Philip’s Garden Blog

The week before Christmas we woke up to the sound of soft rain. Now, most people would pull up the bedcovers and linger over a cup of coffee. That does sound wonderfully cozy, but I could not pull on my hiking boots fast enough. Armed with my coat and camera I set out into the misty rain to one of my favorite gardens in San Francisco: the Native Plant Garden at Strybing Arboretum.

Longfellow writes of “Air sweeter than wine”, and in the park this rainy morning I breathed in the heady ozone: damp, earthy and of green, growing things. I was not a completely solitary visitor to this garden as numerous house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus), golden-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) and other small birds clustered in the shrubbery, their presence made known by droplets of water as they flew from branch to branch, and by the babel of their birdsong. I imagined they were saying “Party over here! Party over there!”

With the arrival of the winter rains in northern California, now is a time to plants seeds of all types, and especially native plant seeds. These native wildflowers are uniquely adapted to this area’s climate of cool, wet winters and long, dry summers.

A few years ago when I first visited the Native Plant Garden at Strybing I thought to myself, ” I know these plants, this place, this feeling. This is the California landscape in which I was born and that I love”. Other parts of the arboretum are quite beautiful, but the trees are too big, the lawns too expansive for me to attempt to re-create in my own garden. I felt this native garden could be a teaching laboratory for me. This last year I planted seeds representing some of the plants shown here to see how they would do in my own garden. Most of the native plants in my December garden are dormant or are just seedlings. In a few months these plants will begin to grow and flower.

 The following pictures are from a visit I took to the Native Plant Garden at Strybing in April of 2008, and assists me with plant selections when planting seeds right now.

Tufted Hairgrass, Deschampsia cespitosa, has grown luxurient in this spot by April. In the arboretum one cannot venture off the path, but imagine sitting in the springy grass with your back nestled in the hollow of a California Buckeye tree, Aesculus californica, just coming into leaf.

The yellow flowers of meadowfoam, (Limnanthes douglasii) are spectacular planted en masse, and to do that economically one must do this by seed. This plant is delightful in flower, but I have learned a few things along the way in its cultivation. Limnanthes in my expeience can be devastated by slugs and snails when tender and young. Also, It is not reliable as a bedding plant. In reviewing again how it grows naturally in its habitat, I can see now that it prefers a natural, dry watercourse. There must be enough moisture deep down for this plant to “live happy and grow”.

I think I will try this again in the descending walk between the upper and lower sections of my own garden. The natural stepping stones could be made to effect a natural watercourse, interplanted with meadowfoam. Let’s see what happens this spring!

Without a doubt, one of the easiest of California wildflowers to plant by seed is the orange flowered California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). I have found to my delight numerous species of this type that have white flowers, yellow flowers, pink and even apricot flowers! The orange is the most common, but withstands a variety of climatic conditions. It can be a perennial in the right conditions, and very happily re-seeds. This time of year I am busily transplanting Eschscholzia sp. from where I feel they should not be (like under the garden table), and to where I think they could be set off best. When planting with seed, thinning the multitude of plants that emerge will allow a few to grow to be quite vigorous and provide a delicious display of blooms for bees …and for you!

The pink flowered Clarkia sp. turned out to be one of my great dicoveries this last season. Shown here intermixed with native grasses, planted alone in my own “test kitchen” in a miniscule plot of my own garden, I was amazed by the vigorous and showy blooms we had from this seed to plant. Clarkia comes in a number of species, some double, some single flowering — all are spectacular.

There is a common misconception that one can simply throw native plant seeds willy-nilly about and expect a flowering garden. My personal experience is that this is simply not the case. Most seeds like good, well-drained amended soil, and do need to be planted in the soil to prevent being eaten by birds.  But I do love birds and I have a birdbath and feeder with good seed for them. Mother nature has many seeds to expend to birds, and the law of averages applies. If you have a limited budget, and wish to plant directly by seed with plants such as Clarkia, plant them carefully in a well prepared bed.

