Blakeney Project
In the Summer of 2007, we received an Austin Parks Foundation grant to fund improvements to the Blakeney entrance of the greenbelt. Our goal is to create an inviting bike and pedestrian entrance to the pond and greenbelt trail. Our project extended the sidewalk and added two park benches overlooking the pond, installed decorative boulders and an entrance sign, removed invasive plants and brush, and reseeded the area with native plants and wildflowers. Thanks to great volunteers and support from City of Austin Parks Department, we have made remarkable transformation and made this an enjoyable public space.
First, I'll answer a popular question - What's up with the Mulch? Two years ago the entire Blakeney entrance was overgrown with honeysuckle and poison ivy. The most popular suggestion on how to eliminate it was to smother it out. So, after our neighbor Jack mowed the area down to the dirt, we laid "20-year" professional grade landscape cloth and covered it with mulch. We'll leave it covered for at least two spring seasons. The long term goal is to reseed the area with native grasses.
Behind the open storm drain, there is a small area we did not mulch. We scattered Native Trail Mix of wildflowers and grasses from www.seedsource.com. The pack included:
Texas Bluebonnet, Drummond Phlox, Gayfeather, Indian Blanket, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Purple Coneflower, Cutleaf Daisy, Huisache Daisy, Purple Prairie Clover, Greenthread, Standing Cypress, Bush Sunflower, Missouri Primrose, Clapsing Coneflower, Lemon Mint, American Basketflower, Black-eyed Susan, Golden-Wave, Mexican Hat, Plains Coreopsis, Prairie Coneflower, Lazy Daisy, Maximilian Sunflower, Indian Paintbrush. Native Short-Mid Height Grasses Buffalograss, Blue Grama, Prairie Wildrye, Little Bluestem, Green Sprangletop, Sand Lovegrass, Sideoats Grama, Cane Bluestem.
Please don't mow or weed whack this area. There are weeds and grass you wouldn't want in your lawn. But, good plants are mixed in and they will eventually reclaim the area. As soon as they start blooming, we'll be able to tell the good from the bad. In the meantime, I have been plucking the identifiable nuisances - Johnson grass, poison ivy, honeysuckle, tallow seedlings - by hand. (I trust in the ivy block and wear double gloves!)
Click here to see a slide show of project pictures.
