Pretty in Pink (for Molly R.)

Western Redbud (Cercis Occidentalis) with Spring blooms

A while back I profiled the purple domination taking place in the front yard in early Spring. I would now like to highlight some of the pink-flowered plants occupying both the front and backyards. In the winter, the pink/white flowers of manzanitas and chaparral currants were peaking. In March, the brilliant floral display of the redbud, coral bells, and pink-flowering currants took center stage. Currently, the pinks of checkerbloom, sea thrift, hummingbird sage, and sea daisy are prominent. Later on, in summer and early fall, the pink hues of red-flowered buckwheat, santa cruz island buckwheat,  and island yarrow will dot the landscape.  Some photos, past and present:

Rosy buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens) thriving in the rock wall, July 2012

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Island Pink'), July 2012

Chaparral Currant (Ribes malvaceum 'Dancing Tassels'), January 2013

Pajaro manzanita (Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Warren Roberts'), February 2013

Pink-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum 'Claremont'),  March 2013

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), March 2013

Trio of Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) requires daily watering in a pot

Coral bells hybrid (Heuchera 'Canyon Belle'), April 2013

Coral bells hybrid (Heuchera 'Lillian's Pink') will flower from February through Spring provided it has adequate shade

UC Botanical Garden visit

Entrance to the California section of the UC Botanic Garden

My wife and I recently visited the UC Botanical garden in the Berkeley hills above campus. Located in close proximity to the Regional Parks Botanical garden, the UC garden features one of the best California native plant displays in the Bay Area. The manzanita (Arctostaphylos) and California lilac (Ceanothus) collections are particularly impressive, as is the seven acre redwood grove located across the street from the garden entrance.  Other personal highlights in the UC garden include fine coastal and Channel Islands sections and a large beautiful Oak Knoll. Our garden in San Mateo, which features many coastal plants and a dedicated Channels Islands section,  was heavily influenced by the plant collections seen at the Regional Parks and UC gardens.

New growth on the giant coreopsis (Coreopsis gigantea), one of the most distinctive Channel Islands' plants 

On this sunny February day, we were treated to fine displays of flowering manzanita, California lilac, currants and gooseberries (Ribes), and silk tassels (Garrya elliptica) among others. Here are a few of my favorite photographs:

A sprawling ceanothus underneath the oak knoll

A beautiful mature Central Coast manzanita in the chaparral section of the gardens

A winding hillside path flanked by manzanita, ceanothus and hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea)

Unlike the Regional Parks garden, the UC botanical charges admission ($7) and parking fees (~$3) and contains collections from all over the world including South America, Asia and South Africa. There is a also an interesting herb garden/medicinal plant area and a fine (if small) plant shop with some nice, reasonably priced natives. I got my rare San Bruno mountain manzanita (A. imbricata) here. Despite the fees and hassle of navigating through the chaos of Berkeley to get there, I highly recommend a visit to the UC botanical garden.

Up close and personal with a flowering coastal silk tassel (Garrya elliptic)