SHOWERS AND FLOWERS RAIN, VOLUNTEERS MAKE BOTANIC GARDEN BLOOM.

Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Years of dedicated volunteer work and a record rainy season have produced some of the best blooms ever at the Conejo Botanic Garden in Thousand Oaks.

The 33-acre garden is already in full flower with a stunning array of pinks, violets and rich blues. Brilliant white and yellow poppies - the garden's pride and joy - will be showcased at its annual Matilija Poppy Festival at the end of May.

``The garden is very beautiful this year,'' said Jean Reiley, president of the Botanic Garden.

The garden offers tours, art classes and floral design classes. But the most popular attraction is its whimsical and educational Kids' Adventure Garden, featuring a tree house, a small gift shop, a solar-powered elephant fountain and a carnivorous plant display.

``Sometimes we have 100 kids there .... with half going to the main garden, and others going down onto the nature trail,'' Reiley said.

She said some children find the nature trail scary because it is overhung with oak trees like a forest out of the fairy tale about Hansel and Gretel. ``We have a log down there that we sit on and usually read a story.''

When children go down the trail into the oak trees, it seems like they have entered a faraway world, said volunteer Maryanne Lucas, who came up with many of the creative ideas that went into the design of the Kids' Adventure Garden.

Lucas said she is thrilled when she sees children enjoying the attractions: ``The best part of that Adventure Garden is to hear the laughter of the children when they go in there.''

Reiley said the first thing the children want to do is go into the treehouse, or F.B.I. Headquarters, for fungus, bacteria and insects.

``They also love Sunny, the solar-powered elephant who squirts water out of his trunk, and they like the carnivorous plants because they eat bugs,'' said Reiley.

After a rough two decades following its opening in the 1970s, the Conejo gardens have blossomed into a beautiful local attraction thanks to the hard work of many volunteers.

There are a number of special sections, including the Butterfly Garden, created by a Girl Scout Troop in 1994, a Japanese-style Tranquillity Garden, an herb garden created in 1994 by an Eagle Scout candidate and a Rare Fruit Garden that includes 130 trees of 40 kinds of fruit from 35 countries.

Barbara Song, a volunteer for decades, said this year promises to be one of its best ever.

``This little piece of property is so unique and so special and it's free for everyone to enjoy. It's a lovely garden, and it's now flourishing,'' said Song.

As big as it is, it remains a kind of secret to many. ``A lot of people who live nearby don't even know we exist,'' Song said.

The land is owned by the Conejo Valley Recreation and Park District, but leased to the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, which is a nonprofit volunteer organization.

It was was established in the mid 1970s and struggled for years, especially in the '80s, when it had minimal maintenance and bikers and vandals destroyed much of the initial work. Vandalism continues to be a problem.

``We still have vandalism quite often,'' said Reiley. ``They come and take our plant identification signs, they destroy the cactus, knock down our trail markers, they break the treehouse gate.''

A new burst of volunteer energy and endowments in the 1990s are bearing fruit with help from this year's rains as the garden approaches its biggest event of the year - the Matilija Poppy Festival sponsored by the city of Thousand Oaks from 1 to 5 p.m. May 29.

A map of the garden on the www.conejogarden.com Web site shows how to find the various special sections.

What many say is one of the most beautiful parts of the garden is near the entrance, named Lillian's Meadow after 83-year-old Lillian Davies, a volunteer there for more than 20 years.

Her meadow features low-maintenance, water-conserving landscaping suitable for Southern California back yards.

``When I go there, I really feel good,'' said Davies. ``You're surrounded by beauty. It's a wonderful place to relieve stress. When I started, everything was weeds, about five feet high.''

``For the first 10 or 15 years, we were hand-watering and I was working alone in that part. I planted every plant that's there now.''

``In the last couple of years, (the garden) has blossomed like magic because we've got more volunteers. It was looking pretty good last year because of an improved watering system, but I'm sure it is the rain that's making everything come into bloom now. Thanks to the volunteers, the place looks 100 percent better.''

Eric Leach, [phone]

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

The Conejo Botanic Garden is open seven days a week except holidays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through September, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through March. The Kids' Adventure Garden is open only on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. The main garden entrance is behind the basketball court at Conejo Community Park at Dover and Hendrix avenues in Thousand Oaks. For information, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color in Simi edition only) Many different types of garden art pieces are placed throughout the Kids' Adventure Garden, which is part of the Conejo Valley Botanic Garden, adjacent to Conejo Community Park in Thousand Oaks.

(2 -- color in Simi edition only) Peter Johns and his children Noah, 7, and Lily, 4, explore the Garden Pod, a greenhouse used to grow plants without soil.

(3 -- ran in Simi edition only) Colorful signs lead visitors to different areas in the Kids' Adventure Garden in the Conejo Botanic Garden.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)