Garden Activities: May 20, 2025

Today we had the pleasure of welcoming back a former CVBG volunteer and current Goebel Center True Colors Garden volunteer Ruth Lee who is also a past Master Gardener Lead at that garden. I felt bad when I told her we were going to be pulling/cutting mustard as one of our activities as she had had a grueling experience doing just that at CVBG some years ago. But she was game and fully participated in our activities — including mustard eradication. Below is the team as we started up the hill:

Daryl Stutley (newly elected member of the CVBG board along with Nellie Cusworth — but more about that in an upcoming edition of the CVBG Newsletter), Beverly Kemmerling (invisible standing behind me), me, Katie Shank, Ruth, Nancy Taylor Walker, Julie Moffat, and Ann Wright. Not shown are Dale Harshberger (because she was behind the camera) and Bill Dobner who was working with the compost.

The first activity was to remove some invasive alyssum from the first leg of the path leading up to entrance B of the Nature Trail. Some of us checked out the pond and waterfall in the Bird Habitat which is now running from 9am-12pm daily, and it looked great.

Katie and Julie carrying some trimmings/weeds to the carts.

We then spent most of the time working at removing mustard and other weeds from along the paths on the uphill side of the new Salvia Garden.

Yours truly and Ruth clearing the weeds from around the Salvia Garden sign.

From about 9:30 on, it was very hot. Some of us sat on the nearest bench (in full sun) and others sat on the branches of a nearby toyon (I think) that provided more shade if less comfort!

Ruth and Julie enjoying a respite from the heat.

Our final activity for the day was to take off the spent bloom stalks from the honey bush at the top of the hill.

Daryl reaching for some of the highest ones.

Ann working her way into the other side to help Daryl.

Finally we discovered a charming plant next to one of the large chaparral mallows on that first leg of the path up to entrance B of the Nature Trail.

The closest ID I could find on line was Cistus x pulverulentus “Sunset” that we have listed in the Mediterranean section. Because this one is so close to the edge, I doubt it was planted and I doubt that a hybrid would reproduce “true.”  Maybe it is just a plain C. pulverulentus.

Thanks to Beverly, Dale and Nancy for their images.

Enjoy the garden….KMM