This has been a brutal summer for our garden. Â With 19 new trees, 13 new shrubs, and 12 new flowering shrubs, the Chapel Cemetery Crew has been on call every day. Â Armed with three-foot moisture measuring probes, our new water hydrants, and long hoses, they have come at daybreak to tend to our beautiful and tranquil garden.
We lost two trees.  One lovely Japanese Snowbell didn’t make it through the winter.  Its replacement lost the bottom level leaves within days of planting.  But faithful watering has saved the tree and new leaves are sprouting on what were dead branches.
One of our six-foot Junipers had an encounter last fall within two weeks of planting. Â The antlers of male deer are covered in a velvet-like hair that dies off with the coming mating season. Â High-testosterone deer rub their antlers against trees to speed the process. Â One of our six-foot youngster Juniper trees was a target and when done, the whole middle section of the tree was gone. Â Merrifield gardens came to our rescue and replaced the tree in May, and we had our eyes glued on it as it struggled through the hot summer.
But all is well! Â The junipers have almost doubled in size. Â Our yet-to-be noble tree, an Eastern Red Cedar, is huge and on its way to a joyous 400-year lifetime and 100-foot height. Â The Snowbells are about to bloom, the hydrangeas have flowers, and our drift roses love their rock garden.
Now the rains are here, and the Chapel Cemetery Crew gets a breather.  Soon cooler weather will come, and it will be time to trim and weed, and perhaps spread some winter mulch.  You can help.  Follow the Crew tribe as we take joy in working in one of God’s gardens.
Blessings,
Your Cemetery Ministry Team and the
