Fields of Roses, A Fragrant Oasis and Blue Poppies!

Garden Valley Ranch

featured in Gardenwalks in California

INSIDERS' Guide, The Globe Pequot Press

Rosa 'Blanchefleur' by the Pond

Rosa 'Trolius'

Third Pergola ... Garden Valley Ranch

Columbines & Cardoon with Foxgloves

Another nostalgic post, as I recall traveling from Chicago to San Francisco in the mid-1990s, 

crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in a rental car to explore the beauty of  Napa, Sonoma, & Mendocino.

 Intent upon finding the best nursery display gardens for a book idea -  a project that began as a basic guide to Northern California gardens - I encountered Garden Valley Ranch for the first time and returned home to write about it in The Chicago Tribune.

By the time I signed a contract with publisher Michael Kesend for my first book, West Coast Gardenwalks, it had become a guide to coastal destinations from Vancouver to San Diego!

And the memorable journey planted the seed for a move to the Bay Area!

Archways in Fragrance Garden

Garden Valley Ranch Rose Field - 'Climbing Iceberg' on Colonnade in the distance.

Border & the house at GVR, formerly owned by renowned rose expert and author Ray Reddell.

Now home to Mark Grim and Ron Robertson, Garden Valley boasts a long mixed border

 - 220 by 14 ft - with a color scheme inspired by Gertrude Jekyll.

Link to Garden Valley Ranch

on Bay Area Tendrils 

Garden Travel Buzz 

- column on the right -

for information on garden tours,

cottage rental,

bare root roses from Garden Valley Nursery,

& chemical-free cut flowers treated with compost tea.

Bewitching Blue Poppies - The Berry Botanic Garden

((Please note: In January, 2010, an announcement appeared regarding the closure of

Berry Botanic Garden. Sad news for all who had an opportunity to visit this serene and magical landscape.))

Meconopsis betonicifolia

A passionate gardener, exceptional plantswoman, and an inspirational figure in the world of horticulture, Rae Selling Berry prevailed over a condition of hereditary deafness and left a remarkable legacy for plant lovers.

In The Berry Botanic Garden, the admirable depth and breadth of the plant collections -and projects carried out today that focus on conservation of endangered plants - attest to Rae Berry's enduring spirit.

Primula marginata

Rae and Alfred Berry acquired the parcel of land that was destined to become The Berry Botanic Garden in 1938: A nine-acre property near the Willamette River that gave Rae sufficient space to pursue propagating and cultivating the myriad specimens she wished to grow.

Rhododendron wood

Seattle landscape architect John Grant assisted with siting trees, etc., but Rae took responsibility for planning and planting the areas devoted to exceptional collections of primulas, alpine plants, and Rhododendron species from seed. Two large types, R. decorum and R. calophytum, have now matured into what looks like a natural forest. Some 300 species of alpine plants from around the world thrive in the quarter-acre Rock Garden.

Primula bed

On a June visit visitors are left breathless by glorious displays of the mythic Himalayan blue poppy and the Nepalese poppy found growing in the primula beds. I was bewitched by the tall - to 5 feet - stands of dusty pink Meconopsis napaulensis, and simply stunning arrays of the alluringly soft, subtle blue-hued 'Crewdson's hybrids.'

Spring - Berry Botanic Garden

The genus Primula was one of Rae's cherished favorites. Aficionados revel in the garden's profusion of primula species, from the flowering candelabras of P. aurantiaca to noteworthy P. cusickiana, which bears violet-scented flowers; native to northeastern Oregon.

Dubbed 'Cooky' by Rae Berry, P. cusickiana is particularly temperamental to cultivate. It's known to have eluded Rae's skillful attempts to grow it. Today this plant's image is used as the garden's logo, symbolizing The Berry Botanic Garden's commitment to promote a vast kingdom of plants.

Meconopsis napaulensis

Photos: Berry Botanic Garden

Ricinus 'Carmencita' - Plants with Panache

Plants with Panache  -  Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' ((under construction))

Plant Family: Euphorbiaceae (spurge)

The tender, shrubby castor bean is a half-hardy annual that often performs like a short-lived evergreen perennial in my Northern California garden, growing from 3 to 15 feet tall and 3 feet wide with broad, deeply divided palmate leaves that can reach 12 to 18 inches across. The only species in the genus, R. communis has foliage and stems that are generally green or an undistinguished gray-green. The choice variety, 'Carmencita,' is strikingly colored, with ornamental foliage a mahogany to red to purple hue. Look for the eye-popping inflorescence, with insignificant flowers that form as summer draws to a close, followed into the fall by brilliantly red spiny seedpods held aloft on long stalks (peduncles). Especially on older plants, main stems become woody and the upper growth noticeably softer.

