The Daily Dig

Pedal to Petals is an annual group ride to benefit Park Day School in Oakland, California. This year the ride included 11 gardens over an approximately 30-35 mile route. Renessa Lopez shares her fantastic day of riding and landscape inspiration.

Park Day School is a diverse, independent bridge-K through 8th grade school with a 30 year history of progressive education. They believe in a successful learner is one who is confident, caring, and creative. Park Day School believes success is measured by a student's ability to define his or her place in the world, guided by intellectual skills and a social perspective.

This bicycle tour part of the event was organized by my friend and fellow bicycle advocate/enthusiast Sabrina Merlo whose children attend grades 1 and 3 for the 24th Annual Secret Gardens of the East Bay Tour April 24-25, 2010 to benefit this school.

I joined several bicyclists for this self-guided tour of eleven notable private gardens. This year they selected an amazing collection of outdoor spaces to explore, filled with vibrant color, uncommon plantings and distinctly West Coast art on Sunday of April 25, 2010. It was the hottest day of the year so far and temperatures reached into the 90's mid-day.

The are private gardens were generously opened to the gardener, botanists and green thumb enthusiast for the benefit us and the children who attend this school.

We started the tour meeting at the school campus to check maps, discuss the tour route, apply sunscreen and re-connect with friends. Then we started our 33 mile leisurely ride first through the hills of Oakland then to the flatlands of Alameda Island to tour 12 different gardens in 7 hours.

First was Moxie, Mosaic Magnifique! With an umbrella like Chinese elm sheltering wooden deck with grill for BBQ's and plenty of outdoor 'living' spaces.

Then off to a Mediterranean Masterpiece, my personal favorite with it's tranquil beauty and fountains, a small level lawn for playing games, a secluded eating area, and a gorgeous tiled jacuzzi all surrounded by lush greenery – olive trees, espaliered apples, succulent plums, pears and citrus including camellias, roses, and rhododendrons.

After we rode up, up, up to a California Native Sanctuary, a home that had transformed 600 vertical feet on 1/2 an acre into a tempting play land for adults with wet bar, grill and redwood hot tub. This garden was a lush tapestry of texture, color and drought tolerant plants and a raised planter box for vegetables.

The final stop on the hill portion of our tour was a place of Succulents and Self Expression. Silvery dymondia, purple and green aeonium, and rose-like echeveria surrounded by the beautiful stonework. Just over a year ago this was mostly lawn and the transformation in such a short time was astonishing – and inspiring!

Finally downhill to a dream inspired garden, It Looks Like All My Dreams, in Piedmont. Painted vibrant orange this home belongs to a woman who owns an auto body shop and is described as an Italian with a joie-devivre. Set in a bed of custom dyed purple mulch are three redwoods, several Norfolk pines and river rock to suggest the sweep of a dry stream bed. In season, five different shades of bougainvillea will burst into bloom showering the bromeliads, gunnera, and various philodendra with colorful petals.

We made it to a Love of Figs and Flowers garden where your olefactory was astounded into submission by the colorful arrangements of roses – Felicias with their delicate citrus scent, Sally Holmes blooming to fill large vases, and climbing Graham Thomas along the wall of a gorgeous Japanese Maple all set amidst an abundant fig tree. Don't forget to look underfoot at the variety of rosemary and basil for the kitchen.

We stopped for lunch at Park Day School where there were booths of hot food, cool beverages and sales of plants and gardening supplies from local vendors such as American Soil and Stone, Hida Tool and Hardware, Tadpole (rain water harvesting), Morningsun Herb Farm and Sabrina's favorite where she couldn't resist a recycled scrap wood bird house, Berkeley Rustic Chicken Coops and Birdhouses.

After our respite we rode off through Oakland to Jack London Square where we rode along the water on partial paved paths looking out over piers and cruising sailboats where we crossed the High Street Bridge – after a short break to fix a flat.

Once in Alameda we started at the Straw Bale Studio house and working garden. This place is teeming with edible, medicinal and wildlife plants. It's home to chickens and ducks and a straw bale workroom – that was being used as an incubator for a few new hatch lings. The house is also a place to see patients in the healing arts and the garden is used as a teaching studio and produces food for the family and the community

Soon we headed over to an Aboreal Oasis. A labor of love for over 20 years has produced a natural bounty in serene Japanese-style landscaping with jasmine, bamboo, maple and cherry trees and a sunken pool Zen pond for reflecting on the day all surrounded by magnolias, azaleas, camellias and a