In this type of garden, pure color appears to float like daubs of paint on a green colored ground.

One of the California native irises, Iris longipetala flourishes in great stands in the coastal prairie.

Iris douglasiana produces many different colored flowers. It is instructive for me to see how nature arrays these plants in clumps. Where one Iris in the garden is a jewel-like specimen, a great drift of these flowers provides a spectacular display in the spring. In the background is the yellow flowering tree, Fremontodendron californicum

 Admission is free to visit the native plant garden at Strybing Arboretum http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/

Further information can be found with The California Native Plant Society: www.cnps.org

From their website:
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and how to conserve them and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, horticulture and land stewardship

Many seeds and rhizomes of the plants shown here can be purchased online with Larner seeds: www.larnerseeds.com.  I hope to visit Judith Larner Lowry’s demonstation garden on the coastal bluff of Bolinas soon. That will be another garden adventure!

As the days of the year grow shorter, the Pacific coast near San Francisco clears of fog. This is my favorite time of year to be out and about, to be in the sun; an expedition to a world away minutes from home. Recently, on a warm and hazy December afternoon, we took a jaunt to one of my favorite places, the Marin headlands.

 

Like all good adventures, getting to the destination is part of the fun. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco is a thrilling preparatory to the headlands itself. As one progresses over the bridge the traffic slows. People strolling and admiring the view flank the right, bicyclists on the left. The towers of the bridge rise above, first one and then the other as you pass underneath. Painted the distinctive color, “international orange”, the towers for all their Art Deco modeling are muscular and thrilling as they suspend their cables over the roiling sea below.

 

Take the Alexander exit beyond the bridge. Turn left under the freeway. Turn as though heading south back onto the bridge. Veer up the hill to Conzulman road. At the rise there is a small gravel parking area on the left. follow the trail to Battery Spencer. This area is currently undergoing a native plant restoration.

 

The view from Battery Spencer is a familiar one to many from television and the movies, but that does not lessen the heady experience when one stands on the natural platform gazing over the cliff. 

 

The headlands played a vital role during WW II in the defense of the bay and the nation. Strategic military batteries in the headlands, once top secret, are now linked by public trails.

 

Another former battery, Hawk’s Hill is now the home of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. From Battery Spencer, continue 1.8 miles on Conzulman road until it becomes one-way. Park off the roadway and walk up the trail on the west side of Hawk Hill past the locked gate. It is a just a few hundred feet to the summit.

 

Raptors, such as red tail hawks, golden eagles and peregrine falcons use the headlands as a migration thoroughfare.  While on migration, birds of prey use air movements, such as rising thermals and updrafts on hills to maintain their altitude. Many hawks prefer to fly over land, avoiding open water.

 

Upon reaching the Golden Gate, migrating raptors are squeezed by the San Francisco Bay on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Hawk’s Hill is the ideal spot to witness this remarkable migration as the raptors, if they can catch a good tail wind, zip across the two mile gap.

 

From their website: http://www.ggro.org/index.html

“We saw the two adult peregrines flying around and showing off. From there, the peregrine party took off. We had a total of nine buzzing the hill, chasing around red-tails and otherwise causing havok during the course of the day. We also got a nice look at an adult golden eagle.“

 

A few paces from the summit is the perfect bench to observe the raptor migration, passing ships and to simply commune with the beauty of it all.

 

Hawk’s Hill, with the cypress trees crowning the summit, can be seen from Point Bonita.

 

Shaded from the afternoon sun, a winding footpath leads to the Point Bonita lighthouse. Warn children that like all exciting adventures or a quest, sometimes one must proceed with caution!

 

Wild cabbage, Brassica oleracea, thrives on these marine cliffs.Tolerant of sea salt, but not plant competition, wild cabbage is perfectly edible. I am familiar with this type of plant from my childhood as it was one of the few things that would grow on the rocky seaside cliffs near my family’s home.

