How do we get through the long off season? Besides meetings, meetings, meetings, we finally tend to some creative projects that speak to all our needs (…and talents…and passions). Our latest project? Plant signage – exciting, right?! This has been a topic at meetings for several years. Who’s going to do it? What will it look like? How will it get done? And most importantly, how much will it cost? Should we buy them? Should we make them? You name it, we’ve talked about it!

We are finally doing it and we are involving the whole management team in the process – well, at least the Condill part of management! Mac is taking his ridiculous knowledge of everything plant (species, variety, common name, genus, where he got it, how it grows, country of origin, etc.) and providing us with the answers that so many of you ask us every year. And what he doesn’t know, he has a huge book with very small print that does.

Shana is taking her years of Museum Studies knowledge, along with her Type A personality, and making sure there is an accession number (I didn’t even know what that was), so that each sign has all of the information, a uniform look, and will withstand the weather, etc.

And me, well, I just love Sharpies. And I love projects! And I am really enjoying the process of re-purposing dried gourds and bamboo and using my mad (okay, so maybe “mad” is a stretch, how about legible?) handwriting skills to spread the plant love.

Look around the farm the next time you’re here, you may just find our amazing Acer shirasawanum plant and it’s hand-created sign!

~ Ginny