City Gardener

Swept up leaves and debris from the D4 display room (cacti and euphorbia), and also D3 (mediterranean scrubland) I removed weed plants growing on the floor along the walls in C2 and C3. I had a short introduction and discussion with the new curator, J... I noticed the Crassula cutting had not yet been potted - I had cut it last week. Assistant Director A potted it up in a small terracotta pot. I placed it back in D3, next to the parent Crassula.

I cleaned up debris from the bed in room D3, the room for Mediterranean Shrubland plants (of west Australia and the western cape of Africa). I also tied up a scraggly bush-like plant near the fan blower in D3, the plant smells like lavender. I took a cutting of a Crassula coccinea plant in D3, which looks like it is about to die. I potted the cutting into fresh soil in a small terra cotta pot, and placed the pot next to the dying parent. Finally, I p runed and untangled vines on the bench in Room C2, including the above-ground tuber in the yam family that I am trying to grow at home from one of the tubers (the tuber did not sprout by the way).

Today, I primarily weeded the oxalis and mulberry weeds out of the ground beds in Display Room 2 (New Caledonia). The oxalis weeds are virtually everywhere in the greenhouse, from the beds to almost all of the pots. The small leaves easily hide in the tinyest nooks and cracks. I suspect the seeds blow in on the wind. The greenhouse will never be rid of the little devil. I won't even post a photo of the weed for fear it will infest my computer too! While weeding the beds, I had to be careful not to disturb the small volunteer amborella plants taking root in the bed across from the mature amborella plants. This plant is particularly important since it is native only to New Caledonia in the south Pacific Ocean. The plant is essentially unchanged for the past 250 million years, and was certainly in existance along with the entire history of the dinsouars. It is the perfect specimen to successfully grow in a university greenhouse. The amborella leaves are thick and waxy, like holly lea...

A brief summary of this morning's work at the University Greenhouse: Repotted 4 small cycad plants in room C3. Repotted a large (200 lbs) cycad palm in C3. I required bandages for my shredded forearms after that experience. Those leaf edges are sharp! I was introduced to the new curator, J...; who is a former student at the U of M who returns to Minnesota from recent work at a large public garden in New England. 

I was assigned to volunteer on Thursdays, from 10 am to 1 pm. I have been able to take blocks of time off from the schedule for traveling, particularly during the winter season. All year I’ve been working closely with a PhD candidate, and undergrad students, along with the greenhouse assistant director who formerly managed landscaping for a local municipality. Generally, my duties have included weeding, repotting, sweeping, preparing potting mix, etc. I have been allowed to collect and plant seeds in trays, and to transfer small seedlings to larger containers. On 9/1/2022 I transplanted a euphorbia in room D4 (Diverse Desert), and cleaned and pruned trees and shrubs in room D2 (Mediterranean Scrubland, Australia). The assistant director has produced a handy list of duties which generally take 15 to 30 minutes to complete. If I'm at a loss for tasks, I can always go to the posted list and find something to do.  In the first year, highlight plants have been: Cacti native to Minnesota...