Sizzle and pop: Southern California road trip curiosities

A busy spring has morphed into a busy summer. We just got back a from a quick 4-day road trip to Southern California to tour universities daughter #2 is interested in. Getting from Northern California to Southern California involves a goodly amount of driving on freeways which at this time of year range from merely busy to downright congested. In addition, traveling the length of the Central Valley from Sacramento to Bakersfield gets boring in no time. But every now and then you see random snippets of unassuming beauty that take your breath away:

Interstate 5, somewhere between nowhere and nowherer

At the Grapevine, the stretch of Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass (4,100 ft), the scenery becomes more varied.  I always look for Hesperoyucca whipplei, aka Our Lord's Candle, on the hillsides next to the freeway. Right now, they're in bloom and easy to spot. Even after all these years, I still love the thrill of seeing succulents in their native habitat.

Hesperoyucca whipplei on the south side of Tejon Pass

As we reached the northern edge of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, we were vividly reminded of how dry California is—and that it doesn't take much to set off a fire:

This was "just" a small brush fire next to the freeway, but they all start small, don't they? To add to the excitement, we actually saw the firefighters making their way to the source of the fire:

The next three days went by in a blur. I got up early each morning for some plant- or gardening-related solo activity while the family slept in. I even managed to squeeze in a brief get-together with Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden at Roger's Gardens nursery in Corona del Mar. 

Here are some teasers; I'll have more detailed posts in the weeks to come.

Central Garden at the Getty Center, with bougainvilleas in full bloom

Cactus Garden at the Getty Center in the evening light

The perfect selfie background for succulent lovers. Seen at the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society Drought Tolerant Plant Festival at Sepulveda Garden Center. Our hotel was only 2 miles away—pure luck.

Succulent chair at the Drought Tolerant Plant Festival

This is the most magnificent jacaranda tree I've ever seen! In the foreground is one of 20+ community gardens at the Sepulveda Garden Center. 

Dudleya pulverulenta in the median strip of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. This is the first time I've seen dudleyas used like that.

Sunday afternoon on the Pacific Coast Highway between Malibu and Santa Monica. What were we thinking?

Santa Monica beach. Where's Waldo?

Aloidendron barberae at Santa Monica Place, an upscale open-air shopping mall

Ditto

What the heck is going on here? I don't know for sure, but I think these palm tree branches are working their way through the hedge.

Newport Beach Civic Center and Park. The succulent plantings are nothing short of spectacular. 

This bed is in front of the public library. If I lived there, I'd go to the library all the time!

Magnolia grandiflora on the campus of UC Irvine

More driving...

Crimson bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus) at the Leaning Pine Arboretum on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast. The Leaning Pine Arboretum was the biggest surprise of our trip. It's only 5 acres, but it has a lot of my favorite plants. The Australian Garden was particularly nice.

Formal Garden at the Leaning Pine Arboretum. At first glance, it may look like any other formal garden in the European tradition—until you see the mass plantings of octopus agave (Agave vilmoriniana). I thought that was a nice New World touch!

On the way home, more endless miles through the golden hills of summer

Water, or lack thereof: a hot-button issue in the politically conservative Central Valley, as demonstrated by a plethora of signs like these

We arrived home to temperatures close to 100°F. Summer is here, for better or for worse. Winter is my least favorite season, but summer isn't far behind. I can't wait for fall!



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