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TODAY'S NOTES
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Enlarge photo | | Quick Takes....
They made it! Our 'Dreamland' zinnias, shown at left, survived the heat wave and are healthy as can be!
Don't be fooled, though. Most of our garden looks pretty scruffy now, after our long, hot, dry summer.
If you live in the Ozarks, you may be rejoicing at our current cooler weather. We are. For one thing, it let us get to some long-overdue garden chores. That, of course, was before the monsoon that hit us yesterday. Ironically, the weather people are saying the rains brought more moisture to the Springfield, Missouri, area in five hours yesterday morning than it had in all of August.
Not so incidentally, roads are flooded throughout southwest Missouri, so if you're traveling, be very, very careful.
We're using our rained-in time to play catchup on the website with photos and info we haven't posted yet but which you might find diverting or even useful.
We'd better get back to it.
Meanwhile, there's some big news and some good news in the notes below.
Stay cool and dry.
Over and out.
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Enlarge photo | | BOTANICAL CENTER
GRAND OPENING
A decade-long dream will be realized with the Grand Opening of Springfield, Missouri's new $4.3 million Botanical Center. It happens October 11-16 in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park at 2400 South Scenic and will feature workshops in gardening, food, and art; demonstrations; seminars; tours of the botanical gardens; and, for children, singalongs, storytime, and crafts. For anyone who loves nature and the outdoors, it's an event not to be missed, and admission is free.
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Enlarge photo | | The Botanical Center Story
As the new, $4.3 million Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center nears its planned October opening, you can click here for news of how it came to be and the many benefits it will bring the Ozarks and, indeed, all of the Midwest.
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Enlarge photo | | The Lifesaver
That's exactly what it is in this almost paralyzingly hot 'n humid Ozarks summer, and it's great news for visitors to Springfield, Missouri's Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. Park visitors can now take free tram rides to the Botanical Gardens, Lake Drummond, the Butterfly House, and the new Botanical Center from 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Bon voyage!
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Enlarge photo | | The Phelps Grove Rose Garden
We've added a new garden to the website, well, new here but the garden itself may actually date back as far as the 1930's. It's the Rose Garden in Springfield, Missouri's Phelps Grove Park. At left, Ken Knauer of the Friends of the Garden points to the garden's new welcome sign. To see what makes this garden quite special, click
The Phelps Grove Rose Garden
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Enlarge photo | | Good News--Friends of the Garden
Attracting Many New Members
It's good news for everybody. The Friends of the Garden now have 569 members--a huge increase. This is the volunteer group of men and women who create, maintain, and raise funds for Springfield, MO's beautiful botanical gardens and also create such colorful projects as Bluegrass & Blossoms and the Butterfly Festival. Open to all, the Friends are a highly rewarding gardening community. To see all they do, why they're growing, and how you might benefit from membership, visit the fun and informative FOG Blog. And if it looks good to you, you can even download a membership form here.
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Enlarge photo | | A Nursery's Nifty New Website
One Ozarks nursery has redone its website with a personal touch we really like. It's Wickman's Garden Village in Springfield, Missouri, one of the region's oldest nurseries. We could say more, but you can have your own look by clicking here. Note: No, no, how many times do we have to say it. This isn't an ad, just one of those good garden things an Ozarks plantseller is doing that we like to share with you.
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Enlarge photo | | A Big, Bigger, Biggest Butterfly Festival
Springfield, Missouri's Butterfly Festival was an enormous success this year. All free to the public, it happened in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic Avenue. and thousands and thousands came. The main attraction, of course, was the Bill Roston Butterfly House filled with native Missouri butterflies. Note: The Butterfly Fun is NOT over--the Butterfly House will remain open through September Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to dusk and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you go, you'll see our friend the Spicebush Swallowtail at left, and many more of its cousins, in all four stages of life.
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Enlarge photo | | A Reborn Wildflower Garden
Missourians who love wildflowers, take heart. The Wildflower Garden in Springfield's Close Memorial Park will be expanded in its new park location this year. Friends of the Garden member Cindy Willis says the garden will display 45 of our favorite wildflowers for both sun and shade. We're excited about it and will be following its progress at
The New Wildflower Garden
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Enlarge photo | | A Guy Who Keeps On Giving
The gent explaining to a young lady how butterflies are shipped is Dr. Bill Roston, creator of the Butterfly House in Springfield's Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. Dr. Roston's contributions to life in Southwest Missouri have been many and include creating many of the park's botanical gardens. Note: The Butterfly House drew more than 12,600 visitors in 2009 and has been expanded in size for 2010.
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Enlarge photo | | 2010 All-America Selections
Seven beautiful garden flowers and a very special watermelon are the All-America Selections winners for 2010--all rated the best in nationwide garden tests. Have a look.
2010 All-America Selections
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Enlarge photo | | Jerry's Wake
A great many southwest Missourians lost one of their dearest friends last fall. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people Jerry encountered delighted in his hilarious sense of humor, encyclopedic mind, and expansive spirit. They remembered him in the good and proper Irish-style wake he'd wished for. To see how it went, click on
Jerry's Wake
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