Goals:
The nursing students of Perennials for Patients hope to build a sustainable, student-run flower garden that will provide beautiful, heartwarming flowers to patients at the UVa hospital. Establishing a community flower garden will allow students at the UVa School of Nursing to increase their involvement in sustainability initiatives around Grounds while being personally involved in improving the patient experience at the UVa hospital.
Timeline: 2016-2017
In preparation for the spring growing season, the flowerbeds will be constructed between October and November of 2016. Soil and compost will be added upon flowerbed construction and covered for the winter months. In early March 2017, we will plant seeds for flowers that are known especially for their vase life. Vases, ribbons, and tags will be used to decorate the bouquets. I am currently in the process of contacting the UVa Hospital volunteer services and the Charlottesville Free Clinic volunteer services to ensure our beautiful bouquets are donated weekly. Perennials for Patients would make weekly flower bouquet donations to the clinic and hospital during the specified growing seasons. There will be a roster for involved students as well as distribution efforts around the hospital, where all bouquets are delivered as gifts from the Nursing Class of 2020 and Morven Farms.
Timeline: 2017-2018
The 2017 fall season will serve as our time to ensure a partnership with the hospital and clinic as well as prepare the flower beds for winter. Seeds will be planted in planter pots and stored in the greenhouse supplied by Morven Farms. The types of seeds would include: Shasta Daisy, Poppy, Echinacea, Russian Sage, Rudbeckia, and Sedum. During the winter season, members will construct 3 hoop houses to cover the three flower beds. Hoop houses are plastic-covered tunnels made out of PVC pipe and a translucent tarp. This structure will be built to cover the beds during the transitions from winter to spring and act as a workable cold frame. These tunnels will hopefully extend the growing season about four to six weeks. During the spring and summer blooming seasons, there will be flowers ready for arranging and donating. During the weekly work days leading up to the prime blooming periods, members will mulch and fertilize the beds. Fungicide will be sprayed to prevent fungus Septoria growth on the Rudbeckia. There will be a workday every Friday to cut, arrange, and distribute the bouquets. During the summer, there will be either intern from the Morven Kitchen garden, myself, or members from Perennials for Patients to water and weed the beds.