Thursday, November 5, 2015

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.




Queen butterflies can be found on the Gregg's Mistflower from spring through fall.


Hibiscus Mutabilis is a special favorite which blooms white and then progresses to deep pink before fading.  All three stages are shown here.



Crinum, usually an early summer bloomer, continues to bloom throughout the gardens this fall.


Julia Child roses were especially pretty this week.

 
The borders along the nearby fitness trails were looking nice and welcoming.


There's always something to keep us busy.  Melody (L) is our lead gardener and Donna are planting King Alfred Daffodils for spring blooms.  Donna drives down from Dripping Springs, nearly 1.5 hours away!


I thoroughly enjoy spending time each week in such a beautiful garden.  If you have been considering garden volunteer opportunities but are not quite sure how to get started, there will be a special event next Friday, 13 November at the gardens.  We'll guide you on a tour and you can ask questions to get an idea of how garden volunteering might work for you.  The tour is sponsored by Gardening Volunteers of South Texas and, after a stop for lunch, we will also tour another special garden at the Haven for Hope.  You may have seen the recent Express-News article featuring Andrew Waring and his impressive work at the shelter.  Find me on Facebook from the sidebar link or Email me at stfoxat usadotcom for more information.

7 comments:

  1. Thank you, dear Shirley, for the shout out! And wow, how lucky you are to be there to capture the fall blooms and the butterflies. But mainly, thank YOU for being there and giving your time, sweat, and heart to keep the beauty going for the warriors and their families. You are a treasure!

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  2. What a beautiful place, and a great resource for the wounded warriors. Nice job with the interview, too. :)

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  3. It's a very special garden full of beauty. Bless your heart and those of all the volunteers here! You're awesome. Wish I lived closer so that I could join you in volunteering!

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  4. Shirley, thanks for all that you've done to support WFSC! I agree with Linda, you are a treasure!!!
    Here's hoping we get more volunteers that help keep the gardens blooming for years to come!

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  5. You and your fellow volunteers should be very proud of the beautiful garden you've created and so well maintained, Shirley.

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  6. What a beautiful garden and what a wonderful thing is being done to help our soldiers. Thank you!

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  7. This is wonderful! I'm so glad there are places like this for veterans to heal. Thanks for helping make it so beautiful. :o)

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