Rick's garden

2009-04-26T01:16:27Z

Leaving the house can be somewhat of a chore. Some days it's nice to be secluded in my apartment, reading or watching television. However, once I step foot outside of the apartment, I immediately feel a warm pleasantness come over me. Rick's garden sprawls across the small front yard. The garden is an explosion of all kinds of different plants, colors and textures.

With every new day of spring and summer, there is always something new and interesting blooming, making for a pleasant surprise. There are traditional beauties like roses and irises, but also plants to satisfy unusual tastes such as Mullens, which grow over six feet and are covered in pods and look as if they arrived from another planet.

When Rick Castro and Larry Fox bought the house over four years ago when it had not been lived in for many years and had suffered a fire. They gutted the house, by putting in new amenities while still maintaining the structure of the house. When my boyfriend and I moved in nearly two years ago, Rick was just starting to develop his garden. His main themes are, Victorian style (to match the house), native plants and drought tolerance.

Because of water shortages and waste, it is very important for Rick that his plants use as little water as possible. Drought tolerant plants are not only convenient in their minimal use of water but in that they can thrive in arid areas such as Sacramento. One of Rick's more interesting plants is the Sago Palm. The Sago Palm grows in a confined space and only generally reaches a height of six feet. It is coniferous and also kin to the Ginko tree. They can be traced back to the Mesozoic era and are often referred to as "living fossils". Rick was lucky enough to find the Sago at a garage sale and instantly liked it for its Victorian look (Victorians loved palms).

White and gray were two of the colors Rick had in mind to dominate the garden. White flowers are not only visible at night but also reflect light and color from the other plants. Another factor in some of his flower choices is a desire to attract hummingbirds. By planting red flowers next to white flowers with an especially tasty nectar, the hummingbirds flock to the garden.

Vegetables can also be found in the garden. He chose self-seeding leeks, Swiss chard and kale. Not only do these vegetables look very ornamental but they are tasty as well. Rick plans to grow more vegetables and herbs in the significantly larger backyard because of their growing success.

For mulch, Rick collects fallen leaves and covers the ground with them. This is an efficient way of reusing the leaves and a very effective one. I have hardly seen a weed. He is also working on a worm compost, using worms to compost food scraps and other organic material into a nutrient rich soil.

If I had to narrow down my favorite plants in the garden, they would be the more unusual ones. The Melianthus major Honeybush is tall and imposing, with jagged leaves and whispy maroon blooms. The Mullens are also tall and, at first, have a fuzzy appearance with small yellow flowers. As they age, the fuzz and flowers disappear into hundreds of dry pods. Rick's Foxgloves take my breath away with their beauty, looking like the layered ruffled dresses of the Civil War era. The Lamb's Ears, which resemble overgrown sage leaves,add texture and the gray color desired by Rick. Euphorbia may be my favorite of the bunch with their bright green color and suction cup look. I also appreciate the rose bushes because they are some of the plants that survived the fire.

By using drought tolerant plants and composting and mulch, Rick has created a beautiful and eco-friendly garden for all that pass by to enjoy. People have likened his garden to The Wizard of Oz because of its unusual plants and bright colors. Rick enjoys the otherworldly comparison and will continue to garden, introducing people to new and interesting plants.

Local gardening

Rick's garden