Big Sur Magazine - Summer, 2006
Flowers of the Big Sur Coast
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Big Sur is a place folded into canyons and ridge tops with the ocean at their feet, it's face to the sun. Each facet of the land creates a varied climate with cool redwood shaded clefts full of maples and thimbleberries arching into the rushing clear water creeks that gaze up at dry sunlit flanks under a blanket of dark, fragrant chaparral. The fog rises like a tide up canyons and spills over hills but rarely touches mountaintops and never seems to leave low terraces by the waves. Sunset New Western Garden Book firmly roots the level of the highway in Climate Zones 16 and 17, but the Coast Ridge with its ponderosa pines mimics the far Sierra Nevada in Climate Zone 7. The rich tapestry of flowering plants, both native and domesticated, that grows in Big Sur is amazing. The threads of the tapestry catch the eye of locals and visitors alike.
Of course, the masses of lupines in April and May are much commented on. But slow down and look more carefully for the scarlet bugler penstemon (Penstemon centranthifolius) on dry road-cuts accompanied by the apricot colored azalea-like flowers of Santa Lucia Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus). This plant will continue to bloom throughout the summer as long as the moisture holds out and is a perfect lure for vibrant hummingbirds. Both are best seen at a walking pace along the Cone Peak Trail. The peak's granite cluttered peak is the steepest grade between summit and sea level on the West Coast and offers breathtaking views of the entire coastline from the sandy half moon curve of Sand Dollar Beach to the oak studded valleys of Fort Hunter Liggett and the Naciemento River.
Tall spires of blooms in purple, blue, or lavender are born on Pride of Madeira (Echium fastosum). Actually native to Madeira and the Canary Islands, this garden escapee is perfectly adapted to Big Sur's dry summers and flushes with bloom in April, May and June. A garden specimen of Echium can grow to 10 feet tall and wide in just 2 years and is perfect companion to Matilija Poppy (Romney coulterii). This tall perennial has large open poppy-like flowers in white with yellow tasseled centers. A California native, inhabiting the rocky slopes of Matilija Canyon in Los Angeles County, it appreciates the same free draining soil as Echium and can form colonies of upright stems to 6 feet with blooms in May to July. Matilija Poppy bursts forth like white fireworks in the terraced gardens at Nepenthe and Esalen.
Later, look for masses of lavenders in gardens at Post Ranch or Ventana. Of the several hundred cultivars available, those of English (Lavandula intermedia and L. angustifolia) and the wing-flowered Spanish (L. stoechas) are most popular in gardens along the coast. Their fragrant foliage and flowers are shunned by deer and can survive on very little water as long as drainage is excellent. Spanish Lavenders bloom heavily in May and June, with a sporadic show anytime. English Lavenders flush with color in May and the fragrant spikes will hold their color till fall.
The red trumpet flowers of California Fuschia (Epilobium canum) bloom above the Waterfall Overlook Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park from August until October. Again, hummingbird lovers will want to stay near this plant to see the tiny colorful birds fight over the blooms. The California Fuchsia is unusual among local natives in its ability to burst into spectacular bloom months after the last rain, and in the driest terrain. In the garden it needs almost no attention and is ideal massed among shrubs or along a path or drive. There are several excellent cultivars of this tough little perennial available, including 'Catalina' a robust grower to 2 feet, 'Everett's Choice' a very low groundcover to 5 inches by 3 feet wide and 'Sierra Salmon' a choice salmon colored bloomer up to 18 inches. The unexpected combinations that develop when Epilobium pops up next to Erigeron, Grevillea, and Gaillardia or amongst the low ornamental grasses that are my garden favorites always surprise me.
No matter the season, there is always some fine flower in bloom along the coast; whether it is in the
cultivated acres of Esalen Institute or simply a wild assemblage of natives gathering around the numerous
turnouts on the highway. So as you pass through our dramatic coast, pull off the highway and take a look
at what Nature has to offer.
Enjoy your garden!
Dave Egbert, The Coastal Gardener
