Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteer by Jon Roethling spotlight

Volunteering at Reynolda Gardens has long been a cherished activity for both our volunteers and our staff. I still recall admiring one day how splendid our vegetable gardens were looking and wondering why in the world my veggie gardens at home never looked as good. Then, backlit by the rising sun, a cast of shadowy characters emerged, headed towards the gardens, reminiscent of the reinforcements showing up in the nick of time in a great battle scene. Of course! We have dedicated volunteers who show up week in, week out. We missed our volunteers dearly over the past pandemic year. The saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’ rings true. Gradually, we have begun to welcome our volunteers back in limited ways. We certainly couldn’t have gotten all the bulbs planted this spring without their help. Two of our greenhouse volunteers have staggered their schedules to help Hayden with the orchids, while others have started back assisting in the gardens. Still, we long to have our full complement of volunteers back. Two volunteers, Sidney W. Lavender II and Jakob Vinten-Johansen, have recently tackled the arduous job of painting our fences, benches, and cold frames. Known better as Sid and Jake, these two have a combined skill set that balances perfectly. Whether it’s replacing fence railings or running down irrigation leaks, they have a knack for anticipating what comes next. “When we work together we’re constantly trying to evaluate what is needed to do, and it just flows,” Jake said. Sid and Jake have been friends for many years, both professionally and socially. Their volunteer time at Reynolda reflects that, as they always have a good time while they work. “I enjoy doing it,” Sid said. “It’s a lot of fun. A lot of work, but a lot of fun, too.” As pandemic restrictions ease, we hope to reengage our loyal volunteers and recruit more. It is amazing the sense of community that builds between our volunteers and our staff. Many of them have become trusted friends, and we look forward to adding more to that fold. One thing I want to emphasize is that there are more ways to help in the Gardens than you might think. As we start fleshing out our newly acquired database, we could use help with data entry and management. Once the Floral Shop reopens, we would love assistance with that and with leading tours as Garden Ambassadors. So, as you can see, there’s more to do than just weeding! Let us know what hidden talents you might be hiding. Stay tuned as we begin to open up and expand our volunteer program in its scope and benefits.

Contact Michelle Hawks to learn more at michelle@reynolda.org.

SUPPORT THE GARDENS AT BRENT AND BECKY’S

So many of you enjoyed our bulbs this spring, and we wanted you to be aware of where to get them and know how you can help Reynolda Gardens at the same time! Brent and Becky’s is a fantastic mail order bulb nursery in Gloucester, VA, operated by some of the best people around. Through their Bloomin’ Bucks program you can designate Reynolda Gardens as the beneficiary of your order and 25% of the value of your order will be set aside as a credit for the Gardens to purchase bulbs. Just go to www.bloominbucks.com and scroll down to select Reynolda Gardens. Happy planting!