 

The path to the lighthouse leads through a tunnel. The sound of the ocean on three sides is like what one imagines when placing one’s ear to a nautilus.

Emerging from the roughly cut tunnel , one then crosses a bridge placed between rocky outcrops. The tunnel was dug by the Chinese workmen who also constructed the Sierra tunnels for the Transcontinental Railroad.

 

 The atmosphere surrounding the lighthouse is diffused with mist from the surf below, blinding with reflective light.

 

Point Bonita lighthouse is reached by a final suspension bridge over crashing waves.  Standing sentinel at the entrance of the Golden Gate, The lighthouse has guided mariners through a spot notorious for strong currents, deadly shoals, rogue waves and great white sharks!   Originally the lighthouse was located higher up the hill. Frequently enshrouded by dense fog, the lighthouse was relocated to its present location just above the Pacific and below the fogline.

 

Living in the keeper’s residence next to the lighthouse was not without its challenges. In the early 20th century Keeper Alex Martin and his wife fashioned harnesses for their young children as they played outside. This fortunately saved young Dorothy as she was found one afternoon dangling over the cliff secured only by her tether!

 

Unlike Southern California, most of Northern California’s cities are inland. The coast here is wild, austere and wonderfully unspoiled. One can spot grey whales with their calves off this coast this spring as they migrate from Baja to Alaska. Look for the blow or spout up to 15 feet high. Sometimes you will see the fluke, the 12 foot wide tail of the grey whale at it descends into the deep.

The road from Point Bonita winds north to Fort Cronkhite. Once a military base during WW II, this fort, along with other military posts such as Fort Baker and the Presidio across the bay in San Francisco are now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the National Park Service. Once a seasonal home of the Miwok, this beach and lagoon is today a place to contemplate, run around, fly a kite and spread your toes in the sand.

The straightforward military buildings of Fort Cronkhite have found a new life with organizations such as the Headlands Center for the Arts.  Mission statement:

In creating Headlands Center for the Arts, the founders sought to re-configure the role of the artist from a marginalized position to that of a central participant in our society. Over 1,000 artists have worked with Headlands in its various programs. We host artists from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, and our public programs bring artists together with scholars, activists and other professionals. By facilitating interaction across traditional boundaries, Headlands works to introduce artists and audiences to new creative processes, and to broaden the range of possibilities for art’s function in our society.

I honor the creative process, and I welcomed this rare glimpse into these artists’ studios. The above studio intrigued me: the tableaux of wing chair placed resolutely away from the stunning view beyond the windows; the wine bottle and glass carefully placed.

I loved this studio for its delicious ferment: the masses of squeezed paint tubes and brushes; old fashioned metal trash cans and a monitor fitted with a propeller.

I love the tubes of classic oil paints: burnt sienna, raw umber, Vandyke brown, Prussian blue, Alizarin crimson, sap green, cadmium yellow, manganese blue, titanium zinc-white…

The Headlands Center for The Arts mess hall has an open kitchen. Filled with light from south facing windows, I thought this place had a wonderful atmosphere. Dinners accompany many of their public programs.  www.headlands.org

The “mess hall” walls feature hand painted paper panels; each unique panel depicting the native plants and wildlife of the headlands.

The Marine Mammal Center Hospital is currently closed to the public. Their new facility, currently under construction above Fort Cronkhite will open in 2009.
The Marine Mammal Center has rescued thousands of ill and orphaned marine mammals such as elephant seals, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, fur seals, dolphins, harbor porpoises and the like at their facility. Their programs have educated thousands of schoolchildren and members of the public to our interdependence with marine mammals, their importance as sentinels of the ocean environment, the health of which is essential for all life.
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org

Located in Fort Cronkhite near Rodeo beach, The Headlands Native Plant Nursery is one of five native plant nurseries operated by the The Golden Gate National Park Conservancy. These nurseries grow over 140,000 plants for up to 50 different habitat restoration projects.

