Winter Stroll through the Ruth Bancroft Garden
We Northern California Zone 9 weather wimps are having a cold time of it this year. Never the less, I bravely piled on some layers and drove down to Walnut Creek in the early morning a couple of Sundays ago hoping to catch the Aloe bloom at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. The Aloes are running late this year so many were just budded up or barely open but it felt good to be out enjoying a public garden with my camera in hand.
As it turned out I didn't actually take too many Aloe shots , but RBG is particularly photogenic so I aimed the camera at whatever took my fancy .
The shade structure was still decked out in it's cold and wet weather protective gear, and I imagine it still is-it was 28 degrees this morning at my house and similar temperatures are predicted for the next few days before rain returns on the weekend.
So many cool plants! Your photos make me want to jump in the car and brave the cold and wind. Soon!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a Eucalyptus macrocarpa in the ground, and it handled 116°F last summer just fine. But in a container it would be much harder to keep it happy, I supposed. Buy one the next time you see it and put it in the ground; it doesn't take up all that much space.
The E. macrocarpa was in one of those 'bottomless' containers and I let it sit around too long-should have put it in a gallon right away. Operator error ! I have a couple possible in ground locales. Of course they need to have it available again. The wind ! I'm ready for that to go away.
DeleteWow! This is absolutely amazing and the succulents are gorgeous! Thank you for letting us come along on the tour!
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos, as always! I love Dyckias too but, in addition to the prices for the flashy ones, they're vicious. I think the second of the 2 unidentified Acacias may be Acacia glaucoptera (aka flat-leaved wattle). The only reason I recognized it is that my neighbor has one and I researched its identity out of curiosity. It's a very cool plant.
ReplyDeleteA. glaucoptera looks close indeed , though the leaves on this were narrower and longer. Might be a cultivar ? I do love Acacias, wish I had room for a bunch.
DeleteGorgeous lighting and composition in your photos. My eyes loved the candy!
ReplyDeleteAs Kris said glaucoptera the 2nd Acacia. There's a ground cover form and a shrub form.
Acacia merinthophora for the 1st.
Thanks for the Acacia verification Hoov. There is an Acacia collection at the UC Davis arboretum and I should take a trip over there before they all bloom out.
DeleteI sent the photo over to RBG and they confirmed glaucoptera. You win !
DeleteYes, it has been chilly out your way, hasn't it? And the plants aren't used to it either. What Gerhard said about jumping in the car and driving out your way... We escaped the winter for most of February by driving down to San Antonio. Hopefully the rest of winter here in S. Wisconsin won't be too brutal.
ReplyDeleteCold and wind in here in Norcal is a far cry from your conditions Beth ! You are hardy folk up there in the northlands.
DeleteAlways great to tour the RBG with you!
ReplyDeleteI need to go more often--I slacked off during Covid.
DeleteIs that first acacia the shoestring acacia, A. stenophylla? Wonderful photos, very smart of you to hit the RBG for its unique charms, aloes in bloom or not.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you are right on that ID though the plant is very juvenile if so. For a relatively small public garden I seem to see something new every time.
DeleteSuch a special garden. High on my bucket list to visit. Your photos are all lovely but the one that caught my eye was of the silvery Mammilaria? and the Golden Barrels. The two together are stunning. It has been a weird winter for weather everywhere this year but looks like Spring is on it's way.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could give you an ID on those , but even though I've been taking photos of that vignette for years the Golden Barrel is the only plant I can name.
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