Beautification

Spring has sprung and bulbs are coming up! Look for a full show soon. Last fall, the "Books and Bulbs" garden group planted 2100 Daffodils, Tulips and earlier-blooming spring bulbs (Crocus and Siberian Squill) in the tree boxes from Macomb to Ordway, on the west side of Connecticut Avenue. The Cleveland Park Historical Society (President Joan Habib), and the Friends of the Cleveland Park Library (President Jill Bogard) are jointly funding the bulbs and all other out-of-pocket expenses for this beautification effort.

First Spring Work Party on 2nd Saturday in April
Come join your neighbors for a tree planting and general cleanup work party, for the Cleveland Park Library grounds (and tree boxes extending north up Connecticut Avenue). Bring gloves, shoves, rakes, hoes, trowels or a good sense of humor. No experience necessary. For further information, use the contact information below.

Two short "Washington" Hawthorn trees died on the Macomb Street side of the library and our good friends in the Tessa Construction crew, which is working on the Klingle Valley Bridge, have cut them down on April 3. Last fall, Tessa dug two holes for us to replace the Hawthorns. Compost has been "cooking" in the tree holes over the winter. We hope to replace the trees by Arbor Day, April 27. Meanwhile we need to cut and bind the remains of the dead trees for removal during this April 14 work party.

One of the two replacement trees will be a tall evergreen, strategically placed to hide the ugly, noisy air conditioning tower on top of the library, from the neighbors. Petch Gibbons has volunteered to pay for this tree. The second tree will be a flowering deciduous and will be placed in the hole between the two dead trees. Since this tree will be on the library grounds, the Friends of the Cleveland Park Library will pay for it.

Call for More Plant Donations
We are counting on local plant donations from our generous neighbors again this year. If we have a theme, it is drought-tolerant plants, since watering is so problematic and the tree boxes are so dry. In particular, we are seeking oodles and oodles of Hosta, Liriope (Monkey Grass), Pachysandra and Sedum.

Other welcome plants include Yarrow (Achillea), Sage(Artemisia), Coleus, Lilly-of-the-valley (Convallaria), Fern, Lamb's ears (Stachys), Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia), Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus, also known as Monkey Grass), Periwinkle (Vinca Minor), Sedum, Sweet Allysium, Sweet William, Sweet Woodruff, Thyme and Verbena. Just use the contact information below for pick up at your convenience.

For further information, contact Trish Savage: (202) 387-0403, or tsavage2737@comcast.net