A Hike Through Ventura Botanical Gardens
May 11th, 2024, 09:00 AM
#1
Original Poster
A Hike Through Ventura Botanical Gardens
Tracy and I took our new corgi (two-year-old Garbo) on her first big adventure. We had heard Ventura Botanical Gardens allowed dogs on the trails on certain days, so we gave it a shot. Reviews of the gardens had been mixed, but once we started the 2 1/2 mile loop we realized we had found a spot for a relaxing (for the most part), colorful stroll through five gardens representing the five Mediterranean climate zones of the world. We saw vibrant plants and flowers, and Garbo met a few four-legged friends along the way. Spring is a perfect time to visit with all the beautiful blooms. (story with photos of beautiful flowers and in link below ... story without pictures of beautiful flowers and plants with spelling errors below a couple of photos.)
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/ven...ns-ventura-ca/
When Tracy learned that the Ventura Botanical Gardens allows dogs on Wednesdays and Fridays, we decided this would be the perfect place to take Garbo, our new two-year-old corgi, for her first major adventure. Head west young corgi, and that’s just what we did as we sped toward the coast on a rather overcast Friday morning.
Nestled in the foothills above the historic Ventura City Hall, Ventura Botanical Gardens in Grant Park encompasses 107 acres, which includes some 120,000 plants (more than 160 species). I had read that completion of the gardens is scheduled for sometime in the mid 2040s, and since I would then be (optimistically) in my early 90s, we thought it prudent to go now while I am still relatively upright (most of the time).
We arrived at the Merewether Welcome Center a little after 10:30 a.m. The Welcome Center was completed in 2018 after the devastating Thomas Fire, which damaged part of the gardens and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Ready to pay the $7 per person admission fee, we found out not only are dogs welcome on Friday, but it’s also a free admission day. The hike is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail with a gradual rise in elevation. Garbo woofed she was ready to go.
There is a small nursery where one can buy plants, but our yard is in full bloom, so we carried on. Some recent reviewers said the botanical gardens were virtually devoid of color, but we found it to be quite the contrary. It was the color purple with this lavender to start our day.
Time to check out the switchbacks. I could tell this was going to be a fun adventure for Garbo who met many dogs as the day progressed.
Tracy was also going to have a fabulous time photographing her favorite subjects … Garbo, flowers and plants. We were now in the Chilean Gardens. Currently, there are five Mediterranean climate zones represented: Chile, the Cape of South Africa, Australia, the Mediterranean Basin and California. Some of the flora is unmarked so we turned to the iPhone Flower Power meter (not its real name). According to it, this is the ever popular Salpiglossis sinuata, which was very close to my educated guess of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Tracy also enjoys taking photos of me, pictured here as I tried to make the grade.
It really wasn’t very steep, but I was glad I wasn’t doing this hike at the age of 93.
Sometimes the flower meter doesn’t work, but that doesn’t mean we enjoyed the flora any less.
Next up we stopped to view a Chilean Wine Palm, which reminded me that at lunch I wanted to be holding a wine glass in my palm.
Sadly, during the 1900s these beautiful trees were over harvested and become much more scarce, so much so that they are now a protected species in Chile’s national parks. The Chilean Wine Palm’s were cut down to harvest sap used for making wine and sugar.
Here was an even more vibrant Salpiglossis sinuata known as a Painted Tongue.
The flower photo meter described this as Winter Heather, but since it’s spring I cannot confirm or deny that observation.
The trail grew a little steeper, and Garbo and I stopped to check out the Nolana carnosa, which is a perennial subshrub with some very vibrant flowers.
A tiny visitor was quite attached to it.
In the past few years stone steps have been constructed, but knowing my propensity to tumble, we stayed on the trail.
Onward and upward we walked with Garbo tugging the old man along the path.
At various points along the hike, there are inspiring quotes engraved in stone. The one on the right could be about Tracy and me traveling with Kim and Mary, because half the time we have no clue where we’re going.
The Puya coerulea is a bromeliad from central Chile.
Its large groups of rosettes make for beautiful plants.
It’s hard to pick a name for yourself when your only two choices are shrubby scorpion-vetch or bastard senna.
