Tropicalissmo in Berkeley

2009-08-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Beauty From Dirt is still here. Life has been happening and not enough time for this blog which reflects what really captures my imagination, urban horticulture. Beauty From Dirt Lives!!

this past winter I escaped with my garden mentors to the Eastern Caribbean Isle of St. Marteen, with a sunrise arrival on the Dutch Side,( the "Euro-Style" Beach is on the French side, 'natch) after two days and three nights cruising from Florida's Port Canaveral, and a 4.5 hour non-stop flight from the Bay Area, the previous day, I made my nearest approach yet to the equator and Tropical Planet Earth. I had never been so far from what I knew as home, and I was looking to discover a new species of Tropical Exotic plantlife! I was set free from the North American Continent and the orange sunrise behind the mountainous Isle was raising my senses and imagination. I was channelling The Professor from Gilligan's Island in his form-fitting chinos, and preparing for some botanizing in this new exotic land.
Now precisely 6 months to the day I'm more like Groundsworker Willy from The Simpsons and painfully trying to coax life to sprout from my Plumeria, or FrangiPanni stalks which are my mementos from the Carribbean vacation. Not that I smuggled plant material into the State of California mind you which is unprofessional and illegal, not to mention a conflict with my ethics. No, these specimens were a gift from a friend in SoCal where FrangiPanni is happier than NorCal. I have located the hottest spot I can find in my bit O' Berkeley and these guys are still green and holding...they are doing some kind of photosynthesis because they look as green as the day I procurred them but they will not root or shoot !! fortunately summer comes late to us in the Bay Area and our hottest annual temps are about to happen, so keep your fingers crossed and help me conjure up visions of lush Plumeria hedges in fragrant bloom.

Pedestrian Barrier or Dog Barrier

2009-01-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

My neighborhood is filled with tree squares such as this one. Small postage stamp gardens, expressions of nature, beauty and ...open for parking? The Dietes (African Iris) is planted behind this vinyl latice but the size of the latice will block the sun probly more than the dog piss.

The Dietes is a fine choice for these plantings but this bent piece of latice with those puny plants spells trouble ahead for these horticultural workhorses. Im curious why the street side of the tree square was left open, perhaps there is a vehicle parked there or perhaps the gardener presumes that no dog would sniff its way around the bend to enter the enclosed space using the street entrance. Or is this a garage, a carport, turn-around for chihuahuas?