Conservatory Gardens at Castaic Lake

After my visit to the Santa Clarita Community Gardens, I headed over to the other side of Central Park to see the Conservatory Gardens and Learning Center at The Castaic Lake Water Agency. I have visited numerous xeriscape display gardens in Colorado's Front Range communities and was curious to see what this small, desert community had to offer.

this view greats you from the entry plaza; a classic California vista

Though not a true botanical garden — very few plants had identification labels — there is educational signage and welcoming pathways that lead you through both formal and informal gardens.

The emphasis is on water conservation, and the plantings are most heavily geared towards trees and shrubs. Native plants mingle with introduced favorites such as palms, cypress and especially, roses.

The palm trees, above, mark a cross-axis that follows a rill and then terminates with a grouping of cypress and a fountain, currently not running due to the drought.

The presence of water here would have been welcome on the hot day I visited, but I get it and applaud it; a good example being set for consumers during a prolonged drought.

A more informal path leading through fields of sage and gaura, 

A mass planting of Gaura with no explanation...?

up through terraces of roses and daylilies,

I was interested to see these retaining walls; adobe or rammed earth? Sadly, starting to deteriorate.

and finally back to the water agency offices and entry plaza.

It's a beautiful site for a garden and an asset to the community (as I was arriving, a school bus full of children who had been on a tour was just departing), but it looks like a victim of not only the drought, but a bad economy as well. More plant identification labels, some fresh designs with herbacious plants for infill, and more attention to general maintenance (pruning! fresh mulch!) would bring this garden up to its true potential.

Spring to It!

It's Go-Time in the garden, and to help you get a handle on what to do and how to get it done I've compiled some links to articles and resources that you may find helpful:

First, written by moi, a gardening checklist for April.

Here is an extremely good article about soil by horticulturist Carol O'Meara; what it is and the best ways to improve it (and not wreck it).

Denver Water has declared a Stage 2 Drought and will be imposing water use restrictions on April 1st.  Some of them will have a major impact on outdoor use, so check their site (April 1st) for all the details.

Start planning now for how to use water efficiently.  Here are some great tips from Colorado State University on making the most of your drip irrigation system.

Have a great weekend!

Tough Guys — my top 5

yellow flowering pine-leaf penstemon, Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'

The Denver area has been in a Stage 1 Drought  this summer due to a low winter snow pack, low spring and summer precipitation, and higher than average temperatures.  I decided it would be a good year to test the durability of my garden plantings — I wasn't interested in knocking myself out (or using potable water) to provide supplemental water to my ornamental gardens on a regular basis.  My gardens are not on an automatic irrigation system so I either use a hose-end sprinkler attachment or  hand-water with a "wand."  I usually wait until my plants are in a prolonged wilt (no nighttime recovery) for 4-10 days before I give things a good soak.  This year I've watered the gardens about 6 times, total.  They look pretty sad, and we may finally lose a beauty bush (Kolkwitsia amabilis) that has never thrived.

The good news is that many of my plants have come through quite well, flowering profusely for long periods of time.  It may be no surprise to you that they're the same plants that I always brag on - the tough guys that put on a spectacular show during the "good" rain years, and keep on truckin' during the drought years, too.

The penstemon above, and its red flowering "parent" looked terrific mid-summer for weeks on end .  These next three — the horned poppy, Russian sage, and hummingbird trumpet — are planted in a side garden that got NO supplemental water this summer. They're going like gangbusters.

horned poppy, Glaucium flavum

Zauschneria arizonica with Perovskia artiplicifolia in the background

lower growing, groundcover form:  Zauschneria garrettii

the colorful, fuzzy bracts of Russian sage

This coneflower, too, has bloomed endlessly!

prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera

We're coming in to prime planting season now, so if you're looking to supplement your gardens with some xeric perennials, I hope you'll consider trying one of these.