News from the Garden

Issue 34 I September 2025

More transitions and cycles.

Does anyone else feel like they are caught in a strange space/time continuum these days? One minute we are swept up in the newscycle, our emotional response, and deepening global concern. The next, back to our day-to-day and moments of monotony, silliness, awe, and deep presence. Slow motion and double time.

With the close of summer we feel nostalgia for the past and trepidation, hope, and longing for the future. These human feelings are soothed by predictable seasonal shifts. The changing colors, falling leaves, shedding of bark. It’s a time to reflect on our place in time and space and the moments that define us.

We’ve had a lot of these moments this past month. We said goodbye to the last of our Emerging Horticultural Leaders who spent the summer at WHG learning about and helping with garden management. We hosted a collab with I’m Birding Right Now and the Sonoma Botanical Garden offering our first cross county birdsong experience. (Scroll down to read more about what was seen/heard.) We prepared for the We Players’ Our Lady of the Moon residency, installation, and ceremonies that all October garden visitors will experience at some level. And we dropped our youngest at college up in Olympia and are now officially “empty nesters”.

When things feel a bit too much, we take solace in the calm of the plants and trees, the comfort of our community, and the inspiration we see around us. Come for a wander and see for yourself.

Ever wanted to spend the night?

It’s official. Our Fall Fundraising Campaign launches tomorrow marked by the opening of our second annual online auction. You can bid on items between 10/1 and 10/15.

We went heavy on the experiences and stays this year — most only available to the public once a year through this auction.

Ever wanted to spend the night in the Octagon? Have breakfast in the garden? Wander around with a glass of wine at golden hour? This is your chance!

If you’re out of town or would rather just make a donation to one of our priority projects, you can do that through the auction platform as well. We’ll also be adding and updating a few items so make sure to bookmark the page and keep checking back!

We love sharing Western Hills with the public. This time of year we ask the public to join us in our efforts to help the garden thrive.

Justin’s Hort Report.

Our summer interns have moved on, but they've all left behind a piece of themselves. No, really! As part of our Emerging Horticulture Leaders program, each intern completed a "Capstone Project" which paired their own interests and talents with an identified need in the garden. The results were exceptional: a tangible creation that each intern could take ownership of from start to finish (and add to their portfolio), while contributing something unique and valuable to our special garden. This month we're highlighting Paula Gomez's project. Take it away, Paula!

For my capstone project, I wanted to help visitors (especially kids!) experience the “hidden life” of Western Hills Garden. Beyond the beautiful plants, the garden is full of activity — buzzing insects, singing birds, and even the occasional fox. I wanted to shine a light on the environmental practices that support this incredible biodiversity.

The result was a nine-stop scavenger hunt spread throughout the garden. Each stop features a hand-painted sign with its own symbol, along with a simple handout that explains how that area supports the garden and the life in it. From creating habitat structures to planting native species, each stop highlights a practice that helps keep this ecosystem thriving.

Creating the project involved everything from researching local species, developing an attractive handout, painting and sealing the signs, and choosing just the right spots for each one. One of the biggest challenges was keeping the content fresh and engaging across all nine locations, but it also taught me how thoughtful design can make learning feel fun and meaningful.

This project helped me to learn more about California’s native wildlife and gave me a creative way to connect people with the living world right in front of them. I had so much fun bringing it all to life, and I’m proud to leave behind something that adds to the garden’s story.

Program updates.

Cross county birdsongs.

Miles and Teresa Tuffli, of I’m Birding Right Now, held back-to-back fall walkabouts at Western Hills Garden and Sonoma Botanical Garden for an east/west birding wander. While it wasn’t mandatory, we had three folks attend both sessions for a firsthand comparison. The first gathering was Saturday, September 20th at Western Hills Garden and folks spotted (or heard) 20 different species and counted 56 individual birds. The following weekend at Sonoma Botanical the group identified 23 species and 73 individual birds. It’s fun to see the differences and similarities between the two sites!

Shout outs.

It’s time to shout out our gratitude once more again for our WHG volunteers. They are truly the lifeblood of the garden. They come every Tuesday, rain or shine. When we miss a week it seems to throw off our rhythm. All three of our summer interns noted that Volunteer Days were one of their favorite things about their time at WHG.

The community, the camaraderie, the shared sense of purpose and love of the garden binds us tightly together. Volunteers remark that they're working in an "enchanted" place when they are here. They feel "connected to something larger than themselves.” They come to "be surrounded by green," to "be around other plant people," and to "share the magnificence of the garden with others."

We can always use more help in the garden beds, prop house, and compost pile as well as with repairs and construction, administrative tasks, fundraising, and community engagement. Come join us!