“California Dreamin'”

I never thought I would be so excited to just see green grass. After the brutal winter we have all just endured that is exactly what helped sooth my soul as I touched down in California on a recent vacation. Looking at snow covered landscapes for nearly 7 weeks; landing in San Luis Obispo’s airport was refreshing to say the least. Gorgeous mountains, palm trees and cyclamen in front foundations were all breathtaking, but simply seeing green blades of grass reassured me that spring will eventually come.

Having San Luis Obispo as our home base my family and I ventured off in nearly equal, opposite directions. The first day of our trip took us to San Simeon and the famous Hearst Castle. The gardens were an integral part of the “Enchanted Hill”. William Randolph Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan worked together to create the garden designs. Fountains, statuary, plants and buildings, most of which is priceless, painted the picture high atop a mountain overlooking the pacific. Strolling through the gardens, familiar plants like boxwood, daphne and roses were all represented. However, what leapt out at me were the citrus trees covered with fruit, Camellias in full bloom, yellow Mimosa in flower and of course the Italian Cypress used as strong vertical accents. A successful groundcover used in mass was Ice Plant (Delosperma), a South African succulent whose rubbery foliage and brightly colored flowers has always captivated me.

Our second day took us to wine country in Paso Robles. The highlight of the day, from a horticultural standpoint, was our stop to Linne Calodo. Known for their Zinfandel and Rhone blends, this boutique winery has a plethora of Ginkgo trees surrounding their sign as well as lining their driveway all the way to the tasting facility.

The following day we ventured north and stopped first in Harmony, California. A population of less than 20 people, Harmony has some quaint shops and an impressive Eucalyptus tree towering some 60-80 feet. Still traveling north on coastal route 1 we stopped and admired the Elephant Seals. Colonizing the mainland beach of Piedras Blancas in the southern range of Big Sur, near San Simeon, these huge, blubbery beasts were as cute as they were loud. Continuing on we passed the Point Sur Naval Facility that at first glance reminded me of Mont Saint-Michel, a tidal island in Normandy, France. Pressing on we traveled through Big Sur and imbibed the intoxicating aroma of some monstrous Eucalyptus trees. Nearly all Eucalyptus are evergreen, are members of the myrtle family and have leaves covered with oil glands. Appreciative of their bark and fruit, I was particularly enamored with the White Ironbark (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) and Argyle Apple, (Eucalyptus cinerea) trees. Finally, we reached our northern most point for this trip… Monterey. Every view seemed to be punctuated with Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), a species that is endemic to the Central Coast of California. A medium-sized evergreen tree, Monterey Cypress often becomes irregular and flat-topped or windswept in appearance because of the strong winds typical of this area. Artistic examples of this cypress were evident along coastal route 1 coming into Big Sur, Carmel and eventually Monterey.

The fourth day, heading south, we traveled through Los Olivos and into Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara’s architecture had wonderful examples of Spanish Mission and Spanish Colonial revival. Mediterranean landscape designs depicting clean lines and a relaxing feel all the while being functional and beautiful. Simple stucco and adobe exteriors, elegant arches, clearly defined geometric patterns and coastal Mediterranean vegetation all left me in awe. Again, another highlight for me was the tall Eucalyptus and the wafts of aroma they provided were just too much. Dwala Aloe (Aloe chabaudii) was evident at most turns. Their bright orange-red flowers and broad, pale blue leaves edged with small teeth were stunning. Traveling down State Street in Santa Barbara, planters in front of shop stores were filled with Bird of Paradise and Mondo grass.

The last day, well really morning, was spent touring my nephew’s school, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. A university with a “learn by doing” philosophy had an enormous collection of plant material to look at. Two highlights for me include a huge wave of yellow heather embedded under towering palm trees outside the football stadium and a collection of Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) in the middle of campus.

California is a state known for its plant diversity. This was a welcome sight amidst this treacherous winter as I was beginning to lose hope that spring would never get here.

Road Trip

One of my life’s ambitions has always been to drive across country. This past June I received a phone call from my nephew, Donovan, asking me to accompany him back home from his school, California Polytechnic State University. For those of you who don’t know Cal Poly, it is located in San Luis Obispo County which is equidistant between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Donovan just finished his second year studying landscape architecture and to say that curriculum is challenging is an understatement. An institution whose educational accentuation is “Learn By Doing” has thrust it to an elite status, particularly in his field. His appreciation and appetite for plant material is as aggressive and veracious as my own.

After landing in one of tiniest airports ever, San Luis Obispo, I was treated to an In-N-Out double burger experience (animal style), had a quick tour of his university and visited the Leaning Pine Arboretum located on his campus. Display gardens which included Mediterranean, Californian, New Zealand, South African and Chilean plantings were humbling and proved, yet again, that no one can ever know it all. Majestic Canary Island Date Palm’s (Phoenix canariensis) were not only present in the arboretum but also lined the street outside Cal Poly’s football stadium. This tree encapsulated my predisposed vision of what California landscape would be like. Boy was I wrong! While palm trees may be what most of us conjure up to be as the postcard experience, California in fact has plant hardiness zones from 5b-10b (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map). That means they are colder than we are in parts of New Jersey and share Mediterranean climates as well. That’s a lot of plant diversity in one state.

