Sunday Morning before the Rain-Succulent Gardens Nursery
The weather forecast for my weekend in Santa Cruz last month was not ideal, and I spent a great deal of time looking at the sky and consulting the National Weather Service for the timeline of the expected rain. My hotel was in Aptos, a beach town south of Santa Cruz that was only a 15 minute drive from my destination- Succulent Gardens Nursery in Castroville. Heavy rain was predicted for after 1pm, and the nursery opened at 9. My window of opportunity was wide open, and my hope was that there would be blooming Aloes to see. And there were ! This hedge of Aloe plicatilis (now reclassified as Kumara plicatilis) along the exterior of one of the greenhouses is impressive any time but the winter blooms elevate the vista. Here is a variegated version, barely noticable in it's partially hidden position. Because I have abysmal Aloe naming skills , and the display gardens are unlabeled , I'm afraid I have few ID's to share. I recall...