Garden Activities: April 29, 2025

Tuesday, the Tuesday Crew welcomed a new member to the group: Julie Moffat. So part of the day’s activities included introducing Julie to the garden as she had never visited it before. We covered the main theme gardens we passed as we zig zagged up the hill. On hand to welcome Julie were Irem Bayrak Dingle, Dale Harshberger, Beverly Kemmerling, Daryl Stutley, Nancy Taylor Walker, Ann Wright and myself. Below is a shot of the group starting up the hill from the first 4 corners:

Daryl, Irem, Dale, Beverly, Julie, Nancy, and Ann.

On the way up the hill, we weeded, removed leaves from the path and dead-headed. Below yours truly is removing a seedling oak from a sea of Myoporum parvifolium, a low-growing ground cover, native to Australia:

Daryl and KMM.

When we got to the top of the hill, someone noticed aloe mite galls on the yellow aloe at the Desert Garden entrance. There were a few more than we’ve seen in recent years as we have been diligent in removing them annually. Aloe mites are difficult to eliminate, and the most effective way is to cut out the affected parts. Below is one of the larger galls:

The gall among other things heading for the green waste bin.

Julie and Ann cutting out a gall.

Before we got to the top of the hill, board member, Steve Davis joined us, and he and Dale went off to plant a seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus) that Dale had brought to the garden.  

A couple of stand out plants to mention: Verbena rigida, a drift in full bloom in the Butterfly Garden:

Verbena.

And, because we’ve just passed Easter, the passion flower, that never ceases to amaze me with its complexity and beauty, deserves mention:

At the risk of telling you what you already know, the passion flower gets its name from early Christian missionaries in S. America who made associations with the crucifixion of Christ. The ten petals plus sepals represent 10 apostles (Peter and Judas are left out).  The bluish “filaments” represent the crown of thorns. The 5 stamens represent the 5 wounds, and the 3 styles represent the 3 nails. I hope this information doesn’t offend anyone!

Thanks to Nancy for her images.

Enjoy the garden!    KMM