Tree of Life

I had the pleasure to discover the Tree of Life nursery on Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano.

Tree of Life, the largest supplier of California native plants in the state offers over 500 species on 40 acres.

The plants are spendid, and healthy. The place is peaceful, the staff helpful and involved.

I had the opportunity to discuss with Ramiro, who told me about his mother who at age 84 still grows medicinal plants and uses them.

Wandering together among the collection he showed me how he uses mugwort (Artemisia douglasii) to heal his skin after a wild game of football (yes you know that game that only americans call soccer).

Nice stories, thank you Ramiro for sharing them.

They need to be told.

PS: there are hummingbird nesting over they Entrada sign...I told you it is peaceful

MAPs Community Gardens opportunities

"The former Naval Training Center (NTC) will be transformed into a new urban village called Liberty Station. Following several years of planning, including extensive public involvement, the San Diego City Council adopted a final Reuse Plan in October 1998, charting a new course for NTC. The area will be a gathering place where San Diegans can come together in an active, productive, and stimulating environment. New homes, parks, businesses, as well as cultural and educational facilities will transform the former Navy base into a vital waterfront community" are the introductory sentences of NTC website. It seems that the City of San Diego and the managers of Liberty Station do what they advertise.

As a group we have the possibility to engage in the design of a San Diego native Medicinal Aromatic and useful plants COMMUNITY GARDEN to which we could add education component (ethnobotany for example). What a great opportunity for us !

A public entity offering a space is great, but public is public, isn't it ?

How about a private owner opening is property ?

Dave Ayers from Trapeze High trapeze school in Escondido offers members of San Diego native Medicinal Aromatic and useful plants meetup group, a space where they can collectively propagate plants.

Dave already grows a variety of MAPs, therefore seeds and cuttings will not have to travel long !

Thanks a lot Dave,

To be followed...

Mountain berries & more on Mount Laguna

Nice ripe berries at the moment up there in Mount Laguna...
Going down in Storm canyon you'll find (from left to right on the picture) Western chokecherry (Prunus virginiana demissa), Service berry (Amelanchier pallida) and Sierra gooseberry (Ribes roezlii) bushes. They are all ripe and seem to be willing to produce for a while, as the many green bay covering the branches and stems attest. Gooseberry bushes will produce a lot there. A few VERY old puffballs mushrooms down there too.
Some very healthy specimen of California bay tree (Umbellularia californica) show their greenest foliage on the western slope of the canyon, as well as some chaparral oak (? ?), loaded with big round fleshy acorns.
Nice hike too!