Volunteer at this or any of the other nurseries:  www.parksconservancy.org.

Come grow with us at the Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery! Each year, we grow over 30,000 plants to restore natural habitats within the Marin Headlands. The dedication and support of our volunteers are vital in the effort to grow plants, collect seeds, maintain the nursery facility, and much more. Our projects are outside, fun, and always hands-on.

East of Fort Cronkhite on the San Francisco Bay is Fort Baker, set on Horseshoe Cove.

A military site since the 1860’s, Fort Baker’s distinctive colonial revival architecture was constructed in the early 20th century.

Gracious officers’ quarters were placed around an expansive parade ground. Stands of Monterey Cypress and Blue Gum Eucalyptus were established as windbreaks.

Fort Baker is now part of the Golden Gate National Park. The historic structures which had fallen into great disrepair have undergone a stunning restoration. Currently undergoing LEED accreditation for its eco practices in reuse and green build, Fort Baker is home to The Institute at The Golden Gate, an organization that partners with others to address environmental issues such as climate change and preserving urban open space.

The newest lodge in the National Park system, Cavallo Point-The lodge at the Golden Gate is acclaimed for its commitment to the highest standards of environmental sustainability.

As as special treat during our visit to the headlands, we enjoyed a memorable lunch at the restaurant at Cavallo Point Lodge, Murray Circle.

Being out in the sun and fresh air works up an appetite, and ginger spice pot de creme with homemade biscotti was the perfect way to end a day spent exploring the headlands!

This spring these tawny hills will explode with wildflowers. From military base to national park, the Marin Headlands is enjoying a renaissance. From rescuing marine mammals, tracking raptors, restoring plant habitats and creating art, people are actively working together to make a difference, in this place and for the planet. With its incomparable views, trails, soaring eagles and volunteer park stewards, the Marin Headlands delight and inspire me in every season.

 

 

Oh, heck! I thought we would have this beach to ourselves”

 

This has become a favorite family expression since my aunt Joan first said this on Ten Mile Beach many years ago. We were dragging long canvas sacks, formally U.S. postal bags, now filled with the driftwood we had collected. Far down the coast, obscured by spray from the long rollers off the Pacific,a solitary figure could be seen at the water’s edge. We laughed till our sides hurt at the absurdity of the situation. Even today all one of us has to say is” Oh, heck” to produce a smile. It was not that we were unfriendly, but we had come to love this long stretch of sand and grassy dune for its splendid isolation.

 

It was here that nature seemed at its most elemental. Rocky coves where pines met the sea gave way to the grand gesture: the expanse of water and sky in the brilliant light, rolling hillocks of sand, their southeasterly progression slowed by beach grass shimmering in the wind.

 

Not for me are the crowds of a summer’s beach. When November arrives the lonely, windswept coast north and south of San Francisco calls to me. There is a place between twin lighthouses where the shoals part to reveal a curve of sand and grassy dune not unlike the ten mile beach we had enjoyed all those years ago. Elephant seals congregate in the reserve adjacent to this spot. Once when we were hiking this stretch of coast I spied a long tree trunk on its side, probably washed ashore in the last storm. Ah ha! the perfect place to sit with one’s back to the dunes facing the sea. As I approached, one end of the” tree trunk” moved! It was a male elephant seal, a rogue, banished from the nearby colony. We quickly left him to his place in the dunes.

In the lee of the fore-dunes, lagoons fringed with green and gold rushes pool without access to the sea.  Driftwood and the occasional saltwater deluge adds a brackish tang. Some winters, a storm coincides with an extreme tide sending waves through the hollows of the dunes to the lagoons resting beyond.

