by angela@diggingbliss | Aug 4, 2014 | air plants, botanical garden, coastal, DIG Gardens, mediterranean, nurseries, Santa Cruz, string gardens, succulents
(NOTE: I finally got around to publishing this draft post from late June!) I’d made much overdue plans to visit my friend Lynette in Santa Clara this Sunday and since we both love Santa Cruz, we decided to drive a little bit farther and spend our day there. Arriving around lunch time, we decided to hit Cafe Iveta first. I’d chosen the cafe based on its gluten-free friendliness and 80+ positive Yelp reviews. My turkey sandwich with Havarti and bacon was delish. Yes, I know gluten-free bread looks a little funny, but it tasted great. Fresh, soft and flavorful.
Next, we were off to DIG Gardens Nursery. Lynette had never been to DIG, and I think it’s only my third visit. Nurseries never get old to me, because they’re always, always tweaking things. Since my prior visit, I spotted the book display in another part of the shop, saw a D.I.Y. Bubble Terrarium station that I don’t remember from before. Fun, fun, fun. Nearby shelves hold air plants and empty glass terrariums. Terraria? Pshhh…. I dunno.
I returned home with a couple adorable greeting cards for future use, and an irresistible succulent. Lynette went home with her first air plant! (more…)
by angela@diggingbliss | Oct 30, 2013 | cambria, central coast, coastal, gardens by gabriel, hearst castle, mediterranean, native, san luis obispo, san simeon, succulents
I had no expectations for our two-night getaway to the Central Coast beyond touring Hearst Castle, but ended up discovering much horticultural splendor, mooned over ocean sunsets and ate great food. The plants I saw along the way made the experience that much richer for me.
As a gardener and nursery junkie, I’m always on the lookout for cool plants. Sure, WRH built an obscenely fancy estate on top of a hill with a view of the Pacific… but the palms… oaks… succulents… bougainvillea… and fuchsias! To me, they are as much of reason to tour Hearst Castle as the staggeringly ornate architecture.
There is something magical in the quality of light up there. It was sunny and the sky was deep, deep blue, but everything blooming on the ground was in Technicolor. And in the late afternoon, a warm blush descended on the landscape, making it even more dreamlike.
Hearst Castle
Hotel/Motel landscaping on Moonstone Drive in Cambria
Barefootin’!
Ooh, what will this be? A garden gift shop?
And what have we here? I love this place!
Don’t you wish your gas station looked like this?!
San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden
http://slobg.org/
Turn that car around!
At first I thought this must be a new construction bungalow, but it’s actually a restoration. You can read more about it here, at Plant Propaganda. The house and landscaping are magnificent.
