Eastern California and Owens Valley

My friend and fellow gardener Jeannine decided to take a quick 4 day road trip to Benton Hot Springs in the far eastern part of California.  Our trip started from San Francisco and since the snow pack from our stormy winter is still present all the passages through the Sierras were closed.  We had to go up highway 50 to South Lake Tahoe to catch US 395 in Nevada.   

US highway 395 follows the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada range.   From this prospective you see the sharp peaks of this mountain range. 

Upon leaving the hot springs we decided to take the southern route home via 178 along the Kern River through Bakersfield, west along 46 to Paso Robles and finally up US 101 to San Francisco, a eleven hour drive.   The wildflowers photos are at the end of this post.

Dearborn Community Garden

 

This is my plot in the nearby community garden. It is a raised bed 11 feet by 8 feet or so. This year I am testing some new plants. A layer of bulbs including: Allium schubertii 'Arctic Snow', A. Schubertii, A. aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’, NoID Hyacinthoides (Spanish Bluebells), Freesia, Sparaxis, Narcissus ‘tête-à-tête’. A second layer of self-sowing annuals Papaver dubium subsp. Lecoqii ‘Albiflorum’, Lobularia maritima, Nigella damascena, NoID bread seed poppy and Atriplex hortensis var rubra (Purple Orach).

Spring Bulbs in San Francisco

 

Narcissus 'Minnow' in Eureka Valley

Fundraiser for Sunburnt Gardeners