Monterey County Magazine - Spring 2006
A Journey through Monterey County’s Wildflowers
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Winter in the Monterey County garden is a time of beauty and color unique in the country. As the first rains of winter
rejuvenate the landscape after the long summer, plants begin to enjoy a second spring. New grass paints the hills from
dusty summer gold to spring green well before the holiday decorations have been taken down from Alvarado Street in Monterey.
On sparkling clear days, the bare oaks gracing the soft hills of the Gabillan Range of the Salinas Valley overlook the
first flush of color from pale blue ceanothus and pink bells of manzanita. In our gardens, bougainvilleas are like house
fires in full blaze of red, pink, or orange while grevillea begin to entice hummingbirds with red shaving brush blooms.
Pansies, Iceland Poppies, and Nemessia offer cheery faces in every garden bed from Carmel Plaza to Oldtown Salinas. Many
of the winter bloomers that populate the gardens of Monterey County are natives of South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Framing your view of the deep blue swells of Monterey Bay are massive Aloes along Ocean View Drive in Pacific Grove. A
fleshy-leaved native of the Southeast region of Africa, Aloe arborescens has massive rosettes of grey green leaves that
curve back like quiet octopuses swarming over an underwater boulder. Each clump can tower 6 feet or more tall and spread
twice as wide. Set against the background of surf and swell, Aloe arborescens bursts into fiery bloom with hundreds of
candelabras of scarlet flowers; a delight for hummingbirds and migrating Monarch butterflies. Should you wish to recreate
the essence of your Lover's Point walk at home, this aloe will thrive in a large pot on your patio or sunny window provided
it is protected from temperatures below 36.
Echeverias are another succulent known for their rosette forming clumps that can be stunning even without flowers. Peeking
out of rock walls and windows boxes in Carmel, Pebble Beach and the Carmel Highlands, these plants are most at home near
the sea. In bright light their cupped leaves can be ghostly silver or flushed with pink and purple. In my own garden, a
ruffled-edged Echeveria from Succulent Gardens in Carmel sends up carmine stems topped with orange-pink bell-like flowers
in late summer and fall.
The winter garden does not have to rely solely on flowers for vibrant color. Foliage color can be just as stunning with
the effects being much longer lasting than a floral display. A particularly vibrant plant for foliage color is Coprosma.
Often called Mirror Plant for their impossibly shiny glossy leaves, these evergreen shrubs from New Zealand have been giving
us some unexpected color combos. Coprosma repens is a fast growing shrub with a variable habit from sprawling groundcover to
upright hedge. The cultivar 'Pink Splendor' has 2-inch wide leaves of green and yellow margins suffused with pink, especially
during dry or cold weather. Growing to about 3 feet, it is ideal for adding a splash of excitement to a partly shaded spot
no matter the time of year. Even more vibrant is 'Rainbow Surprise' with tiny half inch leaves thickly variegated with pink,
cream, red and green on a compact plant. This one shines in a container next to my front door as a permanent display of rich
color to rival the most showy impatiens or begonia.
Winter is also the best time to visit our local gardens and some farther afield. The Arboretum at the University of California,
Santa Cruz sparkles with unexpected color and vibrancy in the winter months. This garden, spread on a gentle slope above the
Monterey Bay and the bustling college town of Santa Cruz, could be thought of a visit to the Southern Hemisphere within an
easy half hour ride from Monterey. Just inside the gate Aloes compete for attention from whizzing hummingbirds with the explosive
pincushion flowers of Leucospermums and the feathered almost animal like blooms of Protea and Banksia. In a more intensely
landscaped area, whispering eucalyptus give way to masses of grevillea in pink, yellow, red and orange to the delight of butterflies
and people. The collection encompasses Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and an impressive group of California natives as well.
A leisurely stroll brings you in touch with such exotic flowers you might question their Alice in Wonderland looks. But they
are very real and perfectly suited to the winter garden in Monterey County.
The UCSC Arboretum is open daily expect Thanksgiving and Christmas. For directions, hours and special events calendar, please
visit their website;
www2.ucsc.edu/arboretum.
Succulent Gardens Carmel is open daily in The Barnyard Shopping Center.
www.sgcarmel.com
Dave Egbert, The Coastal Gardener
