PageRefuge's Plant List

 MOSTLY NATIVE HABITAT:

GRASSES

Elymus glaucus (Blue wildrye grass)

Festuca idahoensis (Blue fescue)

                F.rubra (Red fescue)

Muhlenbergia rigens (Deergrass)

Sisyrinchium californicum (yellow eyed grass)

S. bellum (Californian blue eyed grass)

Stipa pulchra  (Purple needlegrass)

ANNUALS

Clarkia amoena (Farewell to Spring, Godetia)

Claytonia perfoliata (Miner’s Lettuce)

Collinsia heterophylla (Purple Chinese Houses)

Gilia tricolor (Bird’s Eye Gilia)

Helianthus annuus macrocarpus (Hopi Black Dye Sunflower 

Hopi name: Tceqa' Qu' Si)

Phacelia tanacetifolia (Bee’s Friend or Lacy Phacelia)

*Taget erecta (Cempoalxochitl Marigold aka Day of the Dead)

*Tithonia rotundifolia (Torch Tithonia)

*Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium)

PERENNIALS

Achillea millefolium (White yarrow)

Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly everlasting)

Aquilegia formosa (Western columbine)

Asarum caudatum (Western wild ginger)

Asclepias speciosa (Showy milkweed) 

*Begonia hybrid ‘Summerwings Dark  Elegance’

*Berlandiera lyrata (Chocolate flower)

*Calylophus drum mondianus (Sundrops)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple coneflower) 

Epolibium canum  (California fuschsia ‘Calistoga’ & ‘Everett’s Choice’)  Erigeron giganteum (St. Catherine’s Lace buckwheat) 

E. glaucus (Seaside daisy ‘Cape Sebastian’)

E. grande rubescens (Red flowering buckwheat)

Heuchera maxima (Alum root)

Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm)

Mimulus aurantiacus (Sticky monkeyflower)

Monardella villosa (Coyote mint ‘Russian River’)

*Penstemon eatonii (‘Firecracker’ penstemon)

P. heterophyllus (Blue Bedder penstemon ‘Margarita BOP’)

*P. strictus (Rocky mountain penstemon)

Phacelia bolanderi (Bolander’s Phaceli)

Plantago subnuda (Coastal plantain) 

Salvia apiana (White sage)

                S. spathacea (Hummingbird sage)

S. clevelandii x (‘Pozo Blue’ Sage)

                S.clevelandii (‘Winnifred Gilman’ Sage)

Satureja(Clinopodium) douglasii

Scrophularia californica (California bee plant

  Viola odorata (Wild violets)

SHRUBS

Arctostaphylos bakeri (Manzanita ‘Louis Edmunds’)

A. uva-ursi (‘Point Reyes’ Bearberry)

Berberos aquifolium AKA Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape)

Baccharis pilularis - female upright form (Coyote Bush)  

Calycanthus occidentalis (Western spicebush)

Carpenteria californica (Bush anemone ‘Elizabeth’) 

Ceanothus (California Wild Lilac ‘Dark Star’)

Cornus sericea occidentalis (‘Tomales Bay’ Western twig dogwood)

Corylus cornuta californica (California hazelnut)

Heteromeles arbutifolia (California toyon)

Holodiscus discolor (Cream bush)

Lavatera assurgentiflora (Tree mallow from Channel Islands)

Lepechinia fragrans ‘El Tigre’ (Pitcher sage)

Lonicera involucrata (Twinberry honeysuckle)

Physocarpus capitatus (Western ninebark)

Prunus lyonii (Catalina Cherry)

Rhamnus californica (Coffeeberry)

        Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum(1Pink flower currant+1‘Heart’sDelight’)            

                R.speciosum (Fushsia flower gooseberry)

                R.viburnifolium (Catalina currant/Catalina perfume)

Romneya coulteri (Matilija poppy)

Styrax redivius (Snowdrop bush)

Symphoricarpos albus (Common snowberry ‘Tilden Park’ +

1 dug up along road during Shasta’s & my morning walk)

TREES

*Acer ?? (Yellow leaf Japanese Maple)                    

Aesculus californica (California buckeye)

Cercis occidentalis (Western redbud)

*Chilopsis linearis (Desert willow)

Pinus monophylla (Pinyon pine)

Umbellularia californica (California bay)

VINES

Aristolochia californica (Dutchman’s pipevine) 

Clematis ligusticifolia (Western virgin’s bower) 

Lonicera hispidula (Honeysuckle, aka Hairy honeysuckle)

Vitis californica x European grape cross  ('Roger's Red' California grape)

FOR HUMANS:

*FRUIT TREES

Apple

Cox Orange Pippin

Pink Pearl

Spitzenberg (Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple)

Apricot

Blenheim

Lemon

Improved Meyer

Plum

Santa Rosa

*BERRIES

Blackberry  

          Rubus (subgenus Rubus Watson) ‘Black Satin’ Thornless

Elderberry

          Nova 

          York

Raspberry

           Boyne (Rubus idaeus) Summer bearing raspberry

Strawberry 

         Albion

         Chandler

         Seascape

 Sequoia

*HERBS

Basil

Chives

Marjoram

Oregano

Rosemary

Salvia officinalis

‘Berggarten’ sage

Common sage

Tarragon

Thyme

MEDICINAL HERBS

*Borage

*Comfrey

*Echinacea

*Peppermint (chocolate)

Wide leaf plantain

White yarrow

OTHER FOOD PRODUCING PLANTS

Rhubarb 

* = nonnative 

Beautiful

Chocolate Flower . . . I fell in
love with this plant living in Santa Fe.
Yes! the flowers actually have
a slight smell of chocolate.

Last week Chris, Shasta and I drove to Tanis' lovely home and property to pick Pink Pearl apples. There were not nearly as many as last year but I brought home plenty for making applesauce. It has just been so been so dry there seems to be less fruit on all trees not just Tanis' fruit trees.

The Pink Pearl apples
piled into the sink
ready to be washed.

The beautifully colored 
apples now prepared for
cooking then "strained"
and put into pint jars.

Isn't this most gorgeous color?
Dwight and I use to enjoy
putting applesauce I 
had made the previous year
on hash browns . . .
this makes for a delicious,
light evening meal.

Recently Leigh and Steven enjoyed a few days away from their home in Seattle. The below is one of the pictures she sent me. I love the wheelbarrow sculpture and just could not resist sharing it with all of you.

Picture Leigh sent from their time spent at Suncadia

As I get up each morning to what feels like an empty house and deal with pervasive grief, I continue with my familiar routine which Shasta helps me to maintain. Reading the glorious array of emails is a useful activity. Yesterday I receive Susan's email with her regular newsy "post".

Perhaps you would enjoy reading as well? I remember when Dwight and I would go to have a delightful meal at The Shed, stopping off at Susan's Christmas Shop and browsing. There is so much miss about Santa Fe AND I am ever so grateful we had the time there that we did.

BEing out in my garden taking care of tasks is a wonderful way I am staying in touch with what feeds me. All the while I partake in a frequent

Request

When I picked up my mail today from the mailbox across the street from my house, I found a lovely message from my Santa Fe friend, DeAnna. In her neck of the woods there has been much monsoon moisture so she is cutting things back. She wanted pictures of my gardens. So, DeAnna, here are some recent photographs from the flowering front yard.

Hopi Black Dye sunflower
also called Tcequ gu'si' by the Hopi.
I began growing these while
living in Santa Fe, NM
They never grew this gigantic! 

The Hopi use the blue/black hull
with alum as mordant

                                              to make wool and 

                                                     basket dye.

Sisyrinchium californicum (yellow eyed grass)

Salvia apiana (White sage)

Calylophus drum mondianus (Sundrops)

which I LOVE

and the bees love

and even the small butterflies love.

                                                   

  

Mimulus aurantiacus (Sticky monkeyflower)

Monardella villosa (Coyote mint 'Russian River'
which is planted near the walkway so
that one's skirt will brush the bush
and release the delicious scent.

Epolibium canum  (California fuschsia ‘Calistoga’)

Salvia clevelandii (‘Winnifred Gilman’ Sage)

Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly everlasting)
which we used to surround Dwight
at his Celebration of Life.

