Another Episode from the Taft Garden
My first post written about my April visit to the Taft Garden focused primarily on the Aloes which were abundant and happily for me, blooming . But Aloes , though they felt to me like the signature plant of that garden, were certainly not all there was to see. There was plenty of breadth to the plant inventory.
There was no shortage of Agaves
Rock walls and the natural arrangement of rocks themselves within the loosely defined planted areas, along with the bright green of our winter grasses looked very fine with the backdrop of the surrounding landscape.It was as though the plants just belonged there.
This has to be the largest planting of Xanthorrhoea I've ever encountered in one garden -it was essentially a grove.
A Grevillea I presume , but my research failed to confirm it's specific ID. I'm going with G. 'Frosty Pink' as my best guess.
There were Acacias , all beyond my Acacia naming skills.
An imposing clutch of Cussonias.
A particularly beautiful Eucalyptus. The foliage ! Here is a link to an article in Pacific Horticulture concerning Eucs that are suitable for home gardens. The author believes that Eucalyptus has been unfairly maligned as a genus, and that there are cultivars that are garden worthy.
Many large Leucospermums and Leucodendrons were focal points throughout the gardens.
I thought perhaps this was a Hakea, but Google was inconclusive. Whatever it is I would buy one of these in a second if I had a spot for it.
This river of Arctotis and Osteos, maybe some Gazanias was a dramatic beacon as it stretched off into the distance along the path.
This is a garden I would love to see in multiple seasons. Now that I know how to arrange a visit, where it is, and how to get there, I foresee this to be a routine stop when I travel to Santa Barbara.
The view from the road in is pretty nice too.
See Gerhards informative post from his winter visit here , and our friend Denise made a zoom in before closing visit here.
There was no shortage of Agaves
Rock walls and the natural arrangement of rocks themselves within the loosely defined planted areas, along with the bright green of our winter grasses looked very fine with the backdrop of the surrounding landscape.It was as though the plants just belonged there.
This has to be the largest planting of Xanthorrhoea I've ever encountered in one garden -it was essentially a grove.
A Grevillea I presume , but my research failed to confirm it's specific ID. I'm going with G. 'Frosty Pink' as my best guess.
There were Acacias , all beyond my Acacia naming skills.
An imposing clutch of Cussonias.
Many large Leucospermums and Leucodendrons were focal points throughout the gardens.
I thought perhaps this was a Hakea, but Google was inconclusive. Whatever it is I would buy one of these in a second if I had a spot for it.
This river of Arctotis and Osteos, maybe some Gazanias was a dramatic beacon as it stretched off into the distance along the path.
This is a garden I would love to see in multiple seasons. Now that I know how to arrange a visit, where it is, and how to get there, I foresee this to be a routine stop when I travel to Santa Barbara.
The view from the road in is pretty nice too.
See Gerhards informative post from his winter visit here , and our friend Denise made a zoom in before closing visit here.
This post is even dreamier than your last one on the Taft Garden. I took a photo of a plant with flowers that look identical to the Grevillea-like beauty shown in your photos 10 and 11 in Seaside's Australian Garden, which was also designed by Jo O'Connell. I didn't record its name but my vague recollection is that it was a Hakea; however, I couldn't find it among her nursery's photo inventory of plants in that genus - the closest I could come was Hakea neurophylla. Her nursery is only open weekdays now, making it problematic for me to get there but, if your travels take you back to the Taft, you might want to stop in and visit Jo too. I love the rainbow of African daisies in your second to last photo - now I'm thinking where I could put do something along those lines. Thanks for the post, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteJo is on the punch list-I wanted to go this trip but I packed my schedule too tight. I'kk have to look through my photos from Seaside--I went there on this trip too. You have a good setting for a rainbow of African daisys!
DeleteWhat a dreamy escape on this grey May morning. I've finally begun to edit photos I took in Gerhard's garden at the beginning of April, I believe he grows that maybe grevillea with the long lavender petals. Perhaps he'll chime in with an ID...
ReplyDeleteI have sooo many photos to process ! And this weekend is GC Open Day in Marin county , so therer's a couple hundred more ,followed shortly by Fling, and shortly after that Study Weekend ..I better start deleting the hundreds of crappy pics I have on my external hard drive or I'm going to run out of room !
DeleteYou visited at a great time of year. So much more color than when I was there. Your post makes me want to go back.
ReplyDeleteI bet early spring is the best time , and thats when I usually go to Socal anyway. I'll definately arrange to go again the next time I'm down there.
DeleteAnd your photos show the garden's awesomeness beautifully. Your visit must have been at the optimal time, when it was not roasting hot.
ReplyDeleteThe "Hakea" looks like a Leucospermum--the buds are just developing. As a confirmed Eucalyptus hater, I can admit 'Moon Lagoon' has proven to be a graceful and elegant gem. Still loathe globulus, tho.
I had great weather on this trip, it was very mild indeed. I would not be surprised to learn that plant is a Leucospermum-since I can't grow them here I am unfamiliar with their stages of growth. Sigh.
DeleteSo very glad to see more and more photos out of this incredible garden. I heard that the Hortisexuals made it a part of their recent garden tour down south. And it just gets better and better. Jo did an amazing job. Wonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteA glorious escape to this marvelous garden. Oh, to have the space for groves of groovy plants. And, of course, help to maintain it all so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteThe help to maintain is key isn't it ? Looks like the help here knows what they are doing. Hope you are feeling better !
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