My January visit to the Ruth Bancroft Garden

Andrew and I pulled up at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA, around 11:30 in the morning on January 14th. Our visit was part of the trip home from time spent in Thousand Oaks. I was thrilled to be back at this favorite garden, and to have my husband visit for the first time. The weather was absolutely perfect.

Did you spot the Agave bloom spike leaning into the photo above (left upper corner)? Here's the plant the spike erupted from. An Agave franzosinii I believe,

As we walked the garden there was a crew scurrying about removing all signs of the holiday light show they'd had up. I'm not sure if these big white lanterns were part of that or not.

Agave colorata, maybe?

This is going to be one of those posts where I don't have much to say, so I'm hoping you just soak up the beauty. I'll throw out a name if I'm reasonably certain.

Here's something you don't expect so see at the RBG, moss! Moss on rocks with cactus. There had been rain, fog, and persistent humidity in the period preceding our visit.

Furcraea macdougalii, I believe.

I think this may be Acacia glaucoptera...

Aka clay wattle.

Templetonia retusa

Sonchus canariensis

Ginormous!

The blooming spidery-foliaged shrub is Hakea lehmanniana.

It was alive with buzzing critters.

I managed to get two of them in this shot.

Most of the aloes in the garden were just shy of actually blooming, not that we cared. They were magnificent as they were.

Bloomed out Agave victoriae-reginae.

This visit I managed to skirt the far eastern edge of the garden and see a few things I hadn't in a while.

Like the border fence between the garden and what was Ruth's home.

Yes of course I peeked through the fence.

Deuterocohnia brevifolia making mounds for days...

Another couple agave bloom spikes.

Pausing for a moment and surveying her domain.

The garden's Shade Structure was still enclosed for winter protection.

Euphorbia clandestina

Echium wildpretii

Well, I guess not all of it was enclosed. It was a rather mild winter after all.

Agave perfection! (a particularly lovely A. victoriae-reginae)

The cactus growing in a palm trunk look to have been joined by a couple other things, like a baby Sonchus canariensis.

Dreamy variegated Agave ovatifolia.

Leucadendron 'Ebony'

Agave franzosinii

Banksia fraseri

And just like that, we're back at the beginning. Naturally I couldn't fit all the photos I wanted to share into just one post. On Friday we'll look at the "new" rock garden and some sexy plant close-ups.

The Bit at the End

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