In last week’s Contact I mentioned how thrilled I was with the rain. The brown lawns of winter had turned to brilliant green and our church shrubbery and trees were looking hail and hearty.  But then the rains have continued, and continued and continued bringing to mind the saying “too much of a good thing”.  Standing water has prevented the mowing of the lawns, the weeds are popping up everywhere and and the shrubbery is sprouting forth like, well like a weed. I have spoken to Mother Nature and asked for more  balance (she and I are speaking terms) and she has assured me she would take it under advisement.
-Dick Happy For the Volunteer Gardening Crew

​by Dick Happy, Garden Crew

I was startled recently when I drove by the church and noticed the luxuriously green front lawns. “Our irrigation system must be working well,” I said to myself. But wait, we don’t have an irrigation system (other than in the Memorial Garden where it is rarely used).  The rains of May had brought an early beginning to the wet season, turning our brown lawn areas into brilliant greenery.  The transformation from brown to green made me think about how important water is to the world and how fortunate we are in Florida for our “wet season," and sometimes how cavalier we are about it.

When I opened the Sarasota Herald to the local section this past Monday morning, I saw a familiar face staring back at me. Church member (and Tuesday garden crew member) Darryl McCullough was featured in an article about the growing of tropical fruit. Darryl is a member of the Manatee Rare Fruits Council, and he grows a great variety of tropical fruit at his home   The Tuesday morning gardening crew (and the church) has benefitted greatly from his knowledge: Darryl planted a mini-orchard of seven loquat trees in our front parking area, and exotic fruit trees in back of the kitchen and sanctuary.  All are flourishing. I am surrounded by experts on Tuesday mornings - Bob Milner (orchids), Pat Sindlinger (bromeliads) and Darryl (fruit trees). What is my area of expertise, one might ask.  Well, does carrying bags of mulch and obeying my wife’s gardening instructions count? Probably not.

​Dick Happy, UUCS Garden Crew

Click here to read the Herald-Tribune's article  and view their numerous pictures...
A video posted on the Herald-Tribune's site is available below: