My visit to Archie's Garden

On April 30th I had the pleasure of riding through the Mar Vista Garden Showcase with John and Mike :)

 Always nice to have an escort that's easy on the eyes ;)

I want to show off my favorite garden from the day - which sadly Mike missed out on since he had to return to his work :P Anyway, it was Archie's Garden! You can see their Mar Vista spread here. Their Mar Vista article got my attention for them being a certified wildlife habitat and focus on Monarch butterflies. I though it'd be interesting but had no idea how much I'd really love it.

 I want their grape vine...

the *not so* Secret Garden entrance...

The place is literally overflowing with native plants and charm. Everything is blooming and thriving. The whole place has a laid back country cottage charm that held me there much longer than it should have. It was also educational - there was information on becoming a certified wildlife habitat, native plants, Monarch butterflies and worm composting.

I will admit it - I shamelessly came for the free worms! And put them to good use, half went to John's own brand new DIY vermicomposting setup :) They were very generous and nearly filled the 6 quart container I brought with me! I think my favorite moment of the visit was when I explained to her that I'd gotten such a small number of worms to start my vermicompost I was afraid they'd inbreed - and she said well if you start hearing *mimickedcountrybanjomusic* then I'd start to worry. Ok, in print it sounds really dumb but in person it was hilarious :9

They also had a display about choosing solar panels, NOT about what setup is cheapest or most efficient, far more important. How to choose solar panels that are properly tested and certified so they don't spontaneously combust and nearly burn down your house. Seriously. It happened to them because they didn't know to check for certification, and their building & safety office didn't either. One day they started burning and luckily the fire department got it put out in time to save the roof. They have one of the faulty panels left which was up in the backyard for guests to inspect. They already have new panels on their roof - UL tested and approved now that they know. Their building department knows now too and their local fire department is using their near tragedy as an educational tool for others.

And lastly what won me over (as if the rest wasn't enough) were the free milkweed transplants and seeds they were giving out. They labelled the different varieties, and even had some that came with Monarch eggs or caterpillars! I took a couple which were not supposed to have any wildlife coming with them because I don't have any other milkweed they could eat and I wanted the seedlings to survive! They would have sent me home with many many more but luckily I was limited in carry space w/the bike n' all ;) There will be more about those milkweeds I picked up soon... *hinthint*

So I give a huge THANK YOU to Archie's Garden for sharing!