The profile of the seed is the basis for the botanical name, which means common tick!

Note: All plant parts are poisonous, particularly the seeds, so you won't want to grow castor bean around children.

In a hot, sunny location, castor bean flourishes in humus-rich, well-drained, moisture-retentive soil. Under these conditions, plants may grow treelike in two months' time. Plant seeds directly in the ground when all chance of frost is past. In late spring, before the ground warms, you can grow seeds indoors in peat pots for four to six weeks, then settle the potted seedling in a spot where the showy plant architecture is meant to be a focal point. Young, self-sown plants do not fare well when pulled up and relocated. In general, castor bean roots should not be disturbed.

Listed as an invasive plant in Florida and Hawaii, I find that in my Marin county garden, with frosty nights and soggy winter soil, almost every self-sown seedling is killed off.

If you're going for a tropical look, castor bean is an unbeatable specimen for containers or in the ground. Still, in the first growing year, gardeners should monitor plants to be certain that not too many plants survive the winter and that none escape from the garden. 

If a problem is identified, it's good practice to clip off the entire flowering stalk as soon as the seedpods begin to fade, so there's no possibility of plants overwhelming an area. Or focus on the dramatic foliage and immediately remove any flowering racemes as soon as they emerge.

If you do clip the stalk after seed capsules form, you can harvest the beans to propagate more plants. Once the capsules mature, they begin to split, making it easy to collect the seeds. Store in a clean, dry container and label it clearly.

For a handsome plant marriage, combine castor bean, with its oddly thorny seedpods, and clary sage (Salvia sclarea), a floriferous biennial herb boasting terminal spikes & showy bracts.

I've witnessed surprising differences in the size and longevity of plants in my garden. One towering plant developed a central treelike stem and a sprawling branching habit, living for three years. Another remained compact and never thrived.

Provide good air circulation and a consistent temperature of 60 degrees or warmer to avoid seedling blight when propagating. Plants in the garden are generally trouble free.

Plant society seed exchanges can be a source for castor bean seeds.

Thompson & Morgan at times offers seeds of Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' online at www.seeds.thompson-morgan.com.

San Francisco Botanical Garden Vignettes

Leucodendron argenteum - Silver tree - South African Garden

Endangered in its native habitat of Cape Province
Photos © Alice Joyce

Himalayan Blue Bamboo - Entry Garden

Vignettes from a stroll through the San Francisco Botanical Garden

New Rhododendron Pavilion - stonework by Edwin Hamilton

Elegia capensis - above - Library Terrace Garden

Entry Garden plantings - below
Photos © Alice Joyce

New Zealand Garden - below - Norfolk Island Pine

Eastern Australia Garden - below - Reed Madden Design, Sculptural Wall

Photos © Alice Joyce

Oxalis deppei 'Iron Cross'

Native to Mexico, North America

Faux flower - Entry Garden

Read More...

Luculias at San Francisco Botanical Garden

Longing for, Lusting after... Rare Solanums!

Longing for...  Lusting after.....  Coveting 

Plant lust can be an addiction.

In particular, I've a penchant for Solanum species, aka Nighshade.

I once wrote in Garden Design magazine, "show me a plant with attitude and I swoon."

Solanum atropurpureum

doubtless scared away more than a few garden visitors. A tall, rangy shrub marked by purple-black stems densely covered in thorns, it's another South American species.

An unexpectedly vigorous growth habit eventually compelled me to say au revoir, and  I ceremoniously removed it from the intimate space of the patio. Not a good spot to admire the plant's strange beauty. 

Solanum pyracantha...

has appeared here and there in the garden over the years.

Tender perennial set apart by furry textured leaves, and a rich purple hue on new growth and spines.

Now growing in a container,

S pyracantha boasts blue-green foliage complemented by orange spines and pale lilac blooms.

(Images scanned from my archive of 35 mm slides.)

