April Visit to Sherman Gardens

A friend and I paid a visit to Sherman Library & Gardens last week.  I've been there many times but this was my friend's first visit.  Located in Corona del Mar, it's very small as botanic gardens go, just over two acres in size.  It's set in the middle of a very lively business district along the Pacific Coast Highway, close to the Newport Beach Civic Center.  Even through small, it packs a punch as it's beautifully maintained.  Areas are redesigned on a regular basis so there's almost always something new to see.

We entered via the back parking lot into the Central Garden.

The area surrounding the fountain was planted with Anemones

Clockwise from the upper left, other floral highlights in the area included Digiplexis, Scabiosa atropurpurea 'Red Velvet Scoop', and Itoh peonies.  I don't have an ID for the pink peony but a friend confirmed that the blush-colored variety is 'Julia Rose'.  I took a ridiculous number of photos of the peonies because I'm obsessed with them despite nearly zero success growing anything in the genus.

We followed a zig-zag path through the garden, moving to the Succulent Garden next but you can get a better sense of the garden's overall layout by referring to its online interactive map, which you can find here.

Three views of one area featuring Agaves, bromeliads, and decorative rock

Smaller succulents (left) sit underneath a massive tree aloe I failed to capture.  The area on the right is home to 2 large Euphorbias and an impressive Mangave in the foreground.

In this area,  the candelabra tree, Euphorbia ingens (I think), reigns over a host of barrel cactus and other succulents

Always on the lookout for flowers, I spotted this flowering cactus in a shady corner.  I think it's a rat tail cactus (Aporophyllum flagelliformis).

We emerged from the Succulent Garden into the Tea Garden.  An outdoor class was in session so we skirted around the edges of the area.  My friend was attracted to a colorful shrub under a shade structure.

This plant, Brunfelsia pauciflora, goes by the common name of the yesterday-today-and-tomorrow plant because its flowers change in color from one day to the next.  There were several of these shrubs in the area, mixed in with Fuchsias and other shade-loving plants.

After checking out the plants for sale outside the gift shop, vowing to go back there before we left, we toured the Specimen Shade Garden.

Sherman has a large collection of Begonias, many of which were blooming

However, the display that attracted my attention on this occasion were the palms studded with airplants (Tillandsia) of various kinds

A closer look at the Tillandsias affixed to each palm trunk.  I'm not even going to try to identify individual species.

We stopped by the Mediterranean Climate Garden next.

This plant perplexed me.  It reminded me of aspects of both Callistemons (aka bottlebrush) and Grevilleas but I was sure it was neither.  A friend who volunteers with Sherman offered an ID: Calothamnus quadrifidus, an Australian native commonly known as the one-sided bottlebrush.

I was also unable to identify the rangy plant at the center of the photo on the upper left.  It reminded me of Lobelia laxiflora.  My volunteer friend identified it as Lobelia excelsia.  The photo on the upper right shows the flowers of a burgundy-foliaged Dyckia.  The bottom photos are of carnivorous plants, including flowers of a Sarracena.

I snapped a couple of photos of bromeliads in the area next to the carnivorous plant display

We spent a good amount of time in the Tropical Conservatory, one of my favorite spots.

The woman at the entrance booth had identified Medinillia magnifica, an epiphyte native to the Philippines, as a "must-see" plant and we had no problem spotting it.  I was so enamored by the plant the first time I saw it years ago, I bought one by mail order.  My plant is a couple of years old now but it hasn't bloomed yet and it's foliage doesn't look this good.  I suspect it wants more humidity than my garden provides!

More pics taken from inside the Tropical Conservatory

As we headed back in the direction of the gift shop, we checked out the Formal Garden and the Sun Garden.

At one time this area was a rose garden.  This year the Formal Garden is comprised of edible plants with a center display of artichokes.  I'm not sure what the plan is for the structure under construction.

The Sun Garden isn't as flashy as it's been in prior years but at least Sherman, the garden's otter mascot, is back with his hose in hand.  Planted with relatively common plants, it shows how locals can create an attractive but fairly low-maintenance garden.  The Schizanthus pinnatus (aka poor man's orchid) on the lower right is in an adjacent area.  This was one of my favorite flowers at one time but I haven't seen it in years.

I hadn't planned on buying any plants but I couldn't help myself.

Philodendron 'Birkin' (left), one of the "it" house plants, was sold for a price that didn't make me choke.  I picked up Tillandsia 'Spirit' (left) just because it seems I can never have enough Tillandsias.

We had a nice lunch on the patio of a nearby restaurant and made a relatively brief stop (by my standards) at Roger's Garden, one of my favorite garden centers, before heading home.  On a weekday, it's best to get on the freeway before 3pm to avoid getting mired in Southern California's notoriously heavy traffic.

All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party