A SUCCULENT TREASURE TROVE: The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery, Walnut Creek, CA

Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Grove, CA

Tucked inside a residential neighborhood, not far from a busy shopping mall, is a wonderful garden specializing in succulents, cacti, and other drought adapted plants. From tiny cacti with mini flowers to a giant Chilean wine palm, there are a host of plants from all over the world. 

The unique shapes and colors of the plants make them living sculptures.

The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery in Walnut Creek, California, was created as a private garden by Ruth Bancroft in the 1960s to house her large collection of potted plants. The 3.5 acre property, including a pond and structures for shade loving plants, had once been part of the much larger family walnut farm. The garden is now open to the public and a project of the Garden Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving exceptional American gardens. Mrs. Bancroft passed away in 2017 at the age of 109, leaving her garden as a testament to her vision.

This tree had its own living Christmas decorations, appropriate for the season.

A few weeks ago in Mid-December (actually, on the day of the winter solstice) I visited the garden with my husband and daughter. After paying the fee at the entrance kiosk, we followed the network of flat gravel paths through the plantings, marveling all along the way at the variety of plants, colors, sizes and shapes, and the skillful way the plants complemented one another. We had picked up a guide at the kiosk which included a map and a key to the names of the major types of specimens. We also had the monthly guide to "What's in bloom" to help us identify the flowers of the season.

This tiny specimen was tucked between two boulders and several larger plants.

It was a bright but overcast day perfect for photography-- no harsh shadows and soft light to bring out the variety of colors and textures. Here are some of my favorites.

Agave. Like many agaves the leaves have embedded impressions on their surface. This is a result of the leaves unfurling from a central cone, and leaving behind toothy indentations on the adjacent leaves.

Agaves are succulents, like the majority of plants in the garden. Succulents survive drought by storing water in their thickened leaves, stems, trunks, or roots.

Aloe. Note the bee gathering nectar.

We saw many species of aloe--sprouting large spiky flowers of yellow and orange. Examples of Aloes native to Mexico, South Africa, Kenya and elsewhere around the world are found in the garden.

Koi pond.

At the center of the garden is a small koi pond and a bench for resting in the shade.

A mix of succulents and cacti form a living wall.

Along a wall at the end of the garden a mosaic of succulents filled cells in a vertical planter box, creating a living wall.

Planting inside shade house.

Inside the shade structure a close-up view makes it seem that the plants are at the bottom of an aquarium. There were no fish, but we did catch sight of  a hummingbird sipping nectar from one of the flowers.

Hummingbird inside shade structure.

Cactus spikes are an adaptation that help deflect sunlight and reduce surface temperature in hot summer months. 

At the end of our visit to the garden, we exited through the nursery, filled with potted plants ready to purchase and take home for your own succulent garden. We bought a tiny cactus which will take its place on my patio at home.

Mosaic wall at garden entrance; nursery on the right.

Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery

1552 Bancroft Road

Walnut Creek, CA 94598

Phone: 925-944-9352

The garden is open most days of the year except for major holidays. On the day of our visit almost no one else was there.

For more information check the garden website: www.ruthbancroftgarden.org

Winter rains turn these barrel cactus into plump spiky balls.

 

MEDITATION GARDEN, Encinitas, California: A Place to Immerse Yourself in the Beauty of Nature

Meditation Garden, Encinitas, CA

On a recent Sunday Art and I did a day trip from Los Angeles to visit the beautiful Meditation Garden in Encinitas, CA, at the top of a bluff overlooking the Pacific. As we walked up the steps from the entrance we found a network of paths—some through shaded bowers, one to the koi pond and waterfall, some to nooks with benches, another along the clifftop which leads past the former site of the Golden Lotus Temple and then on to a cactus lined walkway ending in an artistically arranged bed of cactus and succulents surrounded with black lava rocks.

Variety of cactus and succulents.

The garden is part of the Self-Realization Fellowship Encinitas Temple, located in Encinitas, California, a coastal community just north of San Diego. In 1938 the Golden Lotus Temple was built by Paramahansa Yogananda on a point of land at the top of the cliffs that is now part of the garden. 

Former site of the Golden Lotus Temple.

During the next four years, thousands attended the Thursday and Sunday services conducted by the Guru at this site. However, in 1942 the instability of the cliff required that the Temple be removed. A plaque now documents its location.

Bromeliads in a planter box, with variety of other plants.

The plants in the garden are all perfectly tended and vary from cactus and succulents to shade loving plants by the koi pond. For home gardeners, walking the garden paths is a place to get inspiration for new things to plant. For everyone, the garden is a place to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Sunny path through the garden, seen through agave plants.

It was a perfect California November day—sunny but not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. (Later in the week, rain was predicted.) In the ocean below, we watched surfers waiting for the next big wave. Although quite a few other people were also visiting the garden, it still felt peaceful and not too crowded.

