21 people donated plants for the Fairview Park/bike path garden. 31 people did something at the garden. For a first year garden it is pretty amazing. Multiple contacts have been made with various organizations to commit to something like an Eagle Scout project or community service for an extended period.  There has been no commitments yet.

A request was submitted to Palmer authorities to build two small gardens by the fences along Greenwood Ave by the Post Office.  No response as of this time.

Before the big storm hit a decision was made to dig out the elephant ear/ taro plants. All 42 plants were dug out and taken to their winter storage home in Palmer. During that process they were washed and the babies were separated from their parents.There are now 180 separate plants.  Of that number about 150 are significant in size and should do well in 2013.  About 30 are fairly small and may dry up over winter storage.

The cannas are also a tropical plant.  They have not been removed or had their leaves cut off. The leaves are now mush in consistency. The bulbs are still viable because the ground is not frozen. Anyone who would like the bulbs for their own 2013 gardens or store them and plant them back at the Fairview Park garden may do so at any time.  There is no plan to dig them out.

The calla lilies also have not been removed for winter storage.  Digging them up and storing them in a nonfreezing location guarantees that they will grow in 2013.  Leaving them in the ground is an experiment.  Some calla lilies make it through the winter and others become mush. Anyone who would dig up the bulbs and store them and plant them back at the Fairview Park garden may do so at any time. It would take less than one hour to dig up all the callas. They store best if they are hosed off, let them dry, store in a single layer in a dark flat area with the tops up, do not cover with anything, Shoots will start growing in January. Ignore the leaves. Plant in the second week in May. 

Side story: There have been 43 bags of dog fecal matter picked up along the Palmer/Bethlehem Township bike path in 2012.  This is about double of each of the last two years. The good news is much more is placed in the proper receptacles located along the path in Palmer. There are no receptacles in Bethlehem Township along the bike path.

Dave Carr, Palmer Township Beautification Project chairperson