By Sarina Dellinger
For the Salisbury Post

Question: When will the office be completed?

Answer: This is one of the main questions we’ve received about Hurley Park recently. Central Piedmont Builders have been working diligently and the construction should be complete in eight months.

Question: When should I begin trimming the shrubs at my house for the year?

Answer: As a gardener in the Piedmont of North Carolina it can be difficult to determine when the right time to prune is, especially with the recent weather fluctuations. Generally, late winter is the best time for pruning summer flowering trees and shrubs, fruiting plants and broadleaf shrubs. The best time to prune spring flowering shrubs, like Forsythia and Loropetalum, are immediately following their flowering. That being said, we have yet to begin the seasonal pruning at Hurley Park and will likely begin by February. There’s more advice that could be said about pruning and NC State Extension has calendars, pruning methods and columns readily available online. The pruning calendar that we follow at Hurley Park can be found at: polk.ces.ncsu.edu/pruningcalendar.

Question: Why is there so much stuff in the pond. Do you ever clean it out?

Answer: We typically clean trash out of the pond and creek area once a week or more. The water you see in the creek and pond primarily comes from stormwater runoff so anything around the neighborhood that is along roadways or in drains when a rain event happens can wash directly into the park pond. As far as the accumulation of natural debris and scum, the fountain has been off for a while as we are working to correct a mechanical issue which has allowed these to increase.

Question: What happens at the park in the winter?

Answer: A lot! We are still busy maintaining and cleaning garden beds. Winter gives us a chance to plan events, add compost and mulch to gardens, and take on larger structural maintenance projects. As far as the gardens go, the Camellias have been blooming since November and the Japanese apricot (Prunus mume ‘Kobai’) is now flowering too. The winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is slightly earlier than usual and it is in flower at the Daniel Worth Wright Garden. There are many evergreen shrubs and berry-producing plants to enjoy though the winter as well. The daffodils have begun to push their leaves back up through the soil, a hopeful sign of longer days and springtime. I even caught some of the Lenten roses in bloom yesterday. The Lenten roses are all over the park. So keep your eyes open when visiting, you never know what you may find!

If you have questions about Hurley Park, how to book events, or what is going on, please give us a call at 704-638-4459, or contact us on Facebook or Instagram @HurleyParkNC. If you would like to donate to Hurley Park, visit our website at salisburync.gov/hurleypark.

Sarina Dellinger is public garden manager with Salisbury Parks and Recreation.