Previous entry:
Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud

Next Entry:
Bland Greens

Home:
One Truth For All

Archives

• May 2008
• April 2008
• March 2008
• February 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• July 2007
• May 2007
• April 2007
• March 2007
• February 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006
• July 2006
• June 2006
• May 2006
• April 2006
• March 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006
• December 2005
• November 2005
• October 2005
• September 2005
• August 2005
• July 2005
• June 2005
• May 2005
• April 2005
• March 2005
• February 2005
• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004
• October 2004
• September 2004
• August 2004
• July 2004
• June 2004
• May 2004
• April 2004
• March 2004
• February 2004
• January 2004
• December 1969

June 2, 2005

Botanical and Zoological Garden

Out at El Chorro Regional Park, they're building a botanical garden on 150 acres of land, planned to be one of the largest Mediterranean climate gardens in the world. Well, that's in the future. Right now they have a small "preview garden," and today after a discussion with our lawyer, I went out there to take a walk.

It was evening, a weekday, and the fog had rolled in, so the garden was entirely empty of people. Not of animals, though. In one of the beds there's a bird feeder, and lots of animals were chowing down. First I kept hearing lots of rustling in the shrubbery near me, then these guys erupted:

That's some California quail, toddling around like little idiots. Good thing I didn't have a cat with me.

Then later in my walk, this fellow hopped by right in front of me:

He sat in the middle of the path, nibbling on whatever plant he'd gotten into and giving me a watchful eye. Later I saw him hanging out with the quail by the feeder, eating seeds off the ground.

One of the first plants I saw made me a little ashamed of our little single-blooming artichoke. These certainly are impressive plants in full bloom.

This bush is called a sweatpea bush, for good reason. Its latin name is Polygata dalmaisiana.

This Teucrium betonicum was taking over. Actually, a lot of the plants in the garden are sort of delightfully out of control.

For example, this sweatpea vine had invaded several neighboring beds, and was working its way up a number of trees, too.

Lavender always looks good in terra cotta. They're a naturally good pairing.

This plant, Calandrinia spectabilis, is sort of plain and ordinary, until it blooms and gets tall and dramatic. The leaves and main body of the plant are about three inches tall.

I always stop to pet the lamb's ears.

I've been liking Penstemon quite a lot this season. Hummingbirds like them, too. This variety is called 'Blackbird.'

This Arctotis acaulis was identified as an African Daisy, but I always thought that common name was for Gerberas. Anyway, it looks like it will open out into a very pretty flower.

There were some plants I could not identify. No tags, and too much conflicting information in my guidebook (or they're from off this continent, and thus not included in Wildflowers of North America for obvious reasons).

Cute little red plant growing in a cactus bed:

Lots of these all over the place, but no tags. They look like Passiflora blossoms sitting on a California poppy body.

I must be getting all sappy about bell-shaped flowers or something. This looks like a Penstemon in some ways, and in others not.

This might be a native, as I've seen it growing in other places like on the dunes at the beach. I just can't seem to find it in the book.

Posted by ayse on 06/02/05 at 10:49 PM