come on in.....

come on in.....

1925 Craftsman Cottage

1925 Craftsman Cottage

1947 Artist Cottage

1947 Artist Cottage

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FARMER JOHN!!!!!

Happy Birthday Farmer John!                             Today would be your 82nd Birthday….





It sure has been different here on the NSAFarm without you …Let me tell you what’s happening just now….All the narcissus are blooming like mad!...The new flush of cool weather ground covers have taken over and are creating a green carpet with many small colorful blossoms…. The Occalass bloom in pink and Yellow, Violets are a sweet purple, the Nasturtium a sweet bright green,
many different Wandering Jews, Mint, Plectranthus, the prickly Nettles in back with the Horehound all grey green in its clumps that are here and there out back & in the way back... The Iris are standing at attention everywhere with their leaf spathes pointing to the sky preparing for their spring bloom bonanza…. giant Crocosmia, Crinums,

 Narcissus,



And Naked Ladies are all are pushing up there varied greens of all different leaf structures & textures that precede their blooms….and the tropical Guavas are nothing short of prolific as was theSapote!



Had an amazing flush on the Cemetery Rose south-east of the Sapote with the Barrel Cactus and crown of thorns…. Snail vine is all thick and green with new flowers coming on…. and the exquisitely wonderful one-of-a-kind seedling grapefruit is full of ripening fruit…. all the Oranges, Tangerines, and misc Citrus are turning from an inconspicuous green to lovely sunny oranges and should be ready to enjoy soon!… The kitchen house pond avocado orchard is in full swing with the Baba-Cado seedlings with the Pinkerton's down to just a few fruit left…


the Limes are waning but still offer the perfect amount for the kitchen’s use… the Montclair-clothesline Meyer Lemon is coming on full blast bright yellow with tons of fruit!.... the asparagus fern is taking over the clothesline-bamboo fence with its happy little, almost heart shaped leaves & it’s covering almost the entire porcelain throne garden as well!..


Everything in this garden is happy with the 17+ inches of rain the last storm system droped as it passed through last week…. It’s a wonderful thing when Mother Nature waters, she doesen’t miss a single inch of the property….WOW!


A particularly green and happy NSAFarm this Birthday Dad~

Our wish this year is that your love, light & blessings continue to shine in the hearts and minds of all that you touched this life…..We all miss and love you and thank-you for all the joy, kindness, and love you have brought to us....

Zbogum Dad!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Botanist Oscar Clarke describes the plant collection at the NSA Farm....




This 33000 sq. ft. Property's Mature Botanic Gardens are something to see!
An Enjoyable and Extraordinary Collection full of Rare and Unusual plants gathered from
all over the World during the past 40 years, includes Eatables, Medicinals, Ornamentals
and more than 200 fruiting Trees and Vines.
Many, now towering, are simply spectacular, and provide a one-of-a-kind, Lush and refreshing, tropical Environment that only mature plants can offer. The Tree canopies,
plus two hand-built Native-Stone, Koi ponds, serve as host to many local Migratory
Birds and Butterflies, Dragonflies, Ladybugs and the highly important pollinator, the
Honey Bee.
With a fully Automated Watering System, the Apples, Figs, Avocados, Peaches,
Loquats, Citrus, Mulberries, Grapes, Guavas, Feijoa (pineapple guava), Walnuts,
Bananas, Apricots, Plums, Nectarines, Jujubes (Chinese date), Pomegranates, Tree
Spinach (Chaya), Tapiocia Tree - Manihot palmata (related to cassava, the source of tapioca),
WhiteSapote, Mimosas, Boysenberries, Raspberries, Bay, Passion Fruit, Mint, Lavender,
various Aloes and Cacti are just a few of the plants that populate this distinctive
Botanical Collection.
In my opinion, this property is Delightfully Unique, put together with an eye for the
exotic and unusual. Its significant plant diversity and usability, is the result of many years
of painstaking labor and care, making it an important, and quite valuable Botanical
Collection, to whoever decides to purchase it.


Oscar F. Clarke
Retired UC Riverside Herbarium Curator/Creator and Author of: “Flora of the Santa Ana River and Environs, with References to World
Botany”
Oscarfclarke.blogspot.com