During a mild-weather spring, our staff and volunteers have been busy with Gardens projects and activities, which are summarized below.

Gardens and Grounds:

• Tree pruning was contracted to remove two broken branches and three dead trees, improving safety in highly visited areas of the Gardens.
• A comprehensive safety audit was conducted in the Gardens by UCR’s Safety Engineer, and we are pleased to report that there were no significant findings.
• As a result of our annual fire safety inspection, the area surrounding Schneider House has been cleared of debris and trees have been pruned.
• Drainage work is in progress on the south-facing side of the greenhouse to eliminate standing water used by mosquitos and facilitate rainwater drainage during winter.
• The irrigation system in the Butterfly Garden was retrofit for improved coverage.
• Mulch has been added to the Rose Gardens, Herb Garden, Butterfly Garden, and more.
• The grass area under the mulberry tree in Alder Canyon is now open after a few months of closure during the reseeding process.
• St. Augustine grass was renovated by removing thatch and transplanting in new grass.
• All drip emitters in the Rose Gardens and Chaparral area were inspected and changed to the smallest flow of 0.5 gph to reduce water runoff.
• A new shade structure was constructed in the Subtropical Fruit Orchard to provide better growing conditions during summer for potted plants slated for sale.
• More succulents have been added to the rock garden by the entrance steps.
• A new planting of Aloe plicatilis was installed in the South Africa Garden.

Activities and Events:

• Master Gardeners/UCRBG Docents have resumed their presence on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays at the Butterfly Garden where they answer questions about gardening for butterflies and offer resources.
• The Butterfly Garden has an updated map reflecting the new plants added this winter and spring.
• A small online Plant Sale was offered to Friends members in early June.
• The Gardens has been bustling with activity from tours of all ages and many UCR classes have utilized the Gardens this spring for their first in-person labs in two years.
• After several years of working with campus architects, a new design to replace the Geodesic Dome has been approved and renderings will be produced to facilitate fundraising.
• We are pleased that the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Landscape Architecture has tentatively accepted two of our projects, a Children’s Garden and an outdoor meeting area, for their senior thesis/design studio this coming fall.