Wildflowers - Native Flora at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Spring in the Native Flora Garden

Trillium vaseyi

Trillium luteum

Photos: Ulrich Lorimer

Curator, Native Flora Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Trillium luteum emerging

Uvularia sessilifolia

Clematis viorna

Clematis ochroleua seed heads

"What of the future of rare native wildflowers? Because of the attrition of habitat, some are in a very precarious position."

Roger Tory Peterson/Margaret McKenny, from Introduction to Wildflowers - Peterson Field Guide

It's been my great pleasure to review the photographs included in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Flickr collection. And in particular, to look through the images taken by Ulrich Lorimer, Curator of the BBG's Native Flora Garden.

As mentioned in my previous post, I found the Native Flora Garden and its wildflowers entrancing. In the same way, I'm drawn to the subtle beauty of trilliums and clematis when I see them in wild places.

After taking in the woodsy tableau I've put together here, you can view the full photo set, along with portfolios of all the BBG gardens, at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklynbotanicgarden/

Kudos to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for their preservation of the region's native plants,

& a personal note of thanks to Uli, for sharing his beautiful photographs.

Link to A Springtime Stroll ... Brooklyn Botanic Garden

A Riot of Rhodies - Sonoma County Getaway

Sonoma Horticultural Nursery

It was a glorious day for a getaway! Driving west to the Coast, we aimed for Bodega Bay, site of Hitchcock's, The Birds. 

The route took us along the back roads, through Sebastopol, for a stopover at Sonoma Horticultural Nursery: A Northern California destination for plant geeks and garden aficionados. 

Sonoma Hort features 1-1/2 miles of pathways winding through moist woodland gardens. The magic touch of proprietor Polo de Lorenzo emerges throughout the nursery's leafy surroundings; an environment befitting the nursery's emphasis on rhododendrons and azaleas. 

Once, during a visit in early May, I witnessed the heart-stopping performance of a legendary dove tree (Davidia involucrata), its white bracts likened to fluttering handkerchiefs. In a circular driveway, one particularly enchanting dove tree has been designated a Sonoma County treasure--Heritage Tree #20. When blooming in May, Empress trees (Paulownia tomentosa) are another revelation!

The densely planted 8-acre property encompasses a pond & Blutcher Creek - a preserve for countless water-loving specimens, which add to Sonoma Hort's beguiling vignettes and picturesque vegetation. A lavish exhibition at this time of year - replete with the riotous colors of rhodies and azaleas - also takes in the strapping foliage of primitive-appearing Gunnera chilensis, accompanied by swathes of pretty primulas. Clematis cultivars are beginning to bloom, and soon, towering foxgloves will emerge along with masses of flamboyant clematis blooms decorating vertical posts and pillars placed along the paths. 

The nursery sells species, and choice cultivated varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas, along with exceptional selections of trees, shrubs, vines and shade-loving perennials. Scheduling a springtime stroll is a must for local gardeners & anyone touring Sonoma Wine Country.  As it's open year-round, Sonoma Hort is always a lovely spot for a getaway.... and plant shopping!

A trove of Drought Tolerant Plants, Colorful Succulents, Eucomis, and...

 

California Garden Circle - above

SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN 

Drought-tolerant Plants available at Botanical Garden Plant Sales

Visit the San Francisco Botanical Garden web site (link below) for a schedule of plant sales. A fantastic source for rare perennials, salvias, shrubs;

plants for shade and native species: Succulents, trees, ferns, and rhododendrons.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

at Strybing Arboretum

County Fair Building

Golden Gate Park

9th Avenue at Lincoln Way

The San Francisco Botanical Garden's Annual Spring Plant Sale: An impressive, botanical extravaganza, with more than 4,000 different kinds of plants on offer, including drought tolerant plants for water-wise gardening and food plants perfectly suited for Bay Area vegetable gardens. 

A large selection of California natives are often available at their seasonal peak. Plants that can be  counted upon to feature seeds and nectar to sustain native wildlife, and bring authentic beauty to California gardens. Some 300 to 400 varieties of natives may be for sale.

Eucomis bicolor - Eric Hunt Photo

Beguiling selections of uncommon and unusual plants will delight avid gardeners, while colorful succulents, flowering vines, herbaceous perennials, rock garden plants, salvias, shrubs and rhododendrons draw plant lovers of every persuasion.

Public Information:  415/661-1316 or www.sfbotanicalgarden.org
Read more ... Luculias at SFBG