Erigeron glauques (Seaside daisy 'Cape Sebastian')

Penstemon heterophyllus 
(Blue Bedder penstemon 'Margarita BOP')

Phacelia bolanderi (Bolander’s Phaceli)

So DeAnne this a smattering of what my casa looks like in this Summer. And oh how I wish you could take an enjoyable walk about in my garden with me and  enjoy a frequent

 

Dwight

"Dwight", the recently planted Meyers Lemon Tree.
Dwight so wanted a tree of our own
that would produce delicious, juicy lemons.
Tanis' gardener procured this healthy, already heavy with a
dozen or more green lemons, tree for me to plant.
I planted it in the front yard. Dwight could see it from
his big blue chair in which he sat during his
waking hours.

This Sunday past we had a gathering in Delano Park across the street from my house. We came together for a Celebration of Life, Dwight's life, that ended on July 17, 2022, at 0655. His lungs failed from the effects of living with parents who smoked as well as his first wife. The entire time I knew Dwight his lungs had been an issue but it was not until March of this year the pulmonary function tests identify both COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and emphysema. Within 6 weeks his ability to take his regular everyday 2 mile walk with Shasta deteriorated into first a mile then a half mile. The first two weeks of May he was hospitalized for blood clots in his two lower lobes of his lungs and pneumonia in an upper lobe.

Luckily being a retired registered nurse I had the knowledge and skill to care for Dwight here at 35 Page Street. I did so right up to his taking his last breathe. In the early morning hours I called Katie and Michael in San Francisco. They arrived around 2 a.m. and stayed until Dwight's body was taken to Parent-Sorensen Crematory in Petaluma. Leigh had done a stellar job of researching the very best one. I thank her for that from the bottom of my heart. Everyone I came in contact with were ever so kind, gentle and concerned about me.

I believe caring for Dwight and enduring his death has been/is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I am so fortunate to have dear friends who are supporting me as well as Katie and Leigh who are both grieving the loss of their dad. So as a way to honor their dad and support their process they planned and executed a wonderful Celebration of Life. Some 20+ friends and family were in attendance sharing their stories of Dwight. My opening is below:

Flowers my cousin Shelley 
brought from her garden.

"35 years ago this coming Thanksgiving I met Dwight. HIs friend, Judy (thank you! Judy) invited Dwight to my friend Helen’s home for Thanksgiving dinner which was timed for after I got off work at 3:30.

Dwight and I seemed to instantly connect. Dwight had recently left his wife which was a red flag. He was just beginning to adjust to a single life while I had been living singularly for over 17 years. 

Dwight was committed to providing a home for his youngest daughter Leigh who came to live with him. He often spoke of “not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

We found a way forward and once we took Leigh to college in Oregon we began living together . . . splitting our time between my place in Sebastopol and a flat we rented in the San Francisco Mission District. Eventually as many of you know we bought a place South of Sebastopol on Hessel Avenue. We lived there for almost 25 years before relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dwight LOVED living in this city with the same world class entertainment as San Francisco.

Alas, my body did not like the some 7000’ elevation. So once again we packed up all our belongings returning once again to Sonoma County. We bought our home in Cotati. I am so happy we had pretty much settled in before Dwight was hospitalized in early May for two weeks.

Soon after returning home midMay his lungs began showing signs of failing. Growing up with parents who smoked as well as his first wife he was diagnosed with COPD and emphysema this past March. 

I felt so fortunate to have the knowledge and skills to care for him at home. His last two months were a gift of time . . . there was just him, me and Shasta. We had the opportunity to connect in a way previously impeded by our busyness of making 35 Page Street our home. AND now this house feels fo empty without Dwight. The pervasive fog wrapping in and around me is throughly protective right now.

Thank you! each and everyone of you who have come to celebrate Dwight’s life."

Dwight's ashes sit atop the
cupboard of sorts that holds
the television. When my ashes
are ready to join his, they will
be scattered around a large 
Cottonwood tree on Test Station
Road which runs along the West side 
of Mono Lake.
Dwight gave both Katie and Leigh
clear directions using google maps.

People knowing Dwight in his various parts of his life who shared their experience(s) of Dwight was so wonderful and heartwarming. The common thread was how he was so present and listened not fearful of discussing any topic the speaker brought up with him. Like me, Dwight was a One on the Enneagram and our "virtue" is serenity which Dwight exemplified throughout his life BEing a "perfect" One.

I am hopeful once this protective fog lifts, I can begin the grieving process with an often emotional releasing belly