Fall in northern California(long, and not drought politically correct!)

Hope this won't be too repepitive for longer term
readers on this list, but the beautiful weather after
our first rains and strong winds, and the beauty of my
garden this fall after being away most of the summer
is prompting me to write about the garden and the
region at this time of year, and be glad that we don't
have to deal with freezes and cold this time of year,
as Portland and Seattle have been suffering through...

While elsewhere in the USA the cold weather is
settling in, here in California with the first rains
it is a time of rebirth in the landscape.  The untamed
hillsides, which are already responding to this first
good soaking after 6 months of drought, are flushed
with tender green.  The sun is golden and mellow, and
the bay seems a deeper blue, the distant mountains
such as Mount Tamalpais a deeper green.  The city of
San Francisco appears sparkling white as seen from
Berkeley across the bay.  There is fall color to be
seen in the wilds, but it is more the subtle tans and
yellows of a Big Leaf Maple, the silvery bare branches
of the California Buckeye, or the intense reds of
Poison Oak. 
 
Today is one of those mild fall days here in northern
California, when the air is still and warm, the fall
color is just starting to peak; Gingkos, Liquidambars,
Crape Myrtles, Chinese Pistache, Poplars, Japanese
Maples are all still in full color or starting to
color up.  These tend to occur as isolated incidents
rather than lining entire streets, and are outnumbered
by the broadleaf evergreens and redwoods and pines,
but are they any less beautiful for being less
abundant?  

As well, the fall blooming flowers are gorgeous right
now, and represent that schizophrenic combination of
gardening possiblities here in northern California;
are we temperate or subtropical?  The only true answer
is neither, we are  mediterranean, that rare mild
winter rainfall climate where all things seem
possible, given additional water.  Will we take heed
of this limited resource and acknowledge this?  The
continued abundance of lawns, azaleas, rhododendrons
and birch trees in the suburban garden seems to argue
against this.  

This time of year, we are released from the burden of
having to irrigate our gardens, as fall is not a time
of dormancy for the native plants and gardens here,
but of awakening. Native and South African/other
Mediterranean bulbs are already bursting forth,
wildflowers starting to sprout, and the dry chapparal
shrubby vegetation is sprouting new foliage to replace
the shriveled leaves of summer.    

In the garden, our fall/winter blooming flowers come
from disparate parts of the world; from desert to
tropics, misty cloudforests in the mountains of the
Andes, Borneo, Himalayas or Mexico,  to desert sea
coasts.  For those who seek them out, there is no need
to suffer winter without color.  In my own garden many
of the other mediterranean plants are already in early
bloom, such as the yellow tree aloe and the
interesting Gnidia polycephala shrub, with its
heathery appearance and sweet yellow bloom.  Another
South African vine, Senecio tamoides has climbed 30
feet up into the air and draping its large daffodil
yellow clusters of blooms and glossy leaves all over
the Pittosporum hedge.  The bulbous South Africans
would have to include the 100's of stalks of Nerine
bowdenii, which are satiny pink and sparkle in the sun
and rain, Kniphofia 'Winter Cheer' and the Veltheimia
bracteata pushing up bloom stalks. 

>From the montane tropical cloudforests of Mexico come
the Tree Dahlias and Tree Daisies which survived the
battering first rains and winds, and provide flowers
at eye level from the second story of my house, and
are both buzzing with bees.  These are soon to be
joined by the deep purple flowers of the vining Petrea
volubis/Queen's Wreath Vine which naturally occurs in
the winter dry lowland coastal areas.  A recently
acquired new shrub from Oaxaca, Mexico, the charming
Deppia splendens, with its clusters of hanging orange
and red flowers all winter long, is a new welcome
addition for the hummingbirds.  The history of this
plant would be lost to gardeners if collected seed had
not been brought back to California by Dr. Breedlove
of the California Academy of Science, as it has been
lost to cornfields and cattle pasture in the wilds.   

Other montane tropicals from Brazil would include the
various Flowering Maples in shades of deep red,
yellow, pink and orange from South America, and the
jewel like foliage of the 12 foot tall Tibouchina
granulosa with its lavender blooms and reddish tinged
new growth. From the west coast of South America, high
up in the Andes come the Brugmansias and Fuschia
boliviana, which continue to bloom through the winter.

The flowers of various Proteas are also giving a good
show, with the Protea  'Pink Ice' covered with blooms,
and the soft orange of Grevillea 'Superb' glowing in
the sun. Various Leucospermum hybrids such as 'Scarlet
Ribbons' are heavy with flower buds.   The purple
coneflowers of Isopogon formosus are not far behind.

My own garden includes few reminders of fall, with the
fall color coming from several Crape Myrtles whose
foliage is turning golden and orange.  The vast
majority of plants are either quietly green, in bloom
or setting buds.  This might appear conflicted between
summer and fall, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
 The inescapable fact is that the sun angle is much
lower, and most of the garden is in permanent shade
until spring comes.  In between storms the days are
mild and sunny, allowing for soaking up some sunshine
on the deck with a cup of coffee and a good book. 
This is a special time of year in the garden, and one
of the best times to visit northern California for
those in the know.  Especially worth while are visits
to the local Botanical Gardens such as Strybing,
Berkeley, Santa Cruz and Tilden...

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site
http://webhosting.yahoo.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index