~ A somewhat autobiographical look at how plants have impacted my life ~
Chasing Waterfalls
I finally made it to Niagara Falls!
But we also visited many more waterfalls in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. But our primary goal was to visit Watkins Glen State park where there are 19 waterfalls in a 1.5 mile hike with over 900 steps. We also checked out other waterfalls near Ithaca and even paid a visit to the Cornell Botanic Gardens, marveling at the area’s natural wonders. The trip ended with touring gardens at the annual Garden Fling in Buffalo.
The Huntington
With over 130 acres, sixteen themed gardens and 83,000 living plants there are many reasons to visit the The Huntington Botanical Gardens. But for me it has always been for the stunning Desert Garden. I first visited the Huntington in
Plantas de Patagonia
In December, Scott Borden, eight friends and I visited Patagonia on a Natural Habitat Adventures tour. We visited a bird sanctuary, watched a glacier calving into Lago Argentina, stayed in EcoCamp with views of Torres de Paine, saw two pumas,
Bristlecones Take Your Breath Away
Since my column is called “My Life with Plants,” it seems only fitting that I have an article about plants that are much, much older than my comparatively short life, four thousand years old in fact. I’m talking about the
Northern England Gardens
I’m not exactly sure when Scott or I last toured English gardens. I’m guessing that it was sometime before 2015. So when we saw an opportunity to tour gardens in Southern Scotland and Northern England with the Hardy Plant Society
Charming Calochortus
I’m not exactly sure when I first became aware of Calochortus. Calochortus weedii – July 2019 in the northern annex of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. I seem to recall in the 1980s that they were occasionally offered for sale
The California Channel Islands
We were originally scheduled to visit the California Channel Islands on a National Geographic / Lindblad Expedition in the spring 2020, but the trip was cancelled due to COVID. We were finally able to take the trip this April and
The Ruin Garden at Chanticleer
Spring of 2022 Scott Borden and I visited gardens near Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. We revisited several gardens we had previously visited on Pacific Horticulture Society tours back in 2012 and 2013. We were especially looking forward
Anza-Borrego Early Flower Show
Visit to June Wash After hearing and seeing photos online of the Sand Verbena, Abronia villosa, we decided to make a trip to June Wash in the southern part of Anza-Borrego State Park on Sunday, February 18, 2023, to check
Castle Hot Springs
Getting There In October 2022, on our return from a bicycling trip in Carolinas’ Blue Ridge Mountains, we stopped in Arizona for a short stay at Castle Hot Springs hosted by Scott’s brother and his wife. Heavy thundershowers that day
Carolina Color Fall Foliage
This past October, Scott and I headed to the Carolinas’ Blue Ridge Mountains to see the fabulous fall foliage on a bicycling tour hosted by Backroads. To be able to enjoy the long rides and big hills we opted to
Sea Ranch
This past August (2022) we had the opportunity to borrow a home belonging to a business associate of Scott’s located at the Sea Ranch in Sonoma County. We figured it would be a great time to visit there since San
Portuguese Wildflowers
In mid-April, 20222, Scott and I traveled to Portugal for a bike tour. Getting older, we opted for e-bikes which makes several days of bike riding much easier as well as making hill climbs feel like level ground. The tour