How many of us are california Natives?

This is my first time to see the whales...

Isn't it great to have new things to look forward to? Really helps when life seems to get a little dull. That's why I love road trips so much. See life in a different light.

Goodness, Doss, Narbonne and Banning? I DO remember those football games. The competition was especially fierce with Banning as I recall.

Weegy - weren't they called "snowballs?" I remember I didn't like coconut at that time.

I used to love the iceman in the summer, he would chip pieces off for us when it was very hot. And, yes, I do remember the smell of the Helm's truck! I'm glad I grew up when I did.

Dawn, you did a good thing starting this thread!

k

thank you/ k It is very interesting to me, all the people opening up their personal lives, maybe people who would not normally do it, but dg does that to you. Gyps, I will pass that on, everyone will understand and we all are doing the same soon if not now.. Us lucky californians, we are the pioneers of the gardening year.

Yes, I'm busted, they were called snowballs and still are! A senior moment made me forget!

Yes! I am a California native. I was stupid enough to leave for 30 years....BUT smart enough to come back. And, not only did I come back to California, and to my home town of Long Beach, I was even fortunate enough to manage to return to the home in which I grew up. My parents built it in 1944-45. Yes, you guessed it: dad was a navy man. What is it they say? "The older I get, the smarter my parents get"

I've been back several years now. Enough, at least, to have overcome the late night wake-up of 'Why am I sleeping in my parents' bedroom?' And, even more thankfully, long enough to overcome the sheer terror of taking care of my mother's surviving 1940's-planted camellias and roses - ( as in, many were planted before I was born - so they're really dinosaurs.) I sure do have a lot to learn about southern California gardening.. and I relish every moment of it.

Carolyn

that is a feel good story. That is something that happens more so back east, where you move into the family homestead and one house has been occupied by one family memeber or another forever. Californians don`t do that much to my knowledge. If I am wrong please correct me. I still know people in Ohio that are going on the 4th generation taking the family home and it was a crack up to me because tha kids were fighting over who was geting STUCK with it because selling it was no option. lol

I can't go live in my Grandmother's house - my parents are still living in it! LOL But you are right. I don't think that it's done often.

I think it might be done more often than you think--I've seen it more here in CA than I did when I lived in Ohio. Can't think of anyone I knew in the whole time I lived there who lived in the house they had grown up in, but out here there are several people I work with who live in the house they grew up in. Parents retired and sold the kids the house cheap (or maybe just gave it to them), best way to get around the high cost of houses!

How are all of you? Today I got surprised when all 40 something of my thread watchers popped up so I am going through and deleting some. Am I the only one this happened to?

No, Dawn - lots of people - everybody? - got the same thing. See http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/734226/

Nice to hear from you, anyway!

Kathleen

yeah me too.. I figured Dave messed up and would soon have it back to normal *LOL*

I've lived here for 20 years. I am from Pennsylvania. My family didn't do much gardening except vegetable gardening and I continue that aspect of my PA heritage. I have some cactus from my parents' yard and some bearded irises from my aunt, but other than that, I have not tried to create a new PA. That would be boring, anyways.

"That would be boring anyways".. Kelli - you are right. There's always something new to try - and you can have all of those wonderful tropicals in So. Cal. What a fun thing to explore.

What part of PA, Kelli? My family is from Allentown, Hamburg, Philadelphia area - long time ago, but we still have folk there. Mom lived on a farm in Hamburg for a while after being raised in Philly.

Kathleen

southwestern PA - Westmoreland County

Ah, that 'other' part of PA. I'm more familiar with the NE, since I research family history in that area.

I was born in California and have lived here in this state all my life. I have tried to garden in Bakersfield, Concord, Riverside, Gardena, Long Beach, Santa Maria, San Jose, Eureka, Carlotta and Fortuna. I think that is it... May have left out a couple.

That covers mountains and deserts, inland and coastal climates. No matter where I was or what the climate it seems like I always wanted to grow things that were best grown where I used to be instead of where I was at the moment.

I have dealt with drought and floods and heavy freezes and extreme heat. California is so diverse in climates and soil types that I sometimes feel that it is impossible to define what California gardening is.

Is that why you are zany muse? That's a lot of traveling around.

LOL, It may have been a contributing factor!

That sure does describe the zany world of ca. gardening. I had a tough time but ended up with a great garden that my XH still enjoys the fruit of my labor, yet here only 15 miles away in the same zone too, I have unsurmountable obstacles at every turn. Very slow progress and I am real irritated but I can not give up, I will come up with some darn alternative.

Dr. Don said it right, that if you have poor soil, you will spend a lot of time in frustration and endure lots of loss, so MY new plan is to ammend and ammend, which puts off some future garden plans and scales down present progress but I am weary so I will ammend.

Hire a big truck and get a load of drdon's mulch, Dawn!

I didn`t know it was an option. He never said so, he said that he gives it to neighbors but that it would cost a fortune to get rid of it. I have a friend with a dump truck, he`d proabably do it if i pay him but I don`t know if DR.Don would let go of it or sell it. I need a lot. I have 5/8 of an acre and would need it on about 1/4 acre to really get somewhere fast but any would help the areas presently being worked and watered. The caleche here sucked the boots right off my feet once and I was going to sink up to my knees if i tried to walk with out them barefooted that year with all the rain. yuck

Dawn, you have dmail.

thanks

Travel broadens your horizons, come visit me in Florida for a 'slide show'. You all need to get out and about more! http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/739026/

I grew up south of Buffalo, N.Y. and moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area out of college. I've been living in Berkeley for 32 years. When my father died, I purged his fantastic garden with everything I could stuff in a huge suitcase and flew it here. Yes, pre Sept. 11. Believe it or not, most is still growing, including his peonies. It's my best memory I could keep.

Born and raised in Long Beach, CA - gone for 30 years for advanced degrees and a Washington DC career - and Virginia Master Gardener. Now, I'm not only back in Long Beach, but in the house my parents built when my dad was sent out here during WWII. But, there are just too many people here. I didn't know it, but I have a serious need for a lot, lot more green. So, I'm looking at the area east of Portland Oregon.

Funny how that happens, isn't it? :-) I feel truly sorry for those who don't get the chance to choose. Green is so therapeutic.

If it gets one degree hotter here in Phoenix, AZ I'm moving back to Northern California. I can't take this heat. 3rd generation Northern Californian doing time in AZ.

Sometimes it can be a magical place, though.

I spent 2 years in Yuma...nothing, NOTHING could drag me back to the desert. In order to have the green that I emotionally need, I have a high, high water bill. I liked the northwest...would definitely like to go back. I don't see how people can live without large trees and shade. Hot sun sears the soul, I'm sure of it! Give me cool, moist foggy air and lots of green, please.

real hot in Phoenix. But it`s prettier than here. I lived near Cleveland till age 11.

Not an SF Bay Area native (unfortunately), but a CA native. I was born in LA and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. I find that having been a coastal metropolitan Californian all my life has really influenced me and I don't notice it until I'm *not* in those environs. So when I was an AFS student in Denmark for the summer, the lack of any mountains really freaked me out! When I was staying at a Swedish language camp in Bemidji, MN, the way the sky turned green before a major summer storm was far scarier to me than any earthquake. (Storms? In summer??)

As far as gardening, being spoiled by California weather, particularly the Southern California weather of my upbringing probably retarded the growth of my gardening knowledge. I was first into food gardening from about the age of 9 to 13 and never had to learn about shade vs. sun or much of anything else of a plant's needs because it all grew anyway. The conditions were ideal for most of what I planted whether that was a guava or an apricot tree.

Now that I'm in a slightly less bountiful microclimate (slightly, I know), I've had to learn there are things I won't be able to grow outside a greenhouse. But I still plant the marginal things like melons anyway.

