Garden Walking Tours SpringTopia!

Saturday, May 3

9:00 am

Bird Walks with Mary Jane Macy and Rayma Harrison, Audubon Society Members

Whether you are experienced in or new to birding, join us as we observe the many beautiful birds living at and visiting the Arboretum. Over the past year, birders have been excited to see a Peregrine Falcon and an Orchard Oriole.  Meet your birding group, led by two experienced birders, in the Gift Shop patio.  Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring your own binoculars.
 

10:00 am

Loquats to Pomegranates – Creating Backyard Orchards , Frank McDonough, Botanical Information Consultant

With so many fruit trees that grow well in Southern California, creating a diverse orchard is easy to do.  Frank McDonough, botanical information consultant will showcase the varieties of fruit trees from around the world found at the Arboretum.  Loquats, pomegranates, citrus, papaya, guava, and apple are just a few examples fruit trees growing at Arboretum. Frank will answer questions on selecting, planting and growing these delicious trees.

11:00 am

Guest speaker:  Carol Bornstein – Reimagining the California Lawn

With a record year of low rainfall, many of us are taking steps in to save water in our landscapes.  Carol Bornstein, co-writer of Reimagining the California Lawn and director of the Nature Gardens at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, has some great ideas for replacing a thirsty lawn.  Her talk covers how to manage, reduce or remove your lawn, a variety of garden designs suitable for lawn replacements, and plant suggestion.  Her book will be for sale in the Gift Shop where she will do a book following her talk.

 

12:30 pm

Wildflowering LA and the Crescent Farm– Leigh Adams

Artist and sustainable agriculture consultant Leigh Adams will give a tour of Wildlfowering LA at the Crescent garden.  Walk with Leigh and view the glorious display of wildflowers and learn about the garden’s earth contouring features that include swales for active water harvesting with swales and hügels (mounds whose core is created from felled trees) passive water harvesting through.  Examine a number of mulching experiments being conducted to promote soil health through natural (non-chemical) methods. Learn how Wildflowering LA is segueing into becoming the Crescent Farm.

 

 

 

2:00 pm

Guest Speaker:  John Bagnasco  Grafted Vegetables: Changing the Way Americans Grow Veggies!

Grafted vegetables are superhero vegetables: stronger, bigger, faster growing, better able to fend off foes than regular vegetable plants – and they deliver a more abundant harvest! John Bagnasco, senior editor and radio personality for Garden Compass and president of GardenLife, will share how grafted vegetables are created and their benefits. He also will have some grafted tomatoes, melons, peppers eggplant and other to purchase to take home to your garden.

 

3:00 pm

Garden Utopia: Homesteading for the 21 Century – Tom Moure, Garden for All Seasons gardener

Imagine a bounty of summer organic vegetables in your own back yard.  Let Arboretum gardener Tom Moure will show you how.  He will take you on a tour of the Garden for All Seasons where he is busy growing a fabulous organic vegetable garden.  Find out what he is planning, planting and working on to create this bountiful garden.  You can take home these ideas and start your our backyard homestead.

 

Sunday, May 4

9:00 am

Bird Walks – Mary Jane Macy and Rayme Harrison (see above for description)

 

11:00 am

Roses for Southern California Gardens- Jill Morganelli, horticultural supervisor

Jill Morganelli, horticultural supervisor and rose expert, will lead the tour and point out the roses that are the best growers for Southern California garden.  She also will highlight new arrivals to the Rose Garden and feature the fragrance, pastel colors and virtues of these highlighted flowers.

 

 

12:00 pm

Beautiful, Low Water Mediterranean Plants for your garden – Jill Vig, Water Conservation Garden  gardener.

Jill Vig, Master Gardener, certified arborist, and gardener of the water conservation garden will highlight both long-time favorites, and lesser known Mediterranean plants in the Water Conservations Garden.  This garden includes plants from all five of the Mediterranean climate areas of the world.  Jill will discuss best plant picks and practices for maintaining a low-water-use garden, including when and how to prune, fertilize, and water.

 

1:00 pm

Wonders of Madagascar –Timothy Phillips, Arboretum superintendent

A one-of-a-kind garden lives at the Arboretum, the unique outdoor garden of plants from Madagascar.  Superintendent Timothy Phillips created the unique garden and will give you a special look into the interesting plants, such as the Mouse trap tree, kalanchoe, pachypodium and the Madagascar tulip tree.

 

 

 

2:00 pm

Native Plant Advice at the Gift Shop Patio – Expert from Theodore Payne

Stop by the Gift Shop patio and get advice on the planting and growing native plants that are available at the Arboretum Gift Shop. The plants are from the Theodore Payne Foundation.  Learn about the versatility of the wonderful native plants.  With many textures, blooms and growing habits there is something to grow in every garden.