Sprinkler Test

Last Friday six members of the BHSEC Garden Committee met to try out the new sprinkler equipment that had arrived. The main purpose was to check out the trajectory to see how many tree beds one sprinkler could adequately water and thereby know how many more sprinklers we needed to order. It was a very chilly day, but several people gamely got wet in the service of the garden.

I have posted the pictures below to remind everyone how and where the water fell to help in planning the placement of the sprinkler heads and hoses.

Tying the hose

The sprinkler head

Aiming the spray (southwest corner)

Heavy coverage from the southwest sprinkler (a good spot to place lots of potted plants)

This bed barely got any water. The puddle bypassed it.

Longshot looking toward northwest corner of yard

The Secret of Getting Students to Use the Garden

BHSEC student use of The Bard Yard has been a regular topic of conversation every time garden committee members get together. Reports of how many were seen, in which section, and what exactly they were doing always comes up whenever we meet.

This year there is more of everything to draw people toward the yard--more shade, more seats, and more flowering plants. But I heard something through the grapevine that really indicates to me that the students will be using the garden more than ever--there is a wifi hotspot somewhere on the Mangin Street side!

The New Garden Shed has Arrived!

Lowe's delivered the new garden shed today. We'll be using it to store the garden supplies to hide the mess while at the same time making everything more accessible for our BHSEC gardeners!

It's not assembled yet but here's what it will look like:

The initial parts for the irrigation system are also now here too. After much debate the team opted to go with an above ground sprinkler system. This design is less costly and still provides BHSEC with the option of upgrading to an in-ground drip system later on.

Here are the sprinklers that we will be using:

The sprinklers will be set on an automatic timer and will have their spray patterns adjusted to minimize any unnecessary water run-off. We're testing them this Friday so stay tuned for more updates!

Big Week at Bard

There was lot going on at BHSEC this week. First, Ray Peterson announced his retirement. I heard, through my daughter, that the students gave him a huge round of applause when he announced this to them on Tuesday. They are very sad about his leaving. The Gardening Committee has a lot to thank him for (besides his school leadership). If not for him the "Bard Yard" would not look as good as it does now, or as gorgeous as it is bound to be later this spring and summer.

Second it was Parent-teacher conference week. It was my last one at Bard and I enjoyed visiting with teachers and other parents in the hallways. I saw Kristi and Susan and they both mentioned the new growth they observed in the garden.


Kristi mentioned seeing buds on the trees. Great news--they survived the winter!


And the bulbs are sprouting and flowering.


It looks like three different types of bulbs are coming up here.

The plants in this pot survived the winter too.

The moon is visible in this picture (it was about 3 in the afternoon). Can anyone out there identify trees by shape?

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant Success!

Recently garden committee member Helen Slavin was excited to let us all know that she'd gotten a letter from Lowe's informing us that we were selected to receive a $2600 grant for "The Bard Yard."

Lowe's donates $5 million to public schools every year through their Toolbox for Education Grants. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lowe's. The bulk of this money will be spent on an automated sprinkler system and as I've mentioned in earlier entries watering the garden has been extremely labor-intensive and time consuming. This grant will help to ease the maintenance and ensure the future of the garden.

It's been a while since I posted so to jog my memory I looked through the past blog entries and found this one with details of our plans for a sprinkler system. Some of the members will be meeting soon to nail down the particulars for ordering the system.

If any parents of the Bard H.S. Early College community see this blog and are interested in joining the committee please leave a comment and make sure that you are put onto our group email list. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have as well. We would love to have new members to help out with future planning, the sprinkler installation and spring planting (which is really fun and satisfying).

P.S. I just scrolled backward (fast) through the past blog entries. I recommend it if you'd like to get a pictorial history of the 2009 garden.

Bulb Planting on Saturday

The Garden Committee got together last Saturday (December 6th) to plant bulbs in the beds surrounding our new trees.

Helen, Tim, and Lourdes holding the pictures of the bulbs that we planted.

I think that's Rebecca working in the southwestern corner of the yard.


Karen (aka: me)

Sonia transplanted some of our perennials from this summer's garden into the beds.


I can't wait until spring... The class of 2011 will have a beautiful yard for their graduation.

Bardvark Article about the Garden and Tree Planting

This BHSEC student newspaper article on the tree planting by the city mentions the efforts of the garden committee members and the ECO Club.

photo by Olivia Winn