Summer Suprises at the Loop

Over the hot summer months, birds and squirrels were busy harvesting nuts and seeds. They carried acorns to the loop and buried them. With so many hiding places, the little critters could not remember that they had left two of them buried in the fertile soil at the Loop. Now that students have returned to school, you can see these little acorns have started to grow into little baby-oak trees. We welcome them and try to protect them.

On a sad note, our 6' foot tall oak tree we planted early spring does not look like it is doing well. We will watch it over the winter to see how it does but may eventually replace it with one of our new summer seedling gifts.

Mulching Day 2009

Weeding Day at the Loop

If you have seen the daffodils, sages and penstemons blooming at the Loop, you probably also saw the threatening amount of weeds taking over the rain-garden.
The old saying, "One year's seeding means seven years' weeding" holds true. And it adds up quickly. The more seeds fall onto the soil, the more weeds start to grow.
Weeds rob valuable nutrients from the soil and compete with herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees. It's important to eliminate weeds, yet, not all weeds are bad. Weeding might be considered a nasty chore, but it's a great way to really get to know what's going on in the garden. Plus, when it's done in the right frame of mind, weeding can be a pleasant, Zen-like, experience. It brings parents and student, teachers and community together. Thank you to all the helpers. The Loop was weeded more than 75% and another flyer will soon announce a future weeding day to finish up the Loop. So watch out that you do not miss the opportunity to be part of this experience.
Also, thank you to Jake and Lauren from Cagwin and Dorward, who helped out and applied a compost tea to the plants at the Loop. Compost Tea is a highly concentrated microbial solution produced by extracting beneficial microbes from compost. There are four essentials in creating the best possible compost tea situation for the microbes: Water, Air, Food and Comfort. With a strong foliar application the plant is occupied by beneficial microbes that will out-compete pests or diseases, leaving no room for infection.

Winter has come to the Loop

Many have noticed the cold climate that has entered the Bay Area. It brings that Holiday feeling. The winter frost has also come to the loop. We'd like to thank Paramount Group/Morgan Stanley for donating plants from the One Market Roof Garden Renovation Project. Thanks also to April, Gary and Roy for planting and coordinating the new plantings.
We wish you Happy Holidays and a Great New Year.

November Rains

The rain might have made Halloween very uncomfortable but the Dixie Loop's plants enjoyed the first fall rains. These rains wash dust and dirt off the plants making them pretty and green. Almost immediately, the plants started to grow and green up. Keep an eye on the changes!

Fall is here!

Edwin Way Teale said: "For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."

On Monday, September 22, was the first day of Fall and the Dixie loop is starting to produce seeds. These seeds are a great source of food for small animals, like birds and rodents, to prepare for the winter. Soon the rains will start, so pay attention to the loop filling up with water.

National Park(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day was Friday, September 19, 2008!
PARK(ing) Day is a one-day, global event, centered in San Francisco where artists, activists, and citizens team up to temporarily transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks and paved parking spaces into temporary green gardens. National Park(ing) Day is an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks for pedestrians and more habitats for other creatures.
The event was started in 2005 by ReBar, an art collective based in San Francisco, and is meant to challenge urbanites to think about what our public spaces would be like if they were designed for the pedestrian, rather than the car.
Afterwards, donate the green materials used to create your temporary park.
For more information check out the website at http://www.parkingday.org/
April Philips Design Works also created a quick park in one of their parking lots. By creativly placing pavers, furniture and plants, the lot was transformed and the office members enjoyed it's one day presence.