Volunteers Sought for Garden Tours

Volunteers are being sought to provide tours of Gardens of the World, which is scheduled to open next year next to the Civic Arts Plaza.

Elaine Hague, coordinator of the volunteer program, is looking for residents with an interest in gardening and talking to people. So far, 11 people have come forward, but 30 to 35 volunteers are needed to lead tours.

The nearly $3-million park will include Japanese, English and rose gardens, as well as a man-made stream. Visitors will be greeted at the park entrance by a French-style garden with cascading water, clipped hedges and a maze. Inside, a California mission walk will feature miniatures of the 21 remaining California missions.

“We want people who are enthusiastic in the gardens,” Hague said. “It’s meant to be fun, creative and lighthearted--to present the people of Thousand Oaks information and bring them the beauty of the gardens.”

Hague wants volunteers to research a particular garden they are interested in during the summer. In the fall, they will meet and discuss their findings. It’s from those findings that a training manual will be formed, Hague said.

Wendy Harper, the landscape architect working on the project, also will compile information about the plants to go along with the volunteers’ information.

“I’ve been on a few tours with good docents,” she said. “The docents make the visit interesting and are important to the success of the garden tours.”