GARDEN FANATIC: Walking in the wild

The City Council meeting had left me sleepless and less than satisfied. I imagined where I wanted to be and found myself putting on my hiking boots. Catharine grabbed the sunscreen and water. Soon, we found ourselves hiking on the Old Corral Trail, in the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park.

This hike was a pleasant adventure into a treasured wilderness: 4,000 acres, two year-round streams, and an opportunity to visit plants in the wild. We were blessed with a cool day and a gentle breeze. Sycamores swayed and ducks floated unfettered at our first water crossing.

Moving in the opposite direction of a family of mountain bikers, we left the main thoroughfare for a more intimate footpath. We immediately encountered the blazing yellowish orange of the sticky monkey flower, Diplacus aurantiacus. This wildflower brightens both the natural and home landscape during the spring and summer. Nestled nearby was a gorgeous stand of mariposa, Calochortus splendens. This charming native lily is pale lavender to lilac and may also be grown in the garden.

Wildflowers are usually seen on the protected eastern and northern sides of hills, where the soil is a good sandy loam. Most of these natives grow rapidly. When spring arrives they will shoot up and bloom profusely for a number of weeks, and as the weather heats up, disappear with the same rapidity.

Many gardeners try to introduce the brilliant red of the coast paintbrush, Castilleja affinis, into their garden. These plants are dependent on the roots of a host for water. In some cases, they are beneficial to its host. The paintbrush seems to help plants damaged by deer or mountain bikes, conserve water. Continuing westward, we were drawn to the pink flowers of the wild rose, Rosa Californica. Catharine discovered the flowers are fragrant. Flowering though July, the hips are an important food source.

Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium bellum, lined our walkway as we paused to admire an egret foraging for dinner. It blooms with exuberant blue-purple flowers and is a useful ornamental plant. Adjacent were the deep blue flowers of the Wild hyacinth, Dichelostemma pulchellum. A bulb, it thrives in sunny banks in the garden and blooms for months.

Our final descent found us in a field of Black mustard, Brassica nigra. Although the yellow flowers are breathtaking, it is considered an alien and is being eradicated in other local parks. Soon we were under a canopy of Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia. The pathway was refreshing. As we reached the mouth of Wood Canyon, we stopped briefly and enjoyed the sounds of birds and the refreshing solitude of nature.

STEVE KAWARATANI can be reached at (949) 497-8168, or e-mail to [email protected].