Several years ago, a landscape designer friend of mine in the Olivenhain Garden Club, Jan Casado, let our club know that her brother-in-law, a biology teacher at La Costa Canyon High School was making worm castings with his students and they were selling bags to raise money for their department. At the time, I lived on four acres, two of which were garden, surrounded by a lemon orchard. Jan would deliver to me 14 to 20 bags every few months.
I receive so much joy by planting flowers, plants and vines that attract different butterflies to my garden. Butterflies have symbiotic relationships with different flowering plants and there are seven varieties of butterflies that come to my garden every year.
The first time I was taught how to make tussie-mussies, also spelled tussy mussy (among other variations), was by my friend Becky and a friend of her’s from the Del Mar Garden Club when they taught making tussie-mussies to the Olivenhain Garden Club, a club that Julie Anne Callis and I started in 1993 at the Town Hall.
A strong memory from my childhood is of being beautifully dressed in a blue wool coat with a black velvet collar, black patent leather dress shoes with white bobby socks that all matched with my younger sister. We were in San Francisco with our beautifully dressed mother, Pat Welsh, in a turban hat that matched her chic blue ensemble and our handsome father in his elegant suit. We were in front of a large flower stand kitty-corner from the St. Francis Hotel. Daddy walked up to a lady and bought us each a beautiful gardenia to pin on our coats.
We, who love gardening and gardens never cease to appreciate and enjoy the beauty inspiration, knowledge, love and pure joy that our gardens or a friend’s garden or a public garden, such as the San Diego Botanic Garden, gives back to us.
In the time of climate change, at present, we are back in a drought and having a La Niña year. The last couple of days have brought a smattering of rain to San Diego North County.
All my life I have had a “love affair” with wisteria, passed down from Mum, Pat Welsh, who has written numerous books and articles and also given hundreds of talks and presented dozens of TV shows relaying the tales; known by many, as the “Wisteria Stories”.
To the weather bureau.La Nina’s usually mean less rain in southern CA.But we have had some years with large storms that did a lot of damage.
As I was sitting outside having my breakfast in the garden I was thinking how fortunate we all are, especially during a pandemic to have the passion of gardening and being in nature.
When I first moved to this property five plus years ago, I knew I wanted to make large changes in the garden. I started right away building a pergola to extend out the front walk and I bought Cooke’s Chinese Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis ‘Cooke’s Purple’, to climb up and cover the pergola.
I also knew I wanted to make a romantic garden in front; all that it was then was a mass of lawn stretching all the way to the street and around the property. I also knew I wanted to make privacy for myself, family and guests.
I knew that my grandchildren would love to play in a garden full of paths, sweet smelling flowers and plants.
I could imagine the girls giggling and running along; stopping here and there to have a private moment with a bluebelly lizard or stopping to be in awe of nature as they admired butterflies and dragonflies sailing to and fro from flower to flower and birds taking baths in bird baths and fountains.
All of my envisioning has come true. I eat most of my meals outside in good weather. And during this pandemic the garden has taken on another source of delight and comfort for me with neighbors taking walks past the property.
All these things give me great joy, happiness and comfort. We are all so fortunate to have the passion of plants, gardening and gardens!
Two years ago at this time I was getting ready, preparing for a two and a half month trip around the world. The trip was inspired by dear friends who were sailing around the world on their 47’ ocean going yacht.
I knew that my grandchildren would love to play in a garden full of paths, sweet smelling flowers and plants.
“Francie come meet us in Auckland, NZ and we will travel together through New Zealand where our boat will be for the summer months”.
So I left on February 21 for the adventure of a lifetime.
After exploring the north and south islands for three weeks with my dear friends. I bade them goodbye and traveled on to Australia, visiting six countries in all.
I commissioned, Clark, a builder, to build low walls around the property that would work as terraces and while I was on my trip this project continued. Clark also built a brick patio area on one of the terraces and a large pergola to cover the patio. Then, when I arrived home from the life changing experiences, we got right to work building the garden.
I had about 16 of my favorite garden books stretched out, opened to pages of gardens I love, on my dining room table for two months. I knew I wanted to have a garden that attracted birds and butterflies, so I planted lots of the flowering shrubs and trees that they love. I put in many water features for the birds to drink and take baths.
In the end, creating this garden has been a godsend with the pandemic. I am out in it every day.
In the end, creating this garden has been a godsend with the pandemic. I am out in it every day.
“Sea of Life” Fine Art Painting by garden inspired artist Francesca Filanc.
