Last Sat was the
Marcia Donahue's personal oasis, thus I skipped them because my fourth dimension was express (and I already had planned a
stopover at Annie's Annuals for the drive abode to Davis).
Of the 2 gardens I did see on Sat was i inward Berkeley listed inward the Open Days Directory nether the intriguing moniker
Pseudonatural Freakshow.
Here is how it was described:
My garden began every bit an seek to educate my yard every bit habitat for birds in addition to other winged life, shaped past times the natural spaces I dear to visit. Though originally stocked amongst many plants that render nutrient in addition to nesting fabric for birds, it is beingness filled inward to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than amongst the foreign in addition to fantastic plants that grab my eye. I’ve tried to brand a garden that feels similar Nature is—if non truly winning—at to the lowest degree making a skillful showing. The 5,000-square-foot dorsum garden is the oldest role in addition to is by in addition to large multi-storied verge areas to appeal to birds. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 creek on our northern edge is role of a natural flyway for birds. Aesthetically, I pay attending to site lines in addition to establish combinations, specially those amongst interesting foliage. I similar to get-go amongst broad pathways in addition to and thus let the plants to encroach. My aesthetic is definitely naturalistic, but I brand no seek to live geographically right nor create I favor California natives for whatsoever ground other than their individual, inherent excellence. Our menage is inward an former frumpy warehouse where my married adult woman does her artwork. So at that spot is niggling relation betwixt it in addition to the garden in addition to rattling niggling past times agency of views out to the garden from inside. Most everything inward the garden was made past times me from repurposed materials including an urbanite courtyard off our backdoor made from the concrete demo’d from a schoolhouse basement where I taught during an earthquake retrofit. The redwood staves from an former H2O tower were used to brand decking, fencing, in addition to a smaller storage shed. More reclaimed materials went into edifice a forty-foot pergola over the front end garden, to a greater extent than raised beds, in addition to many sitting areas. Plants include succulents, bromeliads, begonias, roses, echiums, solanums, phormiums, fruit trees, passion vines (including an older Passiflora membranacea), a broad make of herbaceous in addition to woody plants including many from the cloud woods similar Telanthophora grandifolia, Salvia wagneriana, Abutilon tridens, Iochromas, agapetes, fuchsias, brugmansia, in addition to Deppea splendens.
I was hooked, but I had no thought what to expect. The sliding gate at the entrance to the garden definitely had a light-industrial vibe. And the edifice itself did facial expression similar a generic commercial space.
The surface area within the gate was much unlike from what the exterior suggested: open, bright, in addition to sunny (well, whatever passed for sunny final Saturday). Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 clump of
Echium 'Mr Happy' were indeed happy inward the middle of the courtyard.
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| Echium 'Mr Happy', a hybrid between Echium wildprettii in addition to Echium pininana |
'Mr Happy' is a cross betwixt 2
Echium species,
Echium wildprettii (the ubiquitous tower of jewels) in addition to the rarer
Echium pininana. I volition forever associate 'Mr Happy' amongst
Annie's Annuals; I don't know if they created this hybrid but they convey popularized it inward Northern California.
As it turned out, I would come across quite a few other Annie's Annuals plants inward this garden--further proof of how influential Annie Hayes' plant nursery continues to live inward Bay Area gardening circles. The
white-flowering shape of Geranium maderense in the photograph below is an Annie's Annuals introduction.
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| White-flowering shape of giant geranium (Geranium maderense) |
I was pleased to discovery this beautiful clump of Mexican weeping bamboo;
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| Geranium maderense in the back, Mexican weeping bamboo (Otatea acuminata 'Aztecorum') inward the front |
My ain specimen is inward a wooden one-half barrel, in addition to piece it has survived for 8 years, it's never truly happy. It wants to live inward the basis where it tin spread at will. Unfortunately, I don't convey a skillful spot for it.
I was too happy to come across a duet of newly planted pivot cushions (
Leucospermum cultivars) nigh the Mexican weeping bamboo. Here's i of them:
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| Leucospermum 'Tango' |
Walking from the front end to the dorsum garden, I passed through a corridor inward a small-scale standalone structure. I don't truly know how to depict it. There was a solar daytime bed amongst musquito netting inward a small-scale alcove to the right. On the left, a window amongst an ornamental metallic insert but no drinking glass offered a skillful persuasion of Strawberry Creek, remarkably wild-looking although we're inward the middle of an urban area. This was my favorite vignette inward the garden because it had such an air of mystery well-nigh it.
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| Clearly, a gardener lives here! |
Now we're inward the dorsum garden. While the front end was opened upwardly in addition to airy (and is clearly even thus a run inward progress), the dorsum is lush, shady in addition to mature. I tin only imagine how prissy it must live to hang out hither on a hot summertime day--provided they convey those inward Berkeley.
In the photos below I give an ID where I convey one. Fortunately, a helpful establish listing created past times the possessor was available upon request. I want to a greater extent than gardens would create that.
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| Phormium 'Guardsman' |
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| Beschorneria albiflora, a succulent endemic to southern Mexico, Republic of Guatemala in addition to Honduras |
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| Sanchus palmensis, a giant dandelion relative from the Canary Islands, adjacent to a European white birch |
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| Another Beschorneria albiflora next to a Geranium maderense |
 | | Wider view |
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| Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' |
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| Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' |
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| Canary Island tree euphorbia (Euphorbia lambii) |
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| Another Euphorbia lambii |
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| Euphorbia lambii leaves against smoke bush (Cotinus coggyria) |
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| View of the primal surface area of the dorsum garden |
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| Massive Aeonium |
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| Shortcut to the path along the ground inward back |
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| Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi', contrasting perfectly amongst the bluish Adirondack chairs |
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| Tropical corner |
I don't know if officially there's such a affair every bit the Bay Area agency of gardening, but this garden definitely fits the esthetic. I'm ever envious of how effortlessly zone 10 gardeners tin grow plants that are challenging for me, similar those leucospermums, aeoniums, tree euphorbias, etc.
RELATED POSTS: All posts well-nigh Garden Conservany Open Days Sumber http://www.succulentsandmore.com/
The surface area within the gate was much unlike from what the exterior suggested: open, bright, in addition to sunny (well, whatever passed for sunny final Saturday). Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 clump of Echium 'Mr Happy' were indeed happy inward the middle of the courtyard.
