Garden Conservancy Open Days

We're featured in the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program!  The mission of The Garden Conservancy is to "preserve, share, and celebrate America's gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public."

During their Open Days you can tour private gardens and hidden gems all over the USA. A little about the open days from their website:

Fueling America’s passion for gardens, The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program annually celebrates the country’s most exciting, creative, and innovative private gardens. Open Days is made up of a nationwide community of gardeners and garden enthusiasts teaching and inspiring each other and the public. From expert to novice, there is no better way to improve as a gardener than by experiencing a diverse range of gardens, and gardening traditions, firsthand. 

You can get tickets to the private gardens on their website, but of course our garden is always open, and always free. When's the last time you visited? Drop by and see what's up!

Rainy volunteer day

Our volunteer day today had rain in the schedule, but really it was a light mist so no big deal. Matt and I planted three Agave parryi ssp truncata and I weeded... something we're all going to need to do a lot more of soon! 

Chris joined us and planted five Artemisia "Powis Castle", and then worked on removing an Agave salmiana that had flowered. It was a big job and he was mostly successful! completely successful in freeing it from the dirt, although the darn thing is so heavy we're going to need help moving it from that spot.

Matt and I then went down to PRG and planted five Agave parrasana and seven Muhlenbergia capillaris - a lovely grass with fluffy pink flowers in the fall. Sarah joined us and cut back some Salvia leucantha that really needed it on one of the BRC's too!

Checkup and propagation

Matt and I went to PRG on Sunday to harvest some plants. Our Cortaderia selloana "Gold Band" and "Silver Comet" plants are very hard to come by because California has banned the sale of pampas grass. Why? Well it's a  horribly invasive plant and very difficult to get rid of. However, these variegated hybrids are sterile, meaning they don't produce viable seeds - not a single one in all these years! So if we want more, we have to dig up parts of the plants and propagate them.

After we were done wrestling with the sharp-leaved plants, I chatted with Joe who is always out weeding and picking trash. PRG would not look like it does today without his help! What a guy,

I spent some time cleaning up trash at PG after that, and weeding a little, and then it was time for lunch. On the way home I called in the dumpster that has been sitting on the street at PRG for many months to try and get Recology to take it away. I also called in the pile of trash I found at PG and brought to the curb. Lots to do. We also have loads of plants to go in the ground at our next volunteer day: come help!