We took a brief timeout to look down on the Ventura coastline and the wooden pier that’s been there for more than 150 years. Due to storms it has been closed to the public since January 2023, and unfortunately received additional storm damage in December 2023. Officials hope to open it up sometime this summer.
Next up were the crown daisies where, of course …
… we pled with Garbo, “Please don’t eat the daisies.” I thought this would be a great place to put an Apple store, so we could get help at the Genus Bar.
Not only do we like the Netflix series Lupin, but the plant is pretty cool, too.
I think we were in South Africa now, where we admired a Crimson Bottlebrush.
Garbo looked a little confused as to whether we were in South Africa or South America, but I told her not to worry, at least you’re not in South Dakota.
To get here, it took a lot of stamen-a. It would have been a stigma I would have never lived down had I not made it.
The Psoralea pinnata (no, it’s not from Mexico), otherwise known as the Scurfy Pea Shrub (coincidentally my nickname in grade school) is an erect evergreen shrub that is normally between 4 1/2 feet and 12 feet tall.
Our picturesque walk continued …
… along a wooden path.
Leucospermum reflexum is a beautiful shrub and not something associated with your esophagus.
This Pincushion is sew pretty.
By now, Garbo was pretty bored with all the puns …
… so we had to take it sitting down.
Next up was a plant that looked more like a sea urchin.
I believe we are looking at at a Nodding pincushion (aka Yellow Bird), but remember, I am not a horticulturist, so there are sure to be some misidentifications made along the way.
Our final stop was at the Karoo Garden.
Garbo led the way …
… and she was one happy doggie.
The views up here were dynamite. Garbo kept a watchful eye on someone who can take a tumble at a moment’s notice. I’d love to come back here on a sunny, clear, blue-sky day.
The lush gardens exceeded our expectations.
One last Chilean Wine Palm and we headed back down.
You say Good-bye, I say Aloe.
We could have climbed to the famed Serra Cross, but our stomachs were growling. Plus, we had seen the Cross years before when we visited the nearby San Buenaventura Mission.
I asked Garbo if we needed another one of these, and she replied, “No dad, I’m already pretty pooped out.”
I think we hit the perfect time of year to visit the Ventura Botanical Gardens. It was ablaze with color after all the wet weather we’ve had this year. It’s a pleasant hike, and if I can make it easily, then you have a good chance. I’ll be interested to see the additions over the years (although 2045 might be a stretch), and I’m sure we’ll return in the next few months for a sunny day hike. If you want to take a leisurely stroll with your four-legged friend, Ventura Botanical Gardens makes for a scenic and peaceful two to three hour experience. It is officially now Garbo-approved.
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/ven...ns-ventura-ca/
When Tracy learned that the Ventura Botanical Gardens allows dogs on Wednesdays and Fridays, we decided this would be the perfect place to take Garbo, our new two-year-old corgi, for her first major adventure. Head west young corgi, and that’s just what we did as we sped toward the coast on a rather overcast Friday morning.
Nestled in the foothills above the historic Ventura City Hall, Ventura Botanical Gardens in Grant Park encompasses 107 acres, which includes some 120,000 plants (more than 160 species). I had read that completion of the gardens is scheduled for sometime in the mid 2040s, and since I would then be (optimistically) in my early 90s, we thought it prudent to go now while I am still relatively upright (most of the time).
We arrived at the Merewether Welcome Center a little after 10:30 a.m. The Welcome Center was completed in 2018 after the devastating Thomas Fire, which damaged part of the gardens and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Ready to pay the $7 per person admission fee, we found out not only are dogs welcome on Friday, but it’s also a free admission day. The hike is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail with a gradual rise in elevation. Garbo woofed she was ready to go.
There is a small nursery where one can buy plants, but our yard is in full bloom, so we carried on. Some recent reviewers said the botanical gardens were virtually devoid of color, but we found it to be quite the contrary. It was the color purple with this lavender to start our day.
Time to check out the switchbacks. I could tell this was going to be a fun adventure for Garbo who met many dogs as the day progressed.
Tracy was also going to have a fabulous time photographing her favorite subjects … Garbo, flowers and plants. We were now in the Chilean Gardens. Currently, there are five Mediterranean climate zones represented: Chile, the Cape of South Africa, Australia, the Mediterranean Basin and California. Some of the flora is unmarked so we turned to the iPhone Flower Power meter (not its real name). According to it, this is the ever popular Salpiglossis sinuata, which was very close to my educated guess of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Tracy also enjoys taking photos of me, pictured here as I tried to make the grade.
