This time instead of a comprehensive look around - there are a few non-native sages blooming away and a few things, but not much really worth presenting - I thought I'd show you the few natives blooming here that I also saw in the wild this weekend on a trip down the Big Sur Coast - the coastal pictures are from the stunning Point Lobos state preserve.
First and most stunningly different - my poorly performing California beach aster, Lessingia filaginifolia, followed by the true coastal splendour of the same - they were all over the place in the preserve, at the edge of the coastal sage scrub habitat.
Here at 900 ft and 6 miles inland - the climate just doesn't seem to be right for them. Though they do seem to like to be planted as an understory for sheltering shrubs, in partial shade.
Home:
Beach (You can also see some brown Eriogonum latifolium, coast buckwheat - there was lots and lots of that around, some still blooming pink in sheltered spots):
There are still a few seaside daisies, Erigeron glaucus, both at home and at Point Lobos. These seem more tolerant of the difference in environment.
Home:
Beach:
And finally, California fuschia, Zauschneria californica canum, this time from home and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Of course these do grow natively here, though the ones I have grown so far were purchased at a nursery or CNPS sale. For the most part the wild fuschia were as sparse as I see at home, but here and there was a large lush patch. I wish I knew how to get large lush patches to grow here!
Home:
From a greater distance, Home:
Wild (with gratuitous mouse - well, it was my birthday weekend :-D) :
Happy bloom day! Thanks, May Dreams Gardens! Don't forget to check out Town Mouse's bloom day posting immediately following this post, and the other bloom day posts too.
First and most stunningly different - my poorly performing California beach aster, Lessingia filaginifolia, followed by the true coastal splendour of the same - they were all over the place in the preserve, at the edge of the coastal sage scrub habitat.
Here at 900 ft and 6 miles inland - the climate just doesn't seem to be right for them. Though they do seem to like to be planted as an understory for sheltering shrubs, in partial shade.
Home:
Beach (You can also see some brown Eriogonum latifolium, coast buckwheat - there was lots and lots of that around, some still blooming pink in sheltered spots):
There are still a few seaside daisies, Erigeron glaucus, both at home and at Point Lobos. These seem more tolerant of the difference in environment.
Home:
Beach:
And finally, California fuschia, Zauschneria californica canum, this time from home and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Of course these do grow natively here, though the ones I have grown so far were purchased at a nursery or CNPS sale. For the most part the wild fuschia were as sparse as I see at home, but here and there was a large lush patch. I wish I knew how to get large lush patches to grow here!
Home:
From a greater distance, Home:
Wild (with gratuitous mouse - well, it was my birthday weekend :-D) :
Happy bloom day! Thanks, May Dreams Gardens! Don't forget to check out Town Mouse's bloom day posting immediately following this post, and the other bloom day posts too.
Comments
Instead of your somewhat wan-looking Lessingia, you might try Aster chilensis, which is doing very well for me in the Sacramento Valley and is reputed to do well on the coast also.