Heavy petals: Monterey County's best gardens and wildflower parks - includes Monterey Peninsula wildflowers travel planner

Sunset, March, 1999 by Lora J. Finnegan

"Monterey County has more wildflower species than most states," says Mary Ann "Corky" Matthews. She should know - she wrote the book on the subject: An Illustrated Field Key to the Flowering Plants of Monterey County and Ferns, Fern Allies, and Conifers.

We're high in California's Carmel Valley, angling up the forested slopes of Garland Ranch Regional Park just as the coastal fog is receding. It's early spring, and the hills are "so green, it almost makes me cry," says 68-year-old Matthews, her trekking poles clicking away.

As the former president of the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Matthews heard the cries for an updated wildflower guide on Monterey County but couldn't find any writers to take on the task. So she went back to school "to brush up on my botany," then set about writing.

Fifteen years and hundreds of trails later, Matthews knows all the wildflower hot spots, the native-plant havens, and most of the flower-filled gardens, whose caretakers have drawn inspiration from the profusion in the hills to create displays that are no less breathtaking than their wild cousins. We've listed her favorite places on the Monterey Peninsula (see page 39), which include Jacks Peak, Point Lobos, the Carmel Mission - and Garland Ranch.

The Lupine Loop is Garland's best short wildflower trail, and the early bloomers are making a spectacle of themselves. Matthews enthusiastically names the flowers bursting forth: "There's white forget-me-nots and shooting stars, milkmaids, buttercups, owl's clover, and popcorn flower."

Following the valley floor to the river terrace, the trail rises gently, passing meadows tufted with California poppies. Matthews points out the tiny barbs of a violet-hued fiesta flower. "In early California, Spanish ladies would pick this flower and press it to their lapels, using it as a kind of wild corsage," she says.

By the time we reach the upper trail, we have traveled through several plant communities - coastal scrub, oak woodlands, grasslands, and riparian streambed - and toured the tremendous botanical diversity on the Monterey Peninsula. Matthews's explanation for this green treasure trove sounds a bit like the real estate agent's mantra. "It's location, mainly," she says. "Species from both Northern and Southern California thrive in the Monterey area. We have a lot of fog, which in general the Northern California plants love, and a dry interior, which southern species crave. We have varied soil types, including serpentine in the soil, which many rare flowers thrive on."

Although the book is finished, Matthews has plenty of cataloging to keep her busy - even after counting, studying, and writing about some 2,040 species. "Or thereabouts," she adds with a sigh. "New plants are being discovered here all the time, and I keep losing count."

RELATED ARTICLE: Monterey Peninsula wildflowers travel planner

Area code is 831 unless noted.

Gardens

CARMEL MISSION. Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo was a favorite of founding father Junipero Serra, who is buried here. Though its garden isn't exactly wild, it is delightfully untamed. The inner courtyard garden blooms with more than 200 species of plants, including Matilija poppy, Mexican sage, and wisteria. 3080 Rio Rd., Carmel; 624-3600.

LA PLAYA HOTEL. About 3,500 plants surround this Mediterranean-style hotel. Standouts include vivid red bougainvillea, 54 species of flowering perennials, and 11 varieties of roses. Enjoy a sumptuous brunch on the open-air terrace. Eighth Ave. and Camino Real, Carmel; (800) 582-8900.

TOR HOUSE. Poet Robinson Jeffers learned "to make stone love stone" and completed nearby Hawk Tower from boulders he rolled up from Carmel Beach. It's surrounded by an English country-style garden. Open 10-3 Fridays and Saturdays by reservation only. A special garden tour is on May 2. 26304 Ocean View Ave., Carmel; 624-1813 or www.torhouse.org.

Parks

Call ahead for current bloom reports.

GARLAND RANCH REGIONAL PARK. Visit the fine small nature center and pick up maps and wildflower guides, then strike out on the 1-mile Lupine Loop trail or try the more challenging 3-mile La Mesa Fern trail. Guided hikes are led at 9 A.M. Saturdays and Sundays in March and April (call ahead to confirm). Carmel Valley Rd. about 8 1/2 miles east of State 1; 659-6062 or 372-6374.

JACKS PEAK COUNTY PARK. You can get an eyeful of the Monterey Peninsula and the Pacific. Hike the Skyline Nature Trail (about 1 mile) for the best wildflowers. 25020 Jacks Peak Park Rd. (off State 68), Monterey; 755-4899.

MISSION TRAIL NATURE PRESERVE. The preserve blazes with poppies this time of year, and lupine and honeysuckle burst out everywhere. Its entrance is on Rio Road, across from Carmel Mission. Within the park is Lester Rowntree Native Plant Garden, full of native plants identified by small signs and carefully tended by volunteers. 25800 Hatton Rd., Carmel; 624-3543.

POINT LOBOS STATE RESERVE. This small (just 450 acres) but dramatic park is best known for its seabirds and sometimes-raucous marine mammals. But clamber over the 3/4-mile-long Cypress Grove Trail in spring and you'll be dazzled by the carpet of flowers. State 1, Carmel; $7 per car (no dogs allowed); 624-4909.