Today CVBG hosted a team of six from Conejo Cactus & Succulent Society (CCSS) who came to scope out the Desert Garden for areas where they could make a difference. Several ideas were explored during the visit, and the following suggestions were made:
CCSS will canvas their members to find volunteers to spend a day a month working at CVBG Desert Garden (or other gardens where succulents are appropriate in theme gardens such as the S. African Garden — S. Africa having a rich diversity of native succulent plants). Activities could include plant maintenance (trimming, e.g.), weeding, plant relocation, new plantings, proper ID, garden mapping, etc.
CCSS has contacts who are willing to donate cacti and other succulents to CVBG.
CCSS will explore use of space in the greenhouse for starting interesting succulents from seed.
The respective teams got together for a group photo below:
From L to R: Debby Doolittle (CCSS), Donna Pachorek (Team Chair for CCSS), Steve Davis, Ann Hopkinson (CCSS), Linda Holub (Board President of CCSS), yours truly, John Martinez (CCSS), Bob Butler, Bob Sage (CCSS and husband to Debby Doolittle). Debby took the photo, then her husband took one of her which she photoshopped into the group photo on her phone! Talk about being tech savvy!!
Routine work at the garden wasn’t neglected. Nancy Taylor Walker, Monica Barton, Beverly Kemmerling and Jim Cyr (and I for a short time) weeded. The work we did 2 weeks ago in the service area poppies was all but invisible. The mustard cut down by Bob Butler had resprouted and was in many cases 6-8’ tall! Nancy capture Monica and Beverly respectively in the poppy forest below:
When I went to meet the CCSS folks, the others moved up to the Desert Garden to weed there. Bill Dobner remained in the service area working the compost. Steve and Bob were waiting in the Desert Garden for me and the CCSS team to arrive.
After our time in the Desert Garden, Jim and I took the group down to the Nature Trail to hunt for the dudleya that lives along the path. A couple of interesting wild flowers we saw on the way:
Purple Chinese houses (Collinsiaheterophylla) a CA native in sunny patches along the Nature Trail not too far in from entrance A, and
Willow herb (Chamaenerion angustifolium), a plant native to much of the northern hemisphere. Frankly this is the first time I’ve seen it! It is just east of the honey bush at the top of the hill.
Enjoy the garden…KMM