This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [SANS] New Kid on the Block

Hi Aneita,

Woodside is located in Northern California in the hills in the center of the
San Francisco Peninsula.  I'm half way between San Jose and San Francisco at
about 660 feet elevation.  I'm also half way between the excellent San
Francisco Succulent and Cactus Society (notice we put succulents first) and
the San Jose C&S club, each group about a half hour to 45 minutes away.  I'm
next to and above Redwood City and can see the lower San Francisco Bay.  We
get a lot of rain up here.  When they say an inch fell in Redwood City my
rain gauge will have 2 to 3 inches in it.  Right now the hills are covered
with a rich green cover of fresh grass.  The poppies are beginning to bloom.
Soon the native live oaks will be covered with fresh new light green leaves.
Then about mid May the last light rains will cease, the humidity will drop
and he grass will bloom and die, turning "golden" (or brown if you want to
be negative).  With El Nin~o we should have a wonderful Spring for wild
flowers.

I've been down in your area visiting some wonderful sites for native
California succulent plants.  I'm curious how high in the mountains are you?
There are some fantastic sansevieria like native plants down there! (to get
a little bit back to our list topic).  I remember driving on the Freeway
that goes north from San Bernadino towards the Antelope Valley.  In the
canyon there we came upon the first Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia), which
are like gigantic arborescent sansevierias.  In that canyon the Joshua trees
seem to be especially large robust and beautiful.  I wondered if they are a
local variety at that site.  That species grows all throughout the hot
interior of Southern California, but every where else are shorter and less
robust looking.  I've tried to grow them but like many California native
succulents (and cacti) they refuse to be cultivated.  Further east near Palm
Springs, home of movie stars, there is a highway that climbs out of the
valley at Cathedral City and climbs up steeply about five thousand feet into
the mountains.  I remember seeing on the cliffs and steep slopes thousands
of beautiful silvery Agave deserti's (looking every bit like giant spiny
Sansevieria 'moonshines'!!).  The agaves at this local are supposed to be
quite variable; and I've often thought about going back to look for some
special unique (maybe dwarf or spineless ?) clones.  We were in a hurry that
day and I could only stick my head out the window and ogle them.

Jon
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index