Drought-Tolerant Plants - San Francisco Botanical Garden Plant Sales

SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN 

... A great source for drought-tolerant plants ...

Trees, Ferns, Rhododendrons, Native Plants Succulents, Perennials, Salvias, Shrubs, Shade Plants: The San Francisco Botanical Garden's Annual Plant Sales are  a great resource.

An impressive, botanical extravaganza, with more than 4,000 different kinds of plants on offer; emphasis on drought tolerant plants for water-wise gardening and food plants perfectly suited for Bay Area vegetable gardens.

San Francisco Botanical Garden - Golden Gate Park - 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way ....

A large selection of California natives will be available at their seasonal peak during the Native Plant Sale. Species you 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 will 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 should draw plant lovers of every persuasion.

Public Information:  415/661-1316 -- www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Bardessono Culinary Garden ... Yountville

Alice Joyce Photo: Bardessono Resort & Spa - Culinary Garden, Napa 

Click on link below to visit the new web site ... under construction!

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Lilac Vine on Blue Wall .. Hardenbergia violacea

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Are you in the neighborhood?  If you're planning to visit, I generally describe my home in reference to the blue wall surrounding the front patio. Drop by today and you'll see the 'Happy Wanderer' or lilac vine scrambling over the corner of the wall by the driveway. The plant was well-established when I moved into the house a decade ago:

And since I've been 'in charge,' it is rarely given a drink during the Bay Area's 6-month dry period.  While the garden I created outside the french doors at the rear of the house is hand-watered, the plants in front must be able to withstand benign neglect!

When this early bloomer is making a spectacle of itself,

I'm reminded why I pulled up roots and moved West.

The long months of ice and snow were taking their toll in more ways than one.

Today, I'm grateful for the rain,

and for the exuberance of this drought-tolerant, carefree evergreen climber:

An Australian native that tolerates temperatures as 

low as 15 to 20 degrees fahrenheit, especially with a bit of protection (like a wall).

I'll soon be launching a new web site:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Very excited about this project, however daunting it is to undertake!

Artful Surroundings .. Enrich and Invigorate

Rancho La Puerta - Part III

A profusion of drought-tolerant rosemary - shrubbery and swathes of the prostrate form,

blooms endlessly during the winter months.

At times, as I explored the grounds in silent meditation,

I would stop abruptly, enveloped by the fragrance of sweet alyssum!

Rounding a bend along a walkway, or gazing out at a serene landscape,

one finds life-size bronzes by acclaimed Mexican artist, Víctor Hugo Castañeda,

which appear as eye-catching focal points

throughout the property.

Conjoined eyebrows are key to revealing a work as a depiction of the artist, Frida Kahlo.

Perhaps the sculpture pictured below is associated with Kahlo more often.

A scrambling cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) 

weaves through the lively ironwork design 

of the entryway gate.

Stained glass casts glowing patterns,

 encountered as one approaches the reception area at check-in.

Mosaics embellish a spot where I stopped to read this quote from H. G. Bohr:

"The soul is not where it lives, But where it loves."

Among a grouping of sculptures of Frida Kahlo displayed in the main building;

this piece stands as a powerful reminder of the artist's self-portraits.

Aficionados of Kahlo's paintings will be intrigued by the collection on-view.

 (Madonna and I apparently share this fascination!)

Link to Part II - Rancho La Puerta 

 Landscape / Hardscape

Link to Julie Gallaher's .. thingsyoushoulddo

to find out more about the bloggers in my group.