The hollows of the dunes are irresistible for me to lie down in.  Sheltered and warm, the rythmic sound of the surf is hypnotic and somnolent. If one lies still long enough, birds and other wildlife will come quite close. I have opened my eyes to see a towhee regarding me next to my face as it scratched about the grass. Here my mind wanders to thoughts of life and of nature; thoughts about grasses surrounding me in the dune hollow and then to grasses in gardens.

In a corner of  the Barbro Osher sculpture garden at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, landscape designer and University of California professor Walter Hood evokes the topography of grassy sand dunes which once covered this site.

Designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & d’ Mueron, the de Young museum incorporates a cantilevered canopy over the terrace of the sculpture garden. Clad in perforated and embossed copper panels, the monumentality of the structure required a landscape that speaks to primative essentials. Hood’s grassy dune alludes not only to the original landscape of the park, but to the reductive qualities of the dune landscape itself.

As night falls over the grassy dunes the soothing sound of the surf become a roar. What is seen and unseen in this landscape is like the lighthouse on the near point sending a whiplash of light over the waves and dunes. Without the companionable focus of a driftwood bonfire surrounded by friends, the dune landscape at night is grand and terrible in its immensity.

                moonlight -

                                    a sand dune

                                    shifts
                                          
                                                              Virginia Brady Young, 2002      

               

 

 

This morning I asked a few friends this question:  ” What do you think of when I say the words wild strawberries?“

 ”Pat and Pam both thought of the Ingmar Bergman film of the same name.

 ”It sounds like the name for a girl band”, said John.

Josip and Ulla  said it reminded them of their respective childhoods in Bosnia and Denmark.

Josip collected wild strawberries in an open glade of the woods above his Bosnian home of Banja Luka. Accompanied by his brother, mother and baka (grandmother), they collected vast bounties in a glass jar in the heat of high summer. Once a snake startled them foraging and they avoided that particular patch the next summer!  The wild strawberries served at home were mashed and mixed with whipped cream.

The wild strawberries in Ulla’s Danish childhood summer home in Dragør never made it to the table or in a dessert. They were eaten first thing in the morning with the dew still on them. The intense flavor of the tiny fruit is what she remembers most. Had any wild strawberries been spared these dawn raids, she says they would have been incorporated into a dish of raspberries and red currants called rodgrod med flode.

What got me started thinking about wild strawberries was the discovery yesterday of a crop of tiny delicious gems in the wild strawberry patch we have in our garden in San Francisco. We have two strawberry beds. The bed of the garden strawberry Fragaria ananassa produces a prolific crop of the kind of large strawberries that makes you think of the Fourth of July and strawberry shortcake. The bank of wild strawberries Fragaria vesca produces small fruit of intense flavor. Like Ulla’s Danish garden, we savor these wild strawberries directly off the plant as soon as they ripen.
Growing in open woodland glades, I have tried to create a  situation in my garden which replicates where the wild strawberry grows naturally. The soil is somewhat acidic and well drained. The site has full sun during the day, and dappled shade in the late afternoon. I have planted the wild strawberries next to the garden bench so friends could discover a “taste sensation” as they sit and enjoy.

It is important that one does not plant the mock strawberry Potentilla indica. Invasive in many states, this noxious plant has similar leaves to the true strawberry (fragaria sp.), but not its habits or flavorful fruit.

I love taking hikes along the northern California coast, not only for its natural beauty, but to see native plants that are available in  plant nurseries in their natural situation. The California native beach strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis does not have very sweet berries, but is an excellent ground cover for the coastal home garden . Shown in the image above growing in its native habitat near the coast in August, one can see that this is an aggressive species. Spreading by a web of interlocking runners, the beach strawberry stabilizes the soil and prevents shifting dunes and erosion. Notice how green this plant is even after months of drought. The coastal fog provides enough moisture for the soil under the dense plant cover. A large area would be wanted if one were to plant this, with full sun and sandy soil.