Born in CA, lived here all my life. Never lived anywhere else, and have only been out of the state a few times, to Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Pretty sad huh? lol
Anyway, I'd say my "style" of gardening is pretty much, buy what I like, try to make it work in the yard. In my neck of the woods, I can grow almost anything, as long as I put it in the right place (shade, or sun, part shade), if I can get that right, I'm golden. ;o)
I very much have a "collectors" garden. A little bit of everything. I try to make it all work together using color in masses when possible. I like the cottage garden look, but it doesn't last long enough, but I do have a few "cottage" things, like cosmos, gladiolas, etc.
In the back I have mostly tropical/drought tolerant, if that makes any sense. Things like bananas on one side, then morphing into vitex, yucca, rose of Sharon, Japanese Maple, Ginger, and sedum, with Deodar Cedars, and Pineapple Guava in the back. All kinda lush looking, maybe a touch of Mediterranean, with a lot of mish-mash.
I try to get a lot of plants that take care of themselves like Daylilies, and then add in a few high maintenance stuff, just for punch.
On the side I have my collection of Butterfly bushes, and fruit tree orchard. In the front yard, it’s completely different with a tad bit of lawn, but mostly ground covers, and Daylilies and a bunch of different trees like Crepe Myrtles, Purple Robe Loqest, Saucer Magnolia. Whatever floats my boat. LOL
You have to keep in mind that I have 5 acres total, so one of everything isn’t out of the question…just the way I like it. :o)

This message was edited Oct 9, 2007 6:55 PM

I read through all of the posts again,and loved it. Lots of you lived near Cleveland, as I did, out of college. Was a speech therapist in a suburb school for 9 years. Moved to CA while pregnant, in 1973. Been here ever since. My parents lived south of Buffalo, NY. My father was a fantastic gardener! I think I'm trying to compete with him in absentia. I pilfered his garden when he died along with his great worms, so I could tell my future (now 4 yrs and 5 months) that their crazy Grandma stole worms from their Great Grandfather's garden.
My garden, terraced on a hillside, is always changing and is always a work in progress. Don't think I'll live another 30 years to have it where I want it. One third of it is a veggie garden. 15 tomato plants this year, lots of which still have green ones. (It's tough to grow tomatoes in Berkeley).
Yesterday, I went to a stable near me and spent hours shoveling the wonderful stuff into bags and unloading to the side of my house. To get the bags up 25 stairs, I hired someone. Could hardly move today.
Will look forward to meeting some of you at the Northern CA roundup!
Linda

> Yesterday, I went to a stable near me and spent hours shoveling the wonderful stuff into bags and unloading to the side of my house.

Heh! I tried to find someone on a local mailing list who would do the shoveling and lifting if I'd provide the car and the shovel and a ride to and from their house to the stables. No takers as of yet. My hands are screaming in pain so there's no chance of me being able to do it myself no matter how badly my yard could use the manure infusion.

Definitely see you at the Roundup.

I was born in the Ozarks, coming to California (San Fernando Valley) at the ripe old age of two years old...LoL!

Thanks,

Chuck

Theresa sounds like a lot of the plants I have only the bananas and subtropicals, forget it until I get a green house. I also have several fourwinged salt bushes (atriplex) and some coyote bush ground cover/shrubby low water stuff too that does great in my salty ,clay soil.

I plead guilty to being a native Californian, Carmel to be exact. Hubby is also a native having been born in Oakland. My parents transplanted from Ill. and AZ. and my husbands parents are from OH. and MI. Our families managed to move within 10 miles of each other after the war so we both lived in the San Gabriel Valley for a number of years until moving to Santa Barbara, CA.

We love it here, close to the ocean, and it has a great deal of influence on what we can grow successfully. I try to grow organically and really hate the fact that we have to be so carefull of mildew and a few other things like the number of chilling hours for fruit trees. But then I look out the window and see that beautiful blue expanse and all is forgiven.

I've always wanted to spend a winter someplace where it snows. Having not traveled much and being in such a fair weather place kinda conjures up ideas of what living in the snow would be like especially around the holidays. I don't know about the rest of you but daydreams always get me in so much trouble. (grin)

Barb

You could always drive up to Tahoe and rent a cabin for a few weeks some winter--that should give you a good idea of what snow is like! From personal experience I can tell you that snow is wonderful if you don't have to go anywhere and can just enjoy its beauty, but when you have to go out in it and drive in it to get to work, school, etc it's not very fun.