The journey from Scottsdale to San Diego is through a vastly changing landscape. Flat desert land, huge cattle feed lots in the distance on treeless plains that you can smell for miles -ugh, vast sand dunes and then finally up through a winding rocky hillside with large sandstone boulders replete with cactus. The Mexican border was close by much of the time. It is a long and imposing fence. We attempted to get up close to the border for a better look but there was a bunch of army dudes with rifles. We hightailed it out of there but I did manage to get one quick snap.
Those black spots on the distance are the poor cows
Mexican border fence
The sand dunes were amazing. Popular with people to play on their dune buggies. I’m reasonably sure the dudes we saw tearing up the dunes were also the police “patrolling”. We conquered just one on foot. I feel sorry for any Mexicans trying to get the USA via that route.
BALBOA PARK
Balboa Park is San Diego’s equivalent of New York’s Central and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Parks. A massive green space in the middle of the city and home to a zoo, a bunch of museums, gardens, even a bowling green. The park has a free shuttle which only goes between the visitor’s centre and car parks and that means a lot of walking. Not my favourite thing.
San Diego Zoo is meant to be one of the best zoos in the world. Before we got to San Diego I had just watched the documentary Blackfish showing the use and abuse of Orcas (Killer Whales) at Seaworld and other parks around the world which left me horrified. I couldn’t face any place animals are confined after that.
How I like my animals at zoos. Fake or plant based.
Instead of the zoo I decided to have a purely happy horti plant day and explore the park. My first stop was the Desert Garden, a cliff face collection of cacti and succulents. This happy horti was initially in heaven. The landscape held some of the largest specimens of succulents, unusual trees and palms I’ve ever beheld yet sadly not one damn thing was labelled. FRUSTRATING. Unhappy horti. Thankfully I could identify some without help.
Barrel Cactus, Echinocactus, two different types
Madagascan Palm, Pachypodium lamerei
Boab or Baobab Tree, Adansonia spp.
Jade Tree, Portulacaria afra
And a bunch of tree-like ones reminding me of Dragon Tree Dracaena Draco and Tree Aloe Aloe Barbaraceae but I am unsure.
The following look like Candelabra Cactus, Euphorbia species and were in flower:-
These look like they are from the Euphorbia family too and are with some some nice palms, especially the blue foliaged Bismarck Palm:-
Some related to Prickly Pear, Opuntia spp. perhaps
Orchid Tree, Bauhinia spp.
The Botanical Building which reputedly has a great collection of plants was closed! Who closes a main attraction on a Thursday for maintenance? Weird. Don’t they know Monday is traditional maintenance day? In front was a sizeable pond with water lily, koi and turtles.
I visited the Redwood Circle but they were looking a bit sad. They have trouble growing them this far south. As with San Francisco there are loads of Aussie plants, particularly the gum trees.
More Aussies!
Brachychiton discolor or bidwilli. Probably the former and also known as Lacebark Tree or Pink Kurrajong. Related to our more popular Flame Tree Brachychiton acerifolius, also in attendance but not in flower right now.
Moreton Bay Fig, Ficus macrophylla, an unexpected but happy encounter was with this old friend. Looking for all the world at home here as if it was spreading in a cow paddock at home.
My mystery tree in San Diego was this bizarre gnarly twisted plant that I eventually identified as, of all things, the Australian Coastal Tea Tree Leptospermum laevigatum. This is a plant with which I am familiar but I’ve never seen them do this in my neck of the woods! Wow. Looking for all the world sometimes like a fallen dead tree but with tufts of verdant foliage sprouting out. Very popular with my friends the squirrels for free accom and shade.
Seed pods
Coastal Tea Tree with portaloo. Nice
Happy squirrel striking a pose.
California Pepper Tree Schinus molle
This was the squirrels next favourite tree. Beautiful weeping foliage on gnarly trunks with red berries that look like peppercorns. Native to South America and the Peruvian Andes, it is a bit of a pest in Africa, Australia and even here.
I wandered around the park for a few hours but was underwhelmed by the other botanical offerings. It wasn’t that it wasn’t any good, it was more that much of it was stuff I’ve seen before. A hazard of being on the road for so long. Palms, Japanese Friendship Garden and the rather lame Alcazar Garden.
After I’d had my fill of the park I had enough time left to jump on the enjoyable but overpriced trolley tour of San Diego for a once around. It looked like a pretty cool town. Historic houses, Old Town with its funky shops, the Little Italy restaurant strip and the gorgeous sandy beach island of Coronado are all worthy of a better look someday. It was Halloween so I was doubly pleased. The streets were filled with costumed folk in search of candy. A feast for the eyes of cute, cute and more cute.
I think there is something there for the young and old alike!
My favourite trolley guide of the day was Vidal who got right into the spirit of things costume wise and treated us to very special performance of magic. Great fun.
NEXT STOP LA
Happy Horti 