Town Herb Society members worked in the Governor’s Mansion Herb Garden. Barbara Hightower, Kayren Pittman, Jane McCarthy, Christine Robinson, and Amanda Borden worked from 8-11AM weeding the entire herb garden. It was the Memorial Day holiday, and 2 very generous souls (Kayren and Christine) came to work in the garden on their day off. Amanda joined us as a CAMGA (Central Alabama Master Gardener Association) volunteer. The garden was incredibly weedy…certainly a result of the generous rains and the renewal pruning of the holly tree and the resulting full sun exposure. We planted 3 ‘Sun Gold’ tomato plants (Amanda’s donation), and watered them in…which guaranteed PM showers. The new volunteers got a tour of the mansion grounds and a chance to think about additions to the Herb Garden.
Many thanks gardeners![portfolio_slideshow id=2047]
Preparing for Herb Day
Gallery
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Herb Society members getting the gardens ready for Herb Day. Mark your calendars to come to Herb Day, Saturday, May 9 from 8am to 3 pm! [portfolio_slideshow id=1894 size=large]
Scarecrows in the Gardens
In the OATHS dye garden “indigo Alice” and “Madder Hatter.” The Indigo herb plant dyes fiber in shades of blue and madder is used for red and orange dyes.
Scarecrows in the OATHS Gardens
If you are interested in being amused rather than being scared this Halloween, please make a stop and visit the scarecrows in the gardens at Old Alabama. Each of the Old Alabama Town Herb Society gardens has at least one visitor, and there are others randomly placed throughout the garden. Mayor Todd Strange’s office has created a historically elegant work of art in the gardens. This is the 3rd Annual OATHS Scarecrows in the Gardens event.
October 2014 in the Gardens
The gardens are looking very good and are certainly ready for the cooler weather. In Judy’s Garden, the pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) and butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium) are quite stunning. The winter annuals (pansies, snapdragons, and violas) were planted last week in the Scent Garden. The ironweed (Veronia noveboracensis ) and swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) in the Children’s Garden are over 6’ and in full display. The Children’s Garden is about to be redesigned, with care given to using plants that are butterfly and hummingbird attractants, yet drought tolerant. The satsumas are not going to produce fruit this year possibly due to the severe winter, but there is always next year. The Red Zinger Hibiscus did not survive our spring transplanting, but will be back in several locations next year. The Doctor’s Garden always looks good with the very healthy bottle tree watching over the garden and all the visitors.
June 2014 in the Gardens
Between weeding, dead-heading, and watering, the gardens look pretty good. We made sure the irrigation was turned on after Herb Day, as there is nothing worse than setting up for Herb Day at 5 AM, and having the irrigation surprise us all. Please be on the lookout for plants we can use in any of the gardens as the winter was hard on all the gardens.
March 2014 in the gardens
On Saturday, 22 March several OATHS volunteers gathered to do some spring cleaning in the OAT gardens. Many thanks to Toni Bourke, Ann Hamill, Jane McCarthy, and Virginia Pruitt for starting so early, and for finishing the job. The perennials were trimmed, the weeds pulled, and hopefully the cold weather will be behind us and we can plant our basils. Will keep you posted on whether all three of the satsumas survived our unseasonably cold 11 degree temperatures, but one surely has new growth. Thank goodness!
The Herb Garden at the Governor’s Mansion was cleaned up by Mary Louise Garrett and Carolyn Gomillion. The garden has been overwhelmed by a large pyracantha, and with some judicious tree trimming next week, it will receive the proper amount of sun. Progress for sure.
Again, many thanks to all the volunteers!