As with Ulla and Josip the wild strawberry brings back memories for many people of summers past, of childhood innocence and hopes. Psychological associations and emotions of loss and regret are intertwined, too, in a plant that evokes such strong recollections.  In Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film Smultronstallet or Wild Strawberries, an aging professor returns to his old home and in a dreamscape of memory re-lives his young love, Sara, collecting wild strawberries. He watches in dismay as Sara encounters his brother Sigfrid whom she kisses fervently, spilling the wild strawberries in their passion.

Wild strawberries can evoke yearnings for idealized rusticity, for the pastoral. In the 1898 Elizabeth and Her German Garden, Elizabeth Von Arnim describes her fastasy cottage in a glade of the Hirschwald:

I know the exact spot where it should stand, facing south-east, so that we could get all the cheerfullness of the morning, and close to the stream that we may wash our plates. Sometimes, when in the mood for society, we would invite the remaining babies to tea and entertain them with wild strawberries on horse-chestnut leaves. But no one less innocent or easily pleased as a baby would be permitted to darken the effulgence of our cottage- indeed I don’t suppose anyone wiser would care to come. Wise people want so many things before they can enjoy themselves, and I feel perpetually apologetic when I am with them for only being able to offer them that which I love best myself- apologetic, and ashamed of being so easily contented.

 The 1904 essay, Strawberries by John Burroughs captures the delight of this plant, and its nostalgic appeal:

Lives the country boy who does not like wild strawberries and milk,-yea, prefer it to any known dish? I am not thinking about a dessert of strawberries and cream, but bread and milk with the addition of wild strawberries is perculiarly a country dish, and is to the taste what wild birdsong is to the ear. When I was a lad and went afield with my hoe or with the cows during the strawberry season, I was sure to return at mealtime with a lining of berries on the top of my straw hat. They were my daily food and I could taste the liquid gurgling notes of the Bobolink in every spoonful of them; and to this day to make a dinner or supper of a bowl of milk with bread and strawberries-plenty of strawberries, well is as near to being a boy again as I ever expect to come.

What comes to your mind when you think of wild strawberries?

Last Sunday, on a foggy morning in August, I took a walk through Crissy Field in the Presidio National Park. This year is the tenth anniversary of this parks restoration from abandoned airfield to the ecological treasure it is today. I knew before I went that the spectacular burst of spring wildflowers had long passed, and that I was between the migratory seasons of birds and waterfowl. What I found was that this park had treasures  to be discovered any time of the year.

Situated in the northeast corner of the San Francisco peninsula, Crissy Field is like a platform  placed before one of the world’s most beautiful settings:  on the rugged and sparsely populated northern California coast, the coastal mountains part to reveal one of the greatest of natural harbors, the San Francisco Bay. The “Golden Gate” is not just a bridge, but a natural portal to the one of the world’s most dynamic regions.  In looking at this park today it is hard to imagine that this is a restored urban landscape. Imagine this place a flat airfield, abandoned and derelict. Covered in concrete, asphalt, hazardous waste and studded with weeds, Crissy Field and its views were off limits to visitors.

Because of its stategic location, the Presidio was one of the nation’s preeminent military bases. Crissy Field, named in honor of Major Dana Crissy, was the military’s first Air Coast Defense Station on the Pacific coast. The end of the cold war led to a re-evaluation of the nation’s military locatiions. In October 1994, the U.S. Army lowered its flag for the last time, and the Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  Beginning in 1998, tons of asphalt and rubble was removed. A new kind of park was concieved which balanced both ecological habitat restoration  and recreation. A legion of volunteers planted over 100,000 native plant species. Ten years later Crissy field thrives for both nature and people.

The fragrance hits you first: imagine the smell of sage and the astringent quality of artemisia. Combine that with a woody note like sandalwood and you are there.  These are the aromas of the coastal scrub which takes me right back to my childhood growing up on the wild California coast.