It really wasn’t very steep, but I was glad I wasn’t doing this hike at the age of 93.
Sometimes the flower meter doesn’t work, but that doesn’t mean we enjoyed the flora any less.
Next up we stopped to view a Chilean Wine Palm, which reminded me that at lunch I wanted to be holding a wine glass in my palm.
Sadly, during the 1900s these beautiful trees were over harvested and become much more scarce, so much so that they are now a protected species in Chile’s national parks. The Chilean Wine Palm’s were cut down to harvest sap used for making wine and sugar.
Here was an even more vibrant Salpiglossis sinuata known as a Painted Tongue.
The flower photo meter described this as Winter Heather, but since it’s spring I cannot confirm or deny that observation.
The trail grew a little steeper, and Garbo and I stopped to check out the Nolana carnosa, which is a perennial subshrub with some very vibrant flowers.
A tiny visitor was quite attached to it.
In the past few years stone steps have been constructed, but knowing my propensity to tumble, we stayed on the trail.
Onward and upward we walked with Garbo tugging the old man along the path.
At various points along the hike, there are inspiring quotes engraved in stone. The one on the right could be about Tracy and me traveling with Kim and Mary, because half the time we have no clue where we’re going.
The Puya coerulea is a bromeliad from central Chile.
Its large groups of rosettes make for beautiful plants.
It’s hard to pick a name for yourself when your only two choices are shrubby scorpion-vetch or bastard senna.
We took a brief timeout to look down on the Ventura coastline and the wooden pier that’s been there for more than 150 years. Due to storms it has been closed to the public since January 2023, and unfortunately received additional storm damage in December 2023. Officials hope to open it up sometime this summer.
Next up were the crown daisies where, of course …
… we pled with Garbo, “Please don’t eat the daisies.” I thought this would be a great place to put an Apple store, so we could get help at the Genus Bar.
Not only do we like the Netflix series Lupin, but the plant is pretty cool, too.
I think we were in South Africa now, where we admired a Crimson Bottlebrush.
Garbo looked a little confused as to whether we were in South Africa or South America, but I told her not to worry, at least you’re not in South Dakota.
To get here, it took a lot of stamen-a. It would have been a stigma I would have never lived down had I not made it.
The Psoralea pinnata (no, it’s not from Mexico), otherwise known as the Scurfy Pea Shrub (coincidentally my nickname in grade school) is an erect evergreen shrub that is normally between 4 1/2 feet and 12 feet tall.
Our picturesque walk continued …
… along a wooden path.
Leucospermum reflexum is a beautiful shrub and not something associated with your esophagus.
This Pincushion is sew pretty.
By now, Garbo was pretty bored with all the puns …
… so we had to take it sitting down.
Next up was a plant that looked more like a sea urchin.
I believe we are looking at at a Nodding pincushion (aka Yellow Bird), but remember, I am not a horticulturist, so there are sure to be some misidentifications made along the way.
Our final stop was at the Karoo Garden.
Garbo led the way …
… and she was one happy doggie.
The views up here were dynamite. Garbo kept a watchful eye on someone who can take a tumble at a moment’s notice. I’d love to come back here on a sunny, clear, blue-sky day.
The lush gardens exceeded our expectations.
One last Chilean Wine Palm and we headed back down.
You say Good-bye, I say Aloe.
We could have climbed to the famed Serra Cross, but our stomachs were growling. Plus, we had seen the Cross years before when we visited the nearby San Buenaventura Mission.
I asked Garbo if we needed another one of these, and she replied, “No dad, I’m already pretty pooped out.”
I think we hit the perfect time of year to visit the Ventura Botanical Gardens. It was ablaze with color after all the wet weather we’ve had this year. It’s a pleasant hike, and if I can make it easily, then you have a good chance. I’ll be interested to see the additions over the years (although 2045 might be a stretch), and I’m sure we’ll return in the next few months for a sunny day hike. If you want to take a leisurely stroll with your four-legged friend, Ventura Botanical Gardens makes for a scenic and peaceful two to three hour experience. It is officially now Garbo-approved.
