B.T.  I think it is the sense of peace and tranquility that visitors have within the walls, or at least it is for me. Even when the park is crowded, and a few knuckleheads aside, you see folks come to appreciate that this is something special. And the peafowl don’t hurt.
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D.M. The peacocks are a big feature of any visit to Mayfield. I read that the original birds were given to residents Dr. and Mrs Gutsch as a Christmas gift in 1935 - and that the ones in the park now are related to those.  How do you keep your pride of peacocks in such good shape? 

 

B.T. I like your use of the word “pride” because that does apply to the cocks. My understanding also is that the original birds were given to the Gutches back in the 1930s; as to whether any of our current birds are related to the original pair, who knows. They are free ranging aside from some limited supplemental feeding and everyone gets off the ground every evening to stay away from predators. Otherwise it is the circle of life. We do have volunteers that are specifically focused on the birds and we do have an enclosure where we can isolate birds that seem to be either injured or in distress, but that doesn’t happen often.
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D.M. In the grounds, what kind of plants are you encouraging right now, and which plants are you discouraging?

 

B.T. We have historic documentation of the site through oral histories and photographs, and we have a master plan from 1986 detailing plantings. We encourage adherence to the plan with the understanding that the plant palate and canopy overtime has evolved requiring some modifications.
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D.M. The structure of support for Mayfield Park can seem a little complicated. There's Mayfield Nature Preserve, and Mayfield Park - with two separate volunteer organizations for each. Is the Nature Preserve the wonderful 'wild woods,' while the Park is more about the ponds, flower gardens and peacocks?  Can you explain the difference? 

 

B.T. The park as a whole was given to the City with the understanding that it would always remain in its entirety as a public facility. The group I belong to, Mayfield Park-Community Project, was formed in the 1980s and is focused on the cottage and gardens, the two acres within the historic rock walls. Our mission is the rehabilitation and restoration of the historic structures and grounds with an eye to the eras of historic significance as outlined in the narrative accompanying the park's listing in the National Register. Right now the 21 acre preserve is maintained by the city’s Parks & Recreation Department (PARD). In the near past there was a volunteer organization focused on the preserve but my understanding is that group has gone silent.

 

 

D.M. Volunteers seem to be central to the preservation of this west Austin jewel. How many volunteers do you have? If a reader of the Austin Garden is wanting to volunteer, what kinds of things do you need help with?  

 

B.T. Well, I don’t really have solid figures on volunteers. We have over 30 individual adopted patch gardens. We have a handful of folks that relate to the peafowl. We have another handful of folks that have volunteered to be on the Mayfield Council. We have specialists we can call on for advice and counsel such as the Austin Pond Society and the Austin Rose Society. And of course this is a City of Austin facility and the PARD is there to do basic maintenance and upkeep. It is a collaborative effort of many individuals and organizations, all guided by their love of the facility. 

 

As for volunteer opportunities, the best course is to reach out to me or the garden co-ordinator Janice Brown. That way we will know each other and can together do the most good. I don’t suppose any of your readers would be pigeon fanciers, would they? Our next restoration project is aimed at the dovecote that is part of the historic landscape fabric. The Gutches raised Moorehead pigeons on site and it would be a real treat to find a volunteer able and willing to reintroduce them.

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D.M. So this Saturday's Trowel & Error looks set to be a grand event. It must be nice for the community of volunteers to all come together to see each other after a few years off.  What are you most looking forward to? 

 

B.T. Trowel & Error on Saturday 2 April is a renewal of our annual gardening symposium and is a main fundraiser for our group. We are co-sponsored by PARD, West Austin Neighborhood Group, Frost Bank Tarrytown and Friends of the Parks of Austin. We have a suggested donation of $5 per person and will have available pass along plants from our gardens. We have no organizational overhead so every dollar stays within the park itself. Yes, seeing old friends again is going to be great. ❦

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