This place was once the village called Pentlenuc. It was the winter seasonal home of the Yelamu tribe, associated with the larger Ohlone American Indian tribe which populated the  Bay Area. With only about 200 members, the Yelamu divided their time here and with the eastern parts of  the peninsula.  In June of 1776, Spanish missionaries established the Mission San Francisco de Asisi; the tribe was quickly incorporated into the mission and the Yelamu’s traditional way of life was lost. Today Crissy field remains a spiritual place for the native Ohlone people.

 
Plants and grasses knit together with an incredible diversity. This also helps to conserve moisture in the soil during the long dry season.

The California Aster, Aster chilensis, is a perennial which provides nectar for butterflies and the over 60 species of bees which inhabit The Presidio. It has a long summer bloom despite the fact that it must rely on months of drought. Native to salt marches and grasslands, it has found the perfect habitat at Crissy field and flourishes here.

Striking stands of Wrights Paintbrush, Castilleja weightii, flourish in the coastal scrub. The brilliant red color (also seen in red and gold) is produced not by flowers, but by bracts. Paintbrush cannot live alone as it is a partial parasitic. Sending sneaky projections from its roots called haustoria, it takes nutrients from its favorite hosts such as bunchgrass and wild buckwheat.  The green mounding shrubs are Coyote Brush, Baccaris pilularis. An important element to the coastal scrub, the plants roots secure the soil and emerges when native grassland is spared grazing.

The sticky Monkey flower, mimulus aurantiacus, has a complex relationship with the specialist butterfly Ephydryas Chalcedona. This butterfly lays its larvae on the leaves of this plant in the spring when the nutrients and the sticky resin which coats the leaves are at their highest levels. The high nutrients act to feed the larvae, but the sticky resin prevents the plant from being consumed completely!  When the larvae no longer feed on the leaves in the early summer, the Sticky Monkey Flower converts energy from the production of resin to flowers, producing the glorious displays you see here.

Yellow bush lupine, Lupinus arboreus, begins to produce seedheads in the late summer. When the tidal marsh was being restored, remnants of a historic Yelamu shellmound was discovered. Seeds of yellow bush lupine found at the 400 year level of the shellmound proved that the species was native to the area, and not introduced at the time of the Mexican and American settlements.

The restored tidal marsh is a central feature of the park. Once buried in hazardous waste covered in asphalt, the marsh re-creates the one which once existed behind the coastal dunes.

The Presidio is visited by an astonishing 200 species of birds, more that any urban park in the world. Located on the Pacific flyway, the marsh at Crissy field is visited by 9o% of all the migratory birds who pass through this area from the Northern Arctic to the tip of South America. The restored saltwater marsh is home to 17 fish species.

The restoration of Crissy Field included a balance of natural restoration, historic preservation and recreational use. Large grassy lawns recall the original grass airfield. The distinctive red and white structures include the historic Presidio Coast Guard Station. shown above. It is now the home of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center.
Native plants have been emphasized in the park, but the tall palms have been retained as they help tell the story of the park’s history.

Crissy field now has a popular sandy beach which is popular with children, strollers and dogs. This is not a swimming beach as there are terrific underwater currents, great white sharks and frigid water!

Looking east the skyline of San Francisco emerges from the morning fog.

Another component in the natural restoration of the park is the re-creation of the dune swale habitat which originally existed here. Located between the bay and the tidal marsh, endangered plants which are native to San Francisco are preserved here.

The Beach Evening Primrose, Camissonia cheiranthifolia, has a large root system which secures the dunes from shifting.

Native to the San Francisco dunes, the Dune Tansey, Tanacetum camphoratum, is greatly endangered due to habitat loss. It is thrilling to see this plant in person and to know it has been saved from extinction.

Crissy field needs your help! Volunteer and become a Presidio Park Steward.

