Veterans Day 2018

On Sunday November 11, 2018 Americans will celebrate Veterans Day while England, France, Belgium and Canada celebrate Armistice Day and the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.  If you've seen documentaries or movies on WWI, you know it was a terrible conflict.  We visited the famous Flander's Fields in Belgium during a trip to Europe which just happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII.  We thoroughly enjoyed touring the nearby WWII site of The Battle of the Bulge with the visiting veterans who fought there.

I have noted BBC presenters are already wearing poppies on air as is their tradition.  Veterans sell poppies here in San Antonio during the weeks leading up to the holiday.

Tomorrow morning the Austin-based PBS program Central Texas Gardener will rebroadcast their tour of the Healing and Therapy Gardens at the Warrior and Family Support Center on Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio where a group of dedicated gardeners volunteer on Tuesdays.  Many of us are family members of veterans and several are themselves veterans.  We're honored that producer and friend Linda Lehmusvirta chose to repeat the show this year for Veterans Day.

Through the magic of YouTube the program is available here.  

I also recommend following Central Texas Gardener on Facebook and subscribing to Linda's wonderful, informative CTG garden blog.

My post on what it's like to have the CTG crew visit is here and posts about my first visit to the gardens in 2013 which inspired me to return as a volunteer start here.

And I'll finish by sharing photos from my five years in the gardens which serve wounded active duty soldiers, veterans and their families.

First, a few of our volunteers at work.  Pat works at local favorite Shades of Green Nursery and generously helps out on her day off.

Cliff Bingham, an Air Force veteran, mows the lawns.

Sandra Woodall, a fixture at gardening events around town, logs a lot of hours in the gardens.

There are so many more of us that I don't have photos of yet so thank you all!  In case you're wondering, I do actually work in between taking photos of the beautiful gardens.

A favorite combination with chartreuse and purple potato vine in raised planters from a few years ago.

Monarchs on the purple coneflowers.

John Fanick Phlox has found a perfect spot in part shade.  I have learned so much about how to plant my own garden from working here.

Everybody's favorite bloomer in the heat of August is Pride of Barbados.

Bright orange Mexican Cosmos adds a cheery touch in late summer too.

Giant Celosia heads are a head turner for our visitors in early fall.  They reseed quite nicely all around the garden.

Hibiscus Mutabilis emerges in cream and brightens to deep pink before fading again.

Like my own garden, Queen Butterflies are there most of the year.

Cheerful Zinnias greeted us all summer this year.



The Helping Hand on the stone is a symbol of volunteers throughout the military community worldwide.

Enjoy your Veterans Day, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day as our freedoms were purchased at great price.

Warrior and Family Support Center gardens on Central Texas Gardener!

Most Tuesday mornings I can be found volunteering in the beautiful Healing and Therapy Gardens at the Warrior and Family Support Center on Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.  We enjoy serving those who have given so much.  I've written several posts over the last two years since I began volunteering there and back in June I wrote about the team at Central Texas Gardener visiting us in the gardens to tape a segment for the show.  We had a wonderful time working with the crew and the resulting video is awesome.  I'm so excited to let you know the show is now available online and you can find the link and more information at Linda's GTG blog.  The video is on You Tube which should be available anywhere in the world.  Of course, if CTG airs in your area you'll want to tune in to your local PBS station to see the show.

Now for a few photos from the last two weeks in the gardens.

Monarch butterflies were busy preparing to complete their journey to Mexico.

Central Texas Gardener visits WFSC

We recently welcomed the filming team from Central Texas Gardener to the Warrior and Family Support Center at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.   Produced by KLRU, the Austin PBS station, Central Texas Gardener (CTG) is a must-see every Saturday for avid gardeners in our region.   Tuesday is our usual volunteer day but it was with great anticipation we arrived early on a Thursday to make sure the garden was spiffy.

Central Texas Gardener tours a special garden this week

This week a very special San Antonio garden, that of gardening friends Ragna and Bob Hersey, is featured on the Austin-based PBS show Central Texas Gardener (CTG).

When I first visited their garden the late winter 2012 it was still dormant yet I knew instantly it was a beautiful garden to share on my blog.  Even though Ragna had just pruned the roses back and only a few perennials were beginning to emerge, it was a very special place to visit.  Later in the spring I returned to photograph and post a tour of this romantic Texas cottage garden.

Ragna's Garden: Ready for its close-up

Tomorrow the crew from Central Texas Gardener a local gardening show produced by KLRU, the PBS station in Austin, will visit my friend Ragna's garden for a segment of the show.

 

Last week I stopped by to help with last-minute staging.  The garden is ready, not surprising since it's always ready.   I was there at the end of last winter when most of the plants were dormant and her garden still looked wonderful.