Our trek took us from San Luis Obispo south to Los Angeles and finally heading east on the southern route. Along the way we passed Coastal Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia) whose dominance in the landscape is noteworthy for its adaptability throughout widespread terrain. Native to the California Floristic Province, a biodiversity hotspot sharing a Mediterranean climate, this evergreen oak was gorgeous in all its forms found rolling across hillsides. One town in particular, Los Olivos, had quintessential examples of Coastal Live Oak and just weeks later was in the news as it was home to Michael Jackson and his Neverland Ranch. We found Serpentine rock; olive-green rock outcrops dotted along embankments which I was told by Donovan is toxic to many plants. High levels of nickel, chromium and cobalt prohibit many plants from growing. Chalk lettuce (Dudleya pulverulenta) however, is not one of those plants. Pushing forward posthaste, we found ourselves marveling at Joshua trees in the Mohave Desert. Not referencing the 1987 Irish rock band U2’s album, but rather the botanical wonder Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). Known to grow at elevations of 2-6,000 feet, Joshua trees grow naturally in the Mohave Desert and are part of the Agavaceae family, a family which includes some 550-600 species, including agave, yucca and Joshua trees. Able to reach heights of 15-40 feet, Yucca brevifolia allegedly can only be pollinated by the Yucca moth. Neither the moth nor the tree are said to be able to live without one another. It is said that the tree got its name from Mormon pioneers who crossed the Mohave Desert in the 19^th century. Their credence was the tree’s outline resembled the prophet Joshua holding his hands up in prayer. Others suggest it was a sign the prophet was waving them on. Growing at a blistering pace, by desert standards, of 3 inches a year for the first ten years and only 1.5 inches a year thereafter, you can begin to appreciate the tenacity of this beautiful tree. The trunk is made up of thousands of small fibers and lacks the annual, traditional “tree rings” we all remembering counting as kids. Joshua trees can live for hundreds of years with some specimens said to make a thousand.

Pushing through the micro climates of California we made our way to the Grand Canyon by sunset. An awesome experience to see shades of red, yellow and orange reflect off the canyon walls, we pressed on to Flagstaff, Arizona by day’s end. A brief visit to Meteor Crater outside Flagstaff, Arizona, the next day, provided us a glimpse of two of the most gorgeous Bristlecone Pines (Pinus aristata) you will ever see. We learned about petrified wood, which is nature’s way of making concrete. Buried wood through the ages has had water seep into decaying cavities with mineral matter until the outlined structure becomes solid stone. Adobe style architecture was framed with shining examples of Parry’s agave (Agave parryi) and the central plains states showed a preponderance of Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) that in reality was seen all across our southern route.

Ashville, North Carolina proved to be the highlight of the trip, however. For years I have heard and read about the famous Biltmore Estate. America’s largest home, a mere 175,000 square feet, is embedded within the picturesque mountains of North Carolina on some 8,000 acres. George Washington Vanderbilt II built the chateauesque style manor and welcomed his guests for the first time in 1895. While the sheer architecture and scope of this project is jaw dropping, for a self professed plant geek like me, it was the gardens that left me speechless. The ambition and fiscal ability to build such a property is one thing, but to have the foresight to surround yourself with some of the greatest minds of your time to ensure that future generations can appreciate your work is mind boggling. One such mind was the “father of American landscape architecture” Frederick Law Olmsted. Famous for another famous landscape, New York’s Central Park, Olmsted’s vision at the Biltmore Estate was not to satisfy the itch of that time, but rather allow Biltmore’s gardens the opportunity to grow and come to fruition some 100 years later. The Rampe Douce, French for a double staircase, the terrace, Italian Garden, Walled Garden, Conservatory and Bass Pond and Lagoon were all favorites. However, memories that I will never forget include swinging from a Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus), monkeying around in a grove of bamboo, standing inside an oriental spruce (Picea orientalis) admiring the bark of a tree standing some 100 feet and finally, appreciating a Red Vein Maple (Acer rufinerve) a tree I had never heard of. Yes, Olmsted is king!

From emerald green vineyards, turquoise blue ocean and amber fields of grain that San Luis Obispo afforded us at the onset of our trip, to the Adobe style architecture of Santa Fe, New Mexico, through the central plains states and finally to the east coast, there is a rich diversity of plant material afforded to all of us in our country. Passing through a modern marvel of interior landscape architecture on our trip, the Gaylord Opryland Hotel was impressive. However, you can’t dismiss the efforts of planning and allowing the natural beauty of what was there to grow. Our country is filled with botanical wonderment and awe inspiring landscapes. As my years pass I will no doubt remember the idea of the Prophet Joshua welcoming us to the Mohave Desert, but I’m sure to remember the ideals of George Vanderbilt II and Frederick Law Olmsted which I interpreted as honor your past, build thoughtfully for today and protect for the future.