We have five tours planned for this year
Tour of the Sepulveda Basin and Wildlife Area
For a follow up to our November program, interested members car pooled to the Sepulveda Basin and Wildlife Area for a tour lead by Steve Hartman. He has been a member of the Wildlife Steering Committee for the Sepulveda Dam Basin since its inception in 1990. We learned how volunteers have worked to eliminate non-native plants including mustard plants and palm trees since 1990. Steve pointed out areas with native roses covered with rose hips for the animals to eat, called our attention to the native coyote bushes growing along the paths and stands of native willow trees along the creek banks. We walked to the edge of the 20 acre pond and watched grebes, egrets, mallard ducks, great blue herons, kingfishers, turkey vultures and other birds resting and foraging along the small island in the lake. The tour lasted from 9:00 am to noon. Members enjoyed a brown bag lunch in the ampitheatre after the tour.
...
Twenty members and guests enjoyed the tour of Arlington Garden in Pasadena. Betty McKenney, our tour leader, had worked with her husband, Charles, to plan and plant a public botanic garden on a vacant three acre lot next to their residence. The lot had been owned by the Durand family from 1902 until the 1960's when the contents of the house were auctioned off and Caltrans acquired the property for future construction of the 710 Freeway. About 9 years ago the McKenneys spearheaded plans with the City of Pasadena to create Arlington Garden. Mayita Dinos, who was a speaker for West Valley Garden Club in 2011, was the landscape designer for the garden.
As we entered the garden, these beautiful flowers welcomed us at the
entrance. The steps and flagstone areas were constructed using recycled broken
sidewalk.
Several members commented "It smells so clean!" as we passed some rosemary,
lavender and sages. This plant is a Jerusalem sage.
The garden is arranged into "rooms" divided by shrubs and trees. The
olive orchard has olive trees planted in two rows down the center with bocci (Italian
lawn bowling game) courts marked by green cords on the ground. There is a
wildflower meadow which was in full bloom, cactus garden,
orange grove and riparian area. Some of the rooms have chairs, tables and
umbrellas to invite visitors to linger and enjoy the garden's sights and
smells.
The garden is full of recycled items including donated plants, the shredded wood mulch from the city, old water fountains planted with succulents, on-site rocks arranged by local high school sophomores into a walking maze, and broken sidewalk sections for steps, retaining walls and flower beds like the ones in these photos.
Small orange trees were donated and then planted by local school
children in rows. The fruit from the trees is used to make marmalade which Arlington
Garden sells. Betty also showed us the water color depicting the garden
printed on note cards which are also for sale.
Plants under a large oak tree include gooseberries, golden current,
paper whites, hummingbird sage and snowberry – all are lush and healthy. Note
the thick mulching around the plants to prevent weeds and to keep the ground
moisture from evaporating.
Another area has a riparian area planted on the lowest spot of the plot. Local Boy Scouts helped construct a small bridge and dig out an area to collect rainwater to prevent runoff from the lot.
A small desert "room" features a variety of cactus and succulents
which are thriving without summer watering. Succulents are used throughout the
plot – in pots, and even filling the area between the sidewalk and the street with
a planting of alternating senecio and California poppies. We admired a tall firesticks
succulent along the property line. These succulents are in front of a little,
rusty, iron fence near the olive orchard.
As we wondered along the paths to the back upper part of the garden
we saw their rain collection system. They have installed a 200 gallon rain
barrel which collects rainwater off a small garden shed whose roof area is
about 60 sq. ft. The barrel was 3/4 full after the last rain. Another rain
collection device used are the earthen berms installed on the downhill side of
some flower beds. The berms are covered with wood shavings mulch to prevent
erosion. Some berms are planted along the top with small, drought tolerant
plants.
Betty told us the water usage is low because they mulch heavily with
shredded bark from city clippings and by using Metafim irrigation tubes. The
tubes are made of a pliant plastic about 1" in diameter and have holes every 18"
inches. The tubing is run in a circle around tree drip lines and through shrub
beds like the boxwood "fence" around a bed of lavender. The tubing runs under
the mulch. Plants needing some supplemental water during the hot months are
grouped together.
Following the tour, some members stayed to picnic using some of the chairs and umbrellas. Other members drove to Singer Park (a city park with more facilities) on St. John Street which is about 4 blocks away. It was a lovely way to end our time in Pasadena and enjoy visiting with garden club friends.
Spring Bus Tour to Southern California Garden Show
Members will take a bus to the annual Southern California Spring Garden Show at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Thursday, April, 26, 2012
We will see gardens set up by landscape architects and designers in the mall and enjoy shopping at over 75 specialty garden vendors who will be offering exotic plants, unique garden accessories, and attend free seminars by renowned garden experts.
The bus leaves at 8:45 am from Northridge Park Recreation parking lot and we return at 4:15 pm. The cost is $10.00, bring your own lunch or buy one in the Plaza.
District Bus Tour
Our club members support the San Fernando Valley bus tour / fundraiser by purchasing tickets for the annual bus tour. This year, participants will visit three private gardens in the San Fernando Valley on Monday, May 7th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tour members will see an extensive desert garden at the corner of Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Mulholland, visit the private garden of the President of the San Fernando Valley Rose Society and finally walk through a garden featured in Josh Siskin's column which is landscaped with water features and tropical plants.
The $30 dollars includes a luncheon hosted by one of the Valley garden clubs.
Our Getty Villa Tour is scheduled for May 17. We will have a picnic in a public seating area OR lunch at Tea by the Sea, at 1:00 p.m. The tour will start at 2:30 with a docent in the authentically re-created first-century Roman garden. (There is a possible 45-minute tour of the site and its gardens in the morning.) The cost is $36 per person plus parking at $15 per car.