EVERY WEDNESDAY, A group of dedicated volunteers — fittingly called the Gardening Angels — don their garden gloves and take up their shears to beautify the grounds of historic Mission San Juan Capistrano.
On one Wednesday this summer, they welcomed extra help from Farmers & Merchants Bank employees for what’s become a tradition known simply as “Mulch Day.”
A MULCH DAY TRADITION
Mulch Day has been happening every August for the last 22 years in preparation for the Mission’s annual fall gala, thanks to the generosity of George O’Connell, owner of O’Connell Landscape Maintenance, a family-owned business based in Santa Ana. Each year, his company supplies the mulch free of charge.
O’Connell, a long-time San Juan Capistrano resident, also serves as board chair of the Mission Preservation Foundation.
SAM U’REN, THE PRESERVATION AND FACILITIES MANAGER AT MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, DEMONSTRATES HOW TO DISTRIBUTE MULCH TO THE NUMEROUS FLOWERBEDS AT THE MISSION, TO A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS FROM FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK DURING MULCHING AT THE MISSION ON AUG. 20. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Mechelle Lawrence Adams, executive director of Mission San Juan Capistrano, shared that a partnership blossomed five years ago with Farmers & Merchants Bank to make Mulch Day even more successful.
At the time, F&M Bank Foundation Director Tiffany Roberts was looking for a service project for staff. F&M Bank Foundation Co-Presidents Kevin Tiber and Christine Walker-Bowman are also long-time supporters of the Mission.
Lawrence Adams welcomed the extra hands because “we want everything to look pristine for the fall, with the return of students and with the big gala in September.”
MECHELLE LAWRENCE ADAMS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, HELPS DISTRIBUTE FRESH MULCH TO THE MISSION’S FLOWERBEDS DURING MULCHING AT THE MISSION, A VOLUNTEER GARDENING EVENT, ON AUG. 20.
She explained, “The day is a combination of O’Connell Landscape, our own in-house staff, the Gardening Angels and & Merchants Bank.”
“We need every one of them,” asserted Lawrence Adams.
SHALYNN TRAN OF FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK SPREADS A HANDFUL OF MULCH INTO A FLOWERBED AT MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO DURING MULCH DAY AT THE MISSION. PHOTO BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Roberts explained that it was a perfect fit because the Mission lacked the financial resources to hire landscapers for the 10-acre site, and the bank had plenty of willing volunteer.
“Farmers & Merchants said ‘we have bodies, we can help,'” added Roberts.
A DAY OF SERVICE
On Aug. 20, a group of 25 bank staffers, from tellers to senior management, who came from various branches across Orange County, showed up ready to lend a hand.
Sam U’Ren, Preservation and Facilities manager for the Mission, demonstrated the proper way to mulch the flower beds, and for the next couple of hours, the visiting volunteers got to work.
“It’s August, it’s hot and it’s hard work, but yet this is the biggest group we’ve had and the most mulch we’ve moved in five years,” said Roberts.
Eight cement trucks-worth of mulch to be exact.
WHO ARE THE GARDENING ANGELS?
A retired horticulturalist, John Bishop has been volunteering at the Mission since 2016. The former director of horticulture at the Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, Bishop leads a core group of 20 Gardening Angels every Wednesday at the Mission.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
Volunteers are always needed, and no experience is necessary.
“We will train you,” insisted Bishop.
It’s good exercise, and especially great for those who have a passion for the outdoors, said Bishop, who lives in San Juan Capistrano.
GARDENING ANGELS VOLUNTEERS JOHN BISHOP, LEFT, AND BORRE WINCKEL WORK TOGETHER AS THEY ADD FRESH MULCH TO FLOWERBEDS DURING MULCHING AT THE MISSION AT MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO ON AUG. 20.
Besides pruning, deadheading and other gardening chores, the group also tries to develop new plant variants.
They were successful with a cactus-succulent collection located by the east gate.
According to Bishop, the Gardening Angels are aiming to redesign many parts of the grounds, would like to add more drought-tolerant plants, as well as native plants to the landscape.
Called the “Jewel of the Missions,” it is also known for its exquisite gardens, which attract countless visitors from near and far.
“It’s a true therapeutic experience,” said Borre Winckel, an avid gardener and Mission Basilica parishioner who has been a Gardening Angel for nine years.
Fellow Gardening Angel Kris Anderson was once a frequent visitor herself.
KRIS ANDERSON, A MEMBER OF THE GARDENING ANGELS, HELPS PRUNE SOME FLOWERS AT MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO.
Gardening since she was a child and used to pull weeds, Anderson was inspired by the beauty of the Mission. Once she retired, the Mission Viejo resident stopped by the office and asked if she could volunteer.
That was over three years ago, and she’s been back every week since.
“I love helping,” she said. “And there are so many people who are knowledgeable about plants here.”
Unlike Anderson, Shalynn Tran is lacking a green thumb.
Her parents have the magic touch with gardening, but she claims she hasn’t had great luck with plants herself.
A marketing assistant at Farmers & Merchants Bank, Tran is a first-year Mulch Day volunteer.
“This is my way of giving back to nature,” she said, pausing from her mulching duties.
To learn more about the Gardening Angels and how to volunteer, visit https://www.missionsjc.com/volunteer/