Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, CA is a breath of heaven. I visited on a sunny Saturday, wandered the easiest pathways and interviewed for the position of Director of Public Programs today! This beautiful garden features and promotes native California plants in horticultural and more natural settings, depending on where you are in the garden. Interesting miniature treasures, including these "exploded"seed pods can be found at every turn of the path. This sculpture, Mythical Bird, by Gene Montez Flores, resides in a pond that is home to beautiful and large water lilies or at least water plants, botanic name unknown to me, but gorgeous! There are critters here too! I saw California Grey squirrels,
nibbling on an acorn I assume, Western Fence Lizards and evidence (scat) of coyotes. I missed the birds because they get up much earlier on Saturdays than I do. The best part of the garden is the delicate fragrance of the plants...sort of a sage/floral baking-in-the-sun smell. The peaceful, quiet benches make it a restful and nurturing place.I believe this is rue, but may be wrong...not labeled. I love the million shades of green I found and can only share a few here.

Getting the remainder of the purple blossoms tilted the horizon, but the purple/blue is worth it! A type of salvia I believe. Lots to learn of a garden visit.Don't you just love the grey behind the oval green? I hope to be spending lots of time here, introducing children, seniors, and interested others to the benefits and beauty of native California plants!