Stairway to J Street viewpoint.

We had a picnic lunch afterward at J Street Viewpoint park nearby, climbing stairs from the street level to an overlook with several picnic tables and a spectacular view of the ocean.

Surfers on beach below the garden.

Entry to the Meditation Garden is free and near the entrance are restrooms and information about the Self-Realization Fellowship.
For more about the Self-Realization Fellowship and Paramahansa Yogananda, often referred to as the “Father of Yoga in the West”, go to the SRF website.
The Meditation Gardens are located at 215 W. K Street (between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
Open Tuesday – Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closed Monday

Closure dates: 11/23, 12/16, 12/23, 12/25, 1/1, 1/5, 1/13

The Meditation Gardens are also closed when it rains.

Flowering Aloe, a succulent, overlooking the ocean.

For more information about visiting the Self-Realization Fellowship Encinitas Hermitage and Meditation Gardens: https://www.encinitastemple.org/visiting/

Quiet nook with seating, honoring St. Francis of Assisi.

For more photos of the Meditation  garden, taken on a previous visit, see my post from March 13, 2017, a report my first time in the garden.

Tidbits on Nature at Rancho La Puerto by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (Guest Post)

African Aloe plants decorate the path to the dining hall at Rancho La Puerta

My friend Dorothy Patent is a fellow nonfiction writer for kids who has more than 130 published books and who spends as much time out-of-doors enjoying nature as possible.  You can find out more about her and her books at her website, dorothyhinshawpatent.com, and blog, dorothypatent.blogspot.com.  I think you will enjoy reading about her visit to Baja California.

 When we think of Baja California, we imagine gorgeous beaches stretching to the horizon with quaint villages and waterside resorts.  But there’s more to this westernmost Mexican state, as my husband, Greg, and I discovered four years ago when he received an irresistible invitation—a free week for us both at RanchoLa Puerta, a world-class spa retreat in the Mexican mountains not far from San Diego, in trade for Greg offering three cooking classes.  He enthusiastically accepted the offer, beginning a new annual experience for us both.

The deal was especially great for me, as Greg did all the work!  Rancho La Puerta just celebrated its 72^th anniversary and has evolved from a health oriented tenting camp into a environmentally conscious destination spa offering just about any kind of healthful activity you might want, from weight training and aerobics to yoga and Feldenkreis.  For folks like me, who love being outdoors and enjoy learning about the environment, the hikes, bird walks, and garden tours are especially enticing.

A male California quail announces his presence atop an ancient grape vine

Our most recent visit to the Rancho came this April, a good time for flowers, and I especially enjoyed the garden tour.  I found out that many of the plants at the Rancho are native, but some are brought in from other parts of the world, such as South Africa, that have a similar dry, sunny climate.

 I learned some fascinating facts, such as the varying life history of the native Mexican century plant, which is a kind of agave.  Several of these giants were beginning to bloom during our visit.  Turns out these plants are more likely to flower after ten years of growth rather than a hundred!  After blooming, the plant dies.  Century plants are exquisitely adapted to their environment.  For example, the soaring flower stalk either releases the seeds into the wind or holds onto them, where they germinate and grow into baby plants that later go to ground, depending on the weather.

Plants belonging to the aloe family, native to Africa, also tend to live in this type of landscape.  Some of them look a lot like agaves, but they belong to a different plant family.  People are familiar with the healing houseplant, Aloe vera, but there are about 400 other species as well.  One that thrives at the Rancho is the African Aloe, which creates waves of bright orange color under the April sun.

Cactus shares a niche with daffodils near one of the swimming pools

The mountain climate brings cool nights, so even more plants considered as more northerly can thrive here, right along with cactuses. Daffodils, roses, ice plant—all of these were blooming in April.

As a zoologist, I’m especially drawn to animals.  The built environment at Rancho La Puerta integrates completely into the surrounding natural environment, so wild creatures share the land with the people.  Fence lizards sun themselves on rocks used for landscaping, and Mexican ground squirrels rest atop patio walls.

The Mexican ground squirrel has a nice long tail

 I could have spent my entire week just watching the many native and migratory birds that spend time here in the spring.  Songbirds and hummingbirds abound.  California quail scuttle quickly across the paths from one clump of shrubs to another, and vultures roost in tall eucalyptus trees at night, then spread out their wings in the morning sun to warm them before flying off for the day.

During our Rancho visits, I’m most likely to be found roaming around with my camera and binoculars in the cool morning and trying out the various indoor classes during the heat of the day.  When he isn’t busy teaching, Greg joins me.  Wherever I am at the Rancho, I’m in a perfect environment--experiencing nature quite different from at my Montana home, or trying out new ways to nourish my body and spirit.

A fence lizard warms himself next to a crack he can zip into for safety