I came upon the Mission San Antonio last year when I was working for Monterey County Ag Commission. As a inspector for the county I had to place several insect traps throughout the county for various pests we were monitoring. I selected a citrus tree that was in the middle of the courtyard for my ACP route.
Every time I had to go to the Mission to service the trap I always felt calm, peaceful and untroubled. I feel in love with the garden because it is an oasis of serenity.
I believe it was in September of last year I made my journey to the Mission and was delighted to meet Joan Steele, the Administer for the Mission. What a wonderful woman, who you can tell immediately her passion for the Mission. She is also an talented photographer and all of the photo's on the Mission's website where taken by her.
We got to talking about the rose garden and how it originally started back in the sixties. At one point there was over 400 hundred roses! The Plant Health Care Consultant side of me came out. I asked her, "How does this garden keep maintained?" She told me that there was a handful of dedicated volunteers that kept the garden going.
I offered to host a Rose Clinic to teach the volunteers everything they wanted to know about roses and more. And away we went.
I have been going back at least once a month, meeting with volunteers and working in the garden. Aside from the pruning, fertilizing and care of the garden, which I love, many friendships have also developed. The Mission itself is such a remarkable place and I encourage you to come for a visit.
Also a bit of history is that in 1773 the Mission San Antonio was the site of the first wedding in California! If you want to find out more about booking the facilities for your own retreat, special event or your wedding you can contact the Mission directly at 831.385.4478.
In addition, there are several special events that take place every year in support of the facilities, for example, Mission Days, Evening in the Garden (one of my favorites), Cutting of the Roses and Spaghetti Dinner, and Fiesta.
This blog is being developed to help foster more volunteers to get involved with the garden physically or even just virtually, via cyberspace. It is my goal to identify the roses and create an over-all map/list of the varieties. Come spring when the roses come into bloom I'll be posting photo's and asking for your help in the process.
Presently we are also working on restoration of the older roses in the garden and a few extra hands are needed. So if you are a rose lover and want to learn more about rose care please come join us.
However you want to help the garden please contact me at 805.712.0203 or email me directly at landscapediva@gmail.com
Happy Gardening,
Deborah
