15 March 2011

Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata)

This cheery scene is just outside the garden gate, in the alley behind our home. These and other wildflowers from a Catalina Island seed mix thrive with our winter rains and an occasional dousing during a dry spell. 

We visited Catalina in March 2008, the spring following the island wildfires. Those in the know say the fire scouring and ample winter rains produced the best spring wildflower display in thirty years; just what I had hoped for.

Weekdays in March offer an unhurried, quiet take on Catalina. During our walks along the streets of Avalon, we encountered few people and when hiking the trails, only bison. The website for Catalina Island Conservancy is a good starting point to plan a trip.

Though the Catalina Island seed mix included Elegant Clarkia, the Conservancy does not list it among “plants known to occur on Catalina Island." Other sources list it as widely distributed from San Diego County to northern California below 5000 feet. "Farewell to Spring” is another name for Clarkia since it typically blooms in May and June in most areas.

Years ago I grew another variety of Clarkia with my winter vegetables. When my mother saw the flowers, she called out their name, recalling the wildflowers that grew on the hills above her childhood home in Laguna Beach. Again, the garden is also about remembering.