- This event has passed.
Volunteer Day
Keeping gardens looking beautiful is hard work! There are flowers, bushes, and trees to plant and prune. Weeds to pull. Pots to plant. Pests to kill. Now imagine having 23 acres to care for, not just a small backyard.
What if the gardens are historical, and 100-year-old buildings are present? You don’t even own the gardens you care for! A City owns them, and you have to follow their suggestions and rules.
And let’s not forget who visits the gardens. They’re not only for you to enjoy, but thousands and thousands of other people enjoy them. From sun-up to sundown, people stroll these gardens.
This garden is Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch. Hidden behind a serpentine wall, it is a place of history with flowing fountains in lakes and towering Cedars and Live Oaks. Beautiful gardens, peace and quiet, welcome all.
Keeping these gardens healthy and beautiful is no easy task. The City provides three employees, including multi-talented Aaron Campbell, City of Aiken Horticulturist and Arborist, supervising (along with doing many other tasks). City Departments of Public Services and Parks, Recreation, and Tourism lend expertise also.
It is with excitement that the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch announce that we can now have volunteers in the Gardens, lending MANY more hands and completing MANY more tasks. By volunteering, you can be a part of what makes Hopelands and Rye Patch so remarkable. You will meet other garden enthusiasts. Come early to listen to horticulture experts talk on a variety of topics.
On October 3rd, from 9 am to 12 noon, we will be planting Fall seasonal plants in pots. Thank you, Master Gardeners, for your advice on soils and plants (thrillers, fillers, and spillers). We will likely have other tasks planned (to be announced). If you’d like to hear Pam Kolb’s talk, please come early at 8:30 am. We will meet in the courtyard of the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. This event will be cancelled if it rains.
As a volunteer, we request that you:
- Complete the Volunteer Application
- Dress appropriately and comfortably. We suggest pants, closed-toe shoes, socks, and a long-sleeved shirt. ID tags will be handed out
- Please wear garden gloves, bring your own hand pruning clippers, and a rake
- Act in a courteous and professional manner, and lastly, bring enthusiasm and a friendly attitude!
Can’t wait to see you in October!
