Re: MEDITERRANEAN!!!!!

I can relate to Charles's enthusiasm in seeing the
plants in habitat, and the mediterranean settings with
ruins only adds to the experience.  Being in Crete
about this same time of year last year was a similar
revelation for me.  However, the sights are just as
spectacular here in the SF Bay Area this time of year,
and this past week has been lots of fun, what with a
garden work party of fellow hortisexuals organized to
help give the Roger Raiche/David McCrory designed
entry garden at Strybing Arboretum a bit of a cleanup,
and the annual garden party at the fabulous native
plants garden designed by Phil Johnson for the
Schieffelins in Layfayette, California, and the
California Horticultural Society Tribute to Ruth
Bancroft and her garden in Walnut Creek.  Reminders
all that this is a great place to be gardening!

All three gardens are different interpretations of the
garden potential in a mediterranean climate, and all
three are fantastic visions of a unique theme.  Taking
the Schieffelin Garden as an example, the Eriogonum
crocatum were masses of sulfer yellow, contrasting
with the magenta pink of Clarkia coccinea, deep blues
of Penstemon hetrophylla, various shades of Diplacus
hybrids and species,(our native Monkeyflowers), Iris
douglasiana, Romneya coulteri(not in bloom yet in this
garden, but in full bloom in Berkeley), and many, many
other plants, (the most vividly colored things are
what caught my eye).  This garden features the
creative rock work of Phil, with a central waterfall
set within oak woodlands, that is stunning in its
naturalness and beautiful setting.  Many of the plants
also reflect Phil's collecting of natives from around
the state, which he also manages to get into
cultivation by nurseries, as he delivers seeds and
cuttings to nurseries such as Cornflower Farms up in
the Sacramento Valley.  (Phil is also responsible for
getting the Rosmary cultivar Irene into the trade.) 
Phil is definitely one of the unsung pioneers of using
California natives superbly in gardens, and is
probably much better known locally for his superb rock
work.

The Entry Garden at Strybing is completely different
in approach, as it is meant to showcase the diverse
variety of plantings contained within the arboretum,
and to entice people to visit the entire collection. 
The prevailing theme is one of abundance and
diversity, with a sense of tropical abandon that the
mild and foggy conditions of the Strybing location
permit.  Some of the things in full bloom included
Bartlettina sordida, 10 foot tall and deep blue
ageratum like blooms 12" across, Beschorneria, various
Geraniums and Pelargoniums, and a multitude of other
things.  The plant combinations are often grouped into
open bottom large containers, which repeat and/or
contrast themes of color or texture, design devices
for which Roger Raiche is particularly known for. 
Well worth visiting if you are in the area!

Ruth Bancroft's Desert Garden is also a treat, and to
see a slide show documenting the 20 year progress and
setbacks of the garden over the years was truly
amazing.  It was a lesson in planning and future
vision to see the dominant plantings so widely spaced
to allow for future growth, and then see them filled
in 20 years later.  This garden also features some
subtropicals not widely seen in inland northern
California, such as Tabebuia chrysotricha, T.
impetiginosa, Chorisia speciosa, and a multitude of
Aloes, Agaves, Echeverias, Aeoniums, etc, etc.  Some
of the things that most struck me were the Aloe
species and hybrids developed by Brian Kemble, the
curator at the Bancroft Garden.  It was also a treat
to see a mature specimen of Agave bracteosa in bloom,
a plant which I have in my own garden just getting
ready to bloom.  This one looks more like a Tillandsia
in habit than an agave, and now seeing it, I want to
use it in landscapes as mass plantings!  It was also
interesting,(for me as a bromeliad addict), to see a
Bromelia balansae in bloom from the gardens, a plant
which I hadn't thought hardy enough to grow here.

Sorry if this got overly long, but it is a treat to be
here in the Bay Area with all the garden related
activities going on.







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