Garden Activities: March 3, 2026

This week we got to do some planting. And, we introduced 2 new volunteers to the garden: Julia Appelrouth and JoseAntoinette Harb. Welcome!

It was a nice day to welcome new volunteers as planting is one of the more rewarding activities we do in the garden. On hand to welcome Julia and JoseAntoinette were: Steve Davis, Dale Harshberger, Beverly Kemmerling, Susanna Mac, Katie Shank, Daryl Stutley, Janet Wall, Anna Wiktor-Becker, Ann Wright and myself.

The plants came from 3 sources: 1) the dozen potted CA native plants were a gift from Santa Monica Mountains Fund and the Master Gardeners to whom we gave a tour of CVBG last week; 2) Dale who brought a pot of a compact form of a S. African feathery shrub whose name I didn’t catch; and 3) a dozen bulbs of the S. African native, blood lily or Scadoxus multiflorus from my garden. We tried a bunch of these last year, but they didn’t succeed. This time we planted most in gallon pots which we sank into the ground leaving the rim of the pot and the growing tip of the bulb above ground. They want to be root bound, so the pot should provide that constricted environment as well as protect them from being consumed by rats, squirrels and rabbits — along with above-ground cages.

Of course, some weeding is always inevitable. How can you pass by a nice juicy black mustard plant even if you’re on your way to planting a nice pink yarrow plant?

Janet found herself with just such a dilemma and decided that there were plenty of folks planting so she would start tackling the border of the gravel path which if not loaded with matilija poppies was loaded with black mustard. Here she is with a 15-gallon pot brimming with black mustard.

Katie was early, so rather than sit around twiddling her thumbs waiting for the rest of us to arrive, she decided to take on the weeds growing in the open area between the port-o-potty and the chitalpa trees.

This is the “before."

This is well after the before when mostly what were left were alyssum. Julia is shown helping out.

The two them then moved on to planting where Steve had indicated in the native section up from the garden gate.

While everything else was going on, I took some time and cleared away some of the matilija poppies, mustard, thistle and grass from around the smaller of the 2 Chilean wine palms.

Meanwhile planting was also taking place in Lillian’s Meadow and the S. African section.

Josie surveying the area in which some of the blood lilies were to be planted in Lillian’s Meadow.

Anna and Beverly preparing to plant some the blood lily bulbs.

Steve and Ann kibitzing under the sycamore.

Finally, below, Susanna is standing behind a true marvel in the native section.

Perhaps it is only a marvel to me since I’ve had trouble getting this to grow in my garden. It is the woolly bluecurls or Trichostema lanatum. This plant has been growing in that spot for at least as long as I’ve volunteered in the garden — 10 years. I haven’t made it past the 3-year mark in my garden!

Many thanks to Beverly, Katie and Steve for their images.

There is a lot in bloom right now; here is Steve’s list:

BLOOMING THIS WEEK 3.3.26.pdf

Download PDF • 38KB

Enjoy the garden.    KMM