All of the rain that Southern California received in 2019, helped provide a fantastic wildflower super bloom. I visited Anza Borrego (on a weekday) to check out the flowers. While I absolutely LOVED it, there are some tips that I wish I’d known before going.
1. Plan on leaving early. It is hot in the desert and for some reason, the same temperature feels warmer when out in this arid climate. This is especially true if you plan on hiking. It is nice to get started before it gets too hot.
2. Bring extra water. I am thankful for the signs at the visitor center telling us to bring water. This is not a clever marketing ploy. It is vital to prevent dehydration.
3. Bring food and snacks. There were fewer options for food than I anticipated and a few food establishments closed in the early afternoon for a siesta.
4. Buy the wildflower pamphlet at the visitor center. We were going to get the book, but we were so glad that we bought the pamphlet instead. It helped us identify most of the flowers that we saw
5. Go to the visitor center in the strip mall for information. There are two visitors centers. The main one has a beautiful view and flowers around it to look at, but parking can be difficult to come by and volunteers, while nice, are all very busy helping everyone.
There are two visitors centers. The main one has a beautiful view and flowers around it to look at, but parking can be difficult to come by and volunteers, while nice, are all very busy helping everyone.
I suggest that you visit the State Park Store run by the Anza Borrego Foundation. It has similar items for sale and I felt that the volunteers were able to give us info tailored more to our needs. Plus, parking was less of an issue.
200 Palm Canyon Drive (at the west end) Borrego Springs, CA 92004 760-767-4205
6. Get the map of the wildflowers The Anza Borrego foundation updates this weekly during desert wildflower bloom: https://theabf.org/explore-anza-borrego/wildflowers-super-bloom/ Many of the plants you can drive to, park your car on the side of the road, and view.
Ocotillo with red blooms. Surprisingly not all of the Ocotillos were in bloom at the same time. They seems to bloom in their particular micro climates. This is a good thing for people coming to look for wildflowers in Anza Borrego!I love how the long pink spines wrap around the yellow flowers of the Barrel Cactus.Wild Heliotrope is mixed in with Desert ChicoryI love how the flowers all mix together. There is a beautiful juxtaposition with the Wild Heliotrope, Fremont’s Pincushion, and the Desert Dandelion mix with Cholla Cactus.The red flowers of the Chuparosa or Justica californica were just starting to bloom in the desert. We spotted the illusive Ghost Flower or Mohavea confertiflora in anza borrego. The volunteers told us that the ghost flower does not have nectar. It is a sneaky flower that usually grows near and looks like the Sand Blazing Star which does. The Ghost Flower further tricks insects into pollinating it by the purple dots it has near the stamen, looking like other small insects.Nature really is the best landscape designer. Look how lovely these colors and textures mix.Popcorn Flower or Cryptantha angustifoliaThe Purple Mat or Nama demissum is low growing and extremely striking with its vibrant magenta flowers.This Murple Mat or Nama demissum reminds me so much of African Violets that I’ve kept as houseplants.This wildflower is called the Sand Verbena or Abronia villosa.Apricot Mallow Or Sphaeralcea ambiguaWild heliotrope or Phacelia distans were to be found all over Anza Borrego. I loved the way that the sweet light purple flowers uncurl like a catterpillar. We met a beekeeper that told us that when the bees pollinate these flowers, the honey has purple in it!dwarf poppies in Anza BorregoThis was the only blooming Bevertail Cactus or Opuntia basilaris that we saw. All of the others looked like they had a week left to bloom. I’m glad that I at least got to see one!I wish that I could convey how lovely the smell was of this filed of Desert Dandelion in Anza Borrego.This was thre only Arizona Lupine or Lupinus arizonicus that we saw. I imagine that it would be spectacular multiplied.Sand Blazing Star or Mentzelia involucrata blooms with hornworm caterpillar on itWe saw a whole field of Dune Evening-Primrose or Ornothera deltoides in the desert of Anza Borrego.Here we are happily standing in a field of Desert Dandelion or Malacothrix glabrata. It is perhaps one of the sweetest smelling places I have ever visited.
Resources
In March, April, or May, you can call 818-768-1802, extension 7 to hear the latest info on what wildflowers are blooming in California that week.
Calflora has an extensive database where you can search and identify plants in California (native or otherwise)
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We can all take a lesson from the musical, The Little Shop of Horrors and learn how to feed our houseplants because our houseplants are hungry and just want some food (also water and sunlight).
It seems that for nearly as long as I’ve been living on my own, I’ve always had at least one houseplant. When I lived with my parents, we had fake plants (that are still residing at my mom’s house today). Like many people, I enjoy flowers and plants. It is pleasant to bring a bit of the outdoors inside. I know that plants are supposed to help clear the air inside a home or office, but to me, that is just a pleasant bonus.
So even though, I’ve had a long relationship with houseplants, like most people, there have been varying degrees of success with them. I think I nearly as many (or more) died than flourished. I have always taken the view that it is worth it to keep trying, learn from my mistakes, and pass on that knowledge to anyone who is interested. It has been a journey figuring out how to care for houseplants. It was a game changer when I finally learned the secret to having beautiful houseplants is to feed them!
I’m a fairly lazy gardener and if anything requires too much time or delicate handling, or that is overly complicated, I will not do it. So What I use and love are Jobes fertilizer spikes. You simply place the two-inch spikes into the soil surrounding the plant and replace as needed. I add them about every three months.
