I am back to my routine, Tuesday being the return day to the ranch. A late season rain system is coming in that promises to soak the Bay Area for a week. It is only a matter of hours for that system to work its way up the Delta and down the San Joaquin Valley to the ranch.
I stopped by the Berkeley Hort on my way out of Oakland. The Dry Ideas Section was taken over by all manner of roses for Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, the only stock of matilija poppies are in five gallon containers. I did find a replacement camellia japonica called April Remembered, a traditional double flower in pale pink. I also looked for aptenia and Mexican daisies (erigeron) to fill the slope leading down to the new terra cotta planter. Erigeron was in stock but not the white that I am used to seeing. There were daisies in two pastel colors – pink and lavender – with yellow tips. The obvious solution was to buy one of each. No time like the present to plant and take advantage of the rain to establish the new plantings before the dry season.
A Year at the Snake 