Garden Activities: December 9, 2025

Tuesday was a busy day at the garden. Three new volunteers joined us today, and we introduced them to the garden: Sophia Hoxworth, Eleanor Markle and Connor Schuda. On hand to meet the new volunteers were: Bill Dobner, Dale Harshberger, Julie Moffat, Daryl Stutley, Nancy Taylor Walker, Ann Wright and myself. While Bill busied himself with the compost, the rest of us decided to devote time to the Trail of Trees. 

Ann, Sophia and Julie.

Me, Connor and Eleanor.

What we found there were numerous sprouts of mustard, horehound, and Encelia californica. These we removed if actually in the path.

Although faceless, I believe it captures me, Eleanor, Sophia and Connor digging Encelia out of a wide area of the path through the Trail of Trees.

We also found a plant in the borage family called Amsinckia lycopsoides if we keyed it out correctly.  It wasn’t in the path, but right on the edge so we left it. Because it's inflorescence coils like a fern, it is called a tarweed fiddleneck or bugloss-flowered fiddleneck. It is in the same family as the caterpillar phacelia that we have taken pains to spread in the area behind the utility sheds and shade house. Like its family member, its common name refers to its inflorescence which uncurls as it produces flowers one at at time ultimately resembling a hairy caterpillar.

The unassuming fiddleneck native.  

Other weeds were too numerous to pull: annual euphorbia, filaree and other unknown seedlings. Many of these are annuals and will disappear in the spring.

While working on the path we noticed that there was an overflow of soil and rocks over the edge the path caused by ground squirrels' excavation under a chaparral sun flower. In digging out the edge it appeared there was no rock border right there so we dug some of the tailings out and connected the two sides of the uphill cobble border.

After working in the Trail of Trees, we headed directly up the service road to the island oak to check on the acorn we’ve been protecting for several weeks now. It was still there so we cut it off the branch and dropped it into a jar of water to see if it sank or floated. It sank, so is potentially viable. If it had floated it would have indicated that it may have been eaten from the inside by an acorn weevil or filbert worm. Nancy took the acorn home and consulted with Janet Wall as to how to prepare it for germination.

The moment of truth when Ann dropped the acorn into water and it sank.

On the way down, we introduced the new volunteers to the new Salvia Garden where the rose leaf sage was in its full glory of red blossoms. There is another equally gorgeous specimen at the first 4-corners. I noted a couple in the shade house, so unless I missed some, there may not be many available for purchase.

Eleanor and me behind the rose-leaf sage. It is quite rangy, so plant it where it has plenty of room to spread out.

Finally the red aloe at the top of the hill is in full bloom. Don’t miss it!

The red aloe in front of the flower stalk of an Agave attenuata which looks like the Gateway Arch overlooking the Conejo Valley!

Many thanks to Nancy and Ann for their images.

Enjoy the garden.     KMM