GardenBook

When I received notification that one of my preferred inns on the coast was opening I jumped on it right away. This lodging consists of several stand-alone cottages with no indoor common area, and check in and out were contact free. Funny to think that 6 months ago the concept of contact-free anything was  was unfamiliar. I felt comfortable with the protocols in place and booked a three night stay. The Innkeeper called me two days in advance to ask what my needs would be i.e coffee (hell yes) extra blankets, hair dryer etc. Cottages are left fallow for a day after each guest departure. Guests are provided with a mask, hand sanitizer and disinfecting spray cleaner if you wish to double clean what has already been addressed by the housekeeping staff. Happily the crappy Mr Coffee brewer was replaced with a French Press which was a coffee experience I hadn't had in many years. I might rethink my brewing equipment at home.  Along with the lodging, Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden...

 Botanical Gardens in the state of California have been given the green light to open again, provided the now familiar safety protocols are in place. If there is any public venue I feel completely comfortable visiting it is a public garden. I never touch anything except plants and my camera and  unless a plant sale or some other event is in progress most are relatively uncrowded. At this point events are pretty much all virtual. I waited a couple of weeks after the Ruth Bancroft Garden reopened before taking the journey to Walnut Creek and it felt quite liberating. And I even experienced filling the gas tank in my vehicle which I hadn't needed to do in many weeks.  I arrived at the garden close to opening time, showed my membership card at the kiosk and in I went -my first visit there since New Years Eve.  Agave franzosinii on the march.  There have been significant renovations to the planting spaces in the last few years-more are completed ...

 There is always lots of bloom action going on in the garden in June, and I didn't even try to capture everything. This is a selection of those I am particularly enjoying.   I have no tag for this Lily, but it was the first to open. I planted it because it looked like Regale , which at the time I was unable to find. I planted three Regale this spring and they are budded up. It will be interesting to compare. This Lily is very upward facing, it's a trumpet called 'Silver Angel' . The blooms are just about at eye level . It almost disappeared last summer and I thought it was a goner but it came back strong this year. I count 15 buds after a count of maybe two in 2019.  A newcomer to my garden this spring, Scabiosa caucasica 'Perfecta Alba' . I think I can plant a couple more of these in close proximity for a nice supply of summer cut flowers. Angelica stricta pupurea , a plant that is very popular with pollinators.  The bloom of...