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Heat wave hard on Village plants, but gardeners come to the rescue

By Shannon Burkey

The recent heat wave took its toll on a lot more than PG&E transformers. The area's plants and flowers also took a beating as the temperatures rose into the triple digits for days on end.

But in the Village, the Saratoga Village Gardeners and local merchants joined forces to keep the Village plant and flower life in bloom.

The Village Gardeners, established in March 2005, are Saratoga residents who volunteer their time Tuesday mornings watering, weeding and planting new life in the Village. However, the recent weather created a need for extra watering and attention during the rest of the week as well.

"We have established an adoption program so that different people can help out," said gardener Laurel Perusa. "Different people are adopting different tree wells and will take it upon themselves to water throughout the week."

Jill Hunter, the founder of the Village Gardeners, said she and some other gardeners have been in the Village watering every morning and evening.

During the heat wave, the city planted three new trees in the Village, and, according to Hunter, they are not looking too good at the moment. She said she expects they will rebound now that the weather has cooled somewhat and with the gardeners looking after them.

"Some of the plants are looking kind of tired, but once they are revived they will look good again," Hunter said. "It can be tough in August to have a beautiful tree well."

Storeowners and employees have also been instrumental in keeping the plant life vibrant, and this helped to keep the gardens from suffering too much damage as the heat continued to pound the area, Perusa said.

"The Village garden has suffered a little bit, but not as much as it could have and not as much as I have seen some private gardens suffer," Perusa explained. "Considering all the heat we have had, I think it looks pretty good. People have come out to do whatever needs to be done."

Daryle Lupretta, owner of Lupretta's Delicatessen, said taking care of the tree well in front of his business is very important to him. He and his sister have been taking extra care of their well, especially during the heat wave. "The heat was so brutal that it burned a lot of the leaves," Lupretta said. "This time last year the flowers were really blooming and looking nice, but this year they are hurting."

Paperfunalia employee Sonnet Sparacino also has taken an interest in the tree well in front of the store where she works. She said she has been watering almost every day.

"Sometimes it seems a little futile," Sparacino said. "Some of the geraniums were dying, but they are now coming back to life."

Part of the success of the garden is that it is filled with plant life that can sustain itself in extreme weather conditions. Plants such as geraniums and petunias are very heat tolerant and can rebound easily after a heat wave, according to Perusa.

Although the heat wave threatened to do some serious damage to the Village gardens, Perusa and Hunter agree it was the help of the merchants and those who had adopted tree wells that really helped them protect the area.