Garden Activities: September 23, 2025

Today was the last for a while in the high eighties accompanied by high humidity.  So, again, we took it fairly easy. Eleven of us were on hand today including: Kelly Colindres, Bill Dobner, Isis Gabor, Dale Harshberger, Beverly Kemmerling, Julie Moffat, Katie Shank, Daryl Stutley, Anna Wiktor-Becker, Ann Wright and myself. Bill focused on the compost and any watering that was needed in the service area and shade house. The rest of us focused on the service gate area, removing the root and trunk sprouts from the African sumacs (Rhus lancea) on either side of the gate, dead heading and broadcasting the seeds from the penstemons and removing the dead leaves from the chasmanthe.

Julie removing dead leaves from the iris in front of the barn shed.

Next we started heading up the hill on the zig zag path.  

Beverly and Dale pausing in the shade of one of the CA walnuts.

 Further up we converged at the turn off to the Nature Trail for a group shot.

Julie, Kelly, Isis, me, Ann, Anna, Katie and Daryl.

Though we didn’t intend it, we ended up having a theme for the day: removing root and trunk sprouts from various trees.

Daryl removing sprouts from a tree in the Rare Fruit Orchard.

On the way to the top of the hill, we stopped and did some deadheading in the S. African section.

Two plants of interest this week. One is the gangly chaparral honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata) which is now fruiting in multiple spots in the garden.

According to Calscape.com, wildlife supported by these luscious-looking berries include bats and birds.

The other plant is the Texas ranger or Leucophyllum frutescens. It is also commonly called the barometer bush as it is said to bloom either before or after a change in the weather — possibly a change in barometric pressure or humidity.  t was in full bloom today.  It is native to the US southwest, but apparently not CA as it is not covered in Calscape.

Texas ranger.

Thanks to Beverly, Dale and Daryl for their images.

Enjoy the garden…KMM