Beautiful Plants...Botanic Gardens

Needing a fix of plants and gardens, I encouraged Chris to head north towards Dana Point (whale and dolphin capital) and Laguna Beach (gorgeous clifftop gardens) for an aquarium visit, spot of Sunday lunch and Niguel Botanical Preserve. The aquarium was a research centre and we got to touch a horned shark, stingray, rays and sea stars

This featured Mediterranean plants and others from hot climates like South Africa which could be grown sustainably in Californian gardens, with the aim of attracting pollinators like hummingbirds as well as the usual bees and butterflies. Monty Don would have been in his element, but like me, he wouldn't have been keen on preserving the Rattlesnakes.

The best time to visit this area is in spring after rain  when there is a lot of colour, and not autumn when many plants die back to sustain themselves after near drought conditions over the summer. Still, I found beauty in their form and tone.

Later that week I headed to San Diego Botanical Gardens to see something on a bigger scale and it did not disappoint. The Rainforest area featured a waterfall and the humidity was amazing and in total contrast to the Californian Coastal Sage Scrub which is endangered due to the explosion of development.

Gardens and plants from Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Hawaii introduced all kinds of weird and wonderful and some favourites that I can remember were Elephant Foot Palm, Dragon Trees, Frangipani, Corpse Plants and watching Hummingbirds in action. Oh and I now know that Chaparral is a habitat and not just a late 60's western drama (High Chaparral)! And I found out where the Ramada in Ramada Inn must come from; the name of the shelter built by the native Kumeyaay tribe that still live in the San Diego area.