From the Golden Gate National parks conservancy website:

Help enhance rare native plant habitat and create important wildlife corridors in the Presidio of San Francisco. Learn about dune and serpentine systems while working in our scrub, grassland, woodland, wetland, and bluff habitats. Our activities will include invasive plant removal during the summer dry season and native revegetation during the winter rainy season. Habitat restoration is a proactive way to participate in environmental healing while removing invasive plants and revegetating with natives. Come learn about local plants and animals and be a habitat hero!

For  more information contact:
PresidioParkStewards@parksconservancy.org
 

Forty-five minutes by boat from Puerto Vallarta, and seemingly outside time and space, is the place called Yelapa.
Isolated by the mountain ranges of the Mexican Southern escarpment, Yelapa can only be reached by boat. There are no roads leading into Yelapa. A rugged track can be traverssed by mule or on foot, except during the rainy season when the track is impassible. It should be noted that the rainy season lasts half the year.

 

Casas de Isabel on “the point” is a botanic garden of rare tropical plants from around the world.  Isabel invited us to witness the opening of a flowering tree’s blossoms which only bloomed at midnight. Located in a stunning seaside canyon setting with two waterfalls, Casas de Isabel is a sanctuary for the sacred art of the Huichol where you can see their collection on display .  The Women’s Sacred Circle retreats are held from March 24th, to April 2nd.  From the Casas Isabel website:  “Compassionate listening is almost a lost art among many, including most of our world leaders, but not here!”

The slopes of the village are covered in flowering hibiscus. Dried hibiscus is considered an edible delicacy and children string hibiscus necklaces.

The paths of the village are lined in fruiting shrubs such as kumquat, mango and clusters of potted plants. Here, without any running water, the love of growing plants and beauty is triumphant.

Pigmented walls contrast with handmade moulded clay garden steps.

The region of Yelapa is considered one of the world’s great natural ecosystems for biodiversity, second only to the Amazon. Many important food crops genetically originated here such as maize, cotton, peppers and squash.

On a recent trip through the California high desert,  I was struck by the rapid development of shopping centers and
housing developments, each with a strip of lawn and introduced species from more benevolent climes. The deserts
of the American Southwest have uniquely evolved over thousands of years with endemic plants adapted to the extremes
of climate and sandy, rocky soil.   A visit to Joshua Tree National Monument is instructive on what a garden in such a
landscape can be.  It is also gloriously beautiful.  Note: It is strictly prohibited to collect plant materials of any type from
the monument.  Purchase seeds and plants only from a certified nursery.

Winter rains transform the land with a succession of wildflowers (yellow cups Camissonia brevipes, and
Malacothrix glabrata, the desert daisy). Some plants remain dormant for years until just the right conditions.

The jumping cholla Opuntia bigelovii growing in “desert pavement” along with desert senna, Senna covesii. 
The desert senna, a member of the pea family, is a fine addition to the home desert garden. I would hesitate to
plant the jumping cholla, however, in places frequented by children and pets due to its nasty barbed spines.

The Mojave yucca, Yucca schidigera, had a myriad of uses for the Serrano. The fibers of the leaves were woven
into rope and sandals. The flowers, fruit and seeds were considered edible and the roots were used to make soap.
A veritable shopping center in one plant!

Desert Indian paintbrush, Castilleja angustifolia.

Desert mallow,  Sphaeralcea ambigua, is a superb choice for the home desert garden.
This will grow in disturbed areas such as roadsides and is a fine cut flower.

Calico cactus, Echinocereus engelmannii

Carolyn Presley shows her friend Ric around her property in Yucca Valley, CA .
She maintains this as a native reserve, with species seen at the nearby Joshua Tree National Monument.

Carolyn, Francis and Ric rest by Carolyn’s vintage milk truck, “The Bella Donna”.  And yes,
it runs just fine, thank you, with a restored motor. Things are not always what they may seem
at first in the desert.  Below is Carolyn’s collection of found objects. This garden epitomizes to me
living in balance with the desert, with its moods and beauty.