How to feed your houseplants based on the size of your containers:
Outside in a garden or in nature, plants get nutrients from the soil and from the breaking down of organic material like bark and leaves. Inside your home or office in a container, it lives in a protected environment. For some things, like pest management, it makes caring for plants much easier. Plants that you purchase often come with time released fertilizer in the soil. So for the first several months, they will thrive and then, they will start to look a little sad. If you give them a little food every three or four months, they will continue to grow and thrive. It doesn’t have to be precise, however, it is important not to overfeed them so err on the side of neglect. Also, you don’t really need to feed your plants in the winter unless they are flowering. This is their dormant period where they aren’t growing. If you do feed them, don’t stress about it though, they will be fine.
These Jobe’s spikes are for ferns, but there are also ones for houseplants and flowering plants.Seriously do this easy trick to have gorgeous houseplants!
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Set in a stunning valley of red rocks, the native plants that call Sedona, Arizona home are a wonder! These natives are structurally beautiful and impressive in how they have adapted to this unique desert climate.
Sedona sits at what could be considered the base of the Colorado Plateau. This might sound familiar because, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, and Arches National Park are all on the Colorado Plateau as well. This area’s beauty comes from its very ancient sandstone. This sedimentary rock was formed slowly over time as rock and sand settled layer upon layer and with the help of water and pressure, formed each rock solid layer of earth. The red that you will notice in the rocks in Sedona is due to the high iron content in the soil (think of rust). At some point in history, all of this sandstone was underground, but then a shifting of plates or volcanic movements of the earth pushed up the Colorado Plateau displaying this ancient sandstone. Since that time it has been slowly eroding away. In the case of the Grand Canyon, this was done by the Colorado River. In the case of Sedona, it was helped along by a fault that runs through Sedona. The result is breathtaking red rocks surrounding the town.
Sedona is a small town with a big personality. People are there because they want to be there. The native plants of the region may not feel the same way! It is an arid environment with intense sun, some snow, and little rainfall. The result leads to plants that are adapted to an intense and beautiful environment. Hopefully, the images below will help you identify a few of the more common native plants of Sedona.
Other facts – Native Sedona Plants
This is a semi-arid climate USDA Hardiness Zone: 8a and 8b Sunset Western Climate Zone: 3b or10 Rainfall: Averages 18″ of rain Elevation: 4,500 ft.
This is a low growing prickly pear cactus referred to as beavertailPrickly Pear Cactus is one of the fascinating native plants of SedonaAgave Americana or the American Century Plant, seen here with a spent bloomPinus ponderosa or Ponderosa pine, set against the red rocks of Sedona ArizonaFrom this fantastic Sedona View, you can see rock formations in the background and plant life – Juniperus deppeana (Western Juniper ), Elderica Pine, and Arizona CypressYucca baccata seen in Sedona, AZ. Also known as the Banana YuccaEchinocereus engelmannii, this low growing and spiny cactus is more commonly known as Hedgehog Cactus or Strawberry CactusWith my dear friend, Eileen, who chose to go to this magical place for her bachelorette weekend.
Things I would recommend doing in Sedona
While I am by no means an expert having spent less than a week visiting Sedona, I would still like to offer these tips for visiting Sedona.
Hiking – Hiking is one of the best ways to see many of the native plants of Sedona. We went on several hikes, but my favorite was the one near coffee pot rock. Our Air BnB rental was located in that neighborhood and hiked behind it. I recommend hiking around sunset and taking your camera or phone. There were lots of locals walking their dogs. It would be an amazing daily walk to go on!
Yoga – Rather than going on a special yoga tour (which I’m sure is amazing), every local told us to head to 7 Centers Yoga Arts. We had a yoga class in a yurt with a very thoughtful instructor. The drop in rate for a class is reasonable too!
Stay mostly out of the touristy downtown. Yes, it is pretty, but we mostly ate overpriced mediocre food.
Lunch at Indian Gardens Cafe and Market – Their food is fantastic and reasonable. You can also buy supplies for a little picnic and pack it for the little trailhead that starts across the street
The Airport Vortex – someone correctly described it to us as a lot of bang for your buck. You get to “see” one of the famed vortexes of Sedona and an absolutely fantastic view, all a few minutes from the city center. – We found these directions helpful.
Here we are admiring the view from the Airport Vortex in Sedona, Arizona
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This evergreen shrub, formally known as Baccharis Pilularis but commonly called chaparral broom, is a tough cookie. It will live in poor soil, windy conditions, coastal conditions, and it will also tolerate the heat of even the Sacramento Valley. This variety is native to Northern California, although I grew up outside of Sacramento in the Sierra Foothills and I never remember seeing it anywhere. But, Northern California is a large area and if I were to guess (a poor decision for an informational blog really so please someone tell me if they know where this plant calls home), I would guess that the coastal regions are likely where this plant lives in the wild.
The first time I noticed this plant was in San Diego as a ground cover for the slopes and canyons. In fact, this plant does beautifully to fill that need as it requires little to no water once established, does not get overly tall, but will fill a large area of 8′ if given the opportunity, but it only will get at most a few feet high. In the heat of the summer it is gray and drab without water, but it lives and that counts for a lot in my book! In the winter/spring, it is dotted with pretty little yellow balls that are really flowers.
So why is this plant awesome? Because it is easy to grow if you are in it’s climate zone. I don’t not take that term lightly. It is perfect to cover a large area that you don’t want to fuss with much, ideally a hill that you want to look nice. It may (or may not) require a little water, sun, and possibly a yearly pruning to keep the size in check, but that really is it! While it it always smart to have a barrier between your home and plants, Coyote Brush is touted as fire resistant as well.
Water: Once established, only occasional water is required.
Size: Grow in height to about 18″ as a low mounding plant. It can take over an area (very slowly) if you let it. Do not plant unless you have at least 4 feet of space to give to it.
