Feature: Garden Travel to Fort Bragg
The Mendocino Coast is abuzz with abalone divers and mushroom hunters this time of year, but for garden lovers, Ft. Bragg is a year-round destination. If you follow Route 1 up the coast, small towns along winding route might one have just a general store, and a garden shop. The village of Albion is famous for their nurseries, and Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg is a destination in itself.
The Botanical Gardens have two features that really distinguish it. One is their heather garden. Mounds of this modest plant, grouped together with different colors intermixed made for an undulating, and surprisingly beautiful display. Bold, contemporary sculptures are interspersed throughout them. The most unique feature is the walk that opens to the coast. A small seaside hut has benches where you can sit and watch the waves crash against the boulders and rocky shores as if observing an opera.
For hotels, the Weller House Inn in central Fort Bragg is co-managed by Vivien LaMothe who trained as landscaper with a special interest in historic gardens. The inn is a beautifully restored Victorian, and she's revamping the grounds in an Arts & Crafts/ late Victorian style by adding lots of edible ornamental plants, such as artichokes, strawberries, heritage apples, and blueberries. She'd also creating specialty flower gardens so that guest sheets may be dried outdoors over beds of lavender, the fragrance of heritage roses will slip through opened windows, and there will be a scented, night blooming garden. This will be planted around the outdoor staircase that leads to their tango ballroom on the top floor so dancers will enjoy the fragrance of honeysuckle and lilies when they enter and exit.
If you opt for the quicker drive home along route 128, stop by Navarro Vineyard and Wineries and picnic under one of their shaded pergolas overlooking the vineyards.
Calendar Buzz: Fungi Madness in Mendocino
Learn how to find and identify wild mushrooms at the Mendocino Wine and Mushroom Festival 2009 and then get tips on preparing them and pairing them with Mendocino wines at this annual event.