Loving that Lavender
The City of Ojai Community Demonstration Garden once again played a role in the Ojai Lavender Festival. 
Volunteers were present all day to greet guests, answer questions and show them the beds of lavender in the garden. 
Many visitors enjoyed strolling through the tranquil garden and discovering it for themselves. The garden coordinator also conducted 2 tours of the garden. Out of town visitors were very impressed with Ojai's "hidden treasure," and plan to return to see the garden at different times of the year. 
The garden looked beautiful, with most of the lavender in bloom, along with many other plants.
Photos by Les Dublin.
Volunteers will be in the garden all day, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, to greet guests, show them beds of fragrant lavender, and answer questions about the garden. In addition, there will be free tours of the garden at 11:30 and 3:30. The garden is just a few short blocks from Libby Park, at 401 South Ventura Street, behind City Hall. 
Participants learned all the do's and don'ts of composting, as well as the pros and cons of different methods, and styles of bins. Jessica also explained how to make compost tea, grasscycle, make a worm bin, and add red wigglers to a compost pile.
Workshop participants had a chance to see, touch, and smell finished compost that was made at last December's compost workshop. 
Jessica demonstrated building the first two layers of a compost pile in a bin fashioned from old pallets. 
All who attended received a handy gift from the City of Ojai — a compost wheeler full of useful tips for successful composting. 
Jessica received a gift, too, a Demo Garden mug featuring our local beauty, the Matilija poppy. 
With all these Ojaians making their own brown gold, our valley will soon be a little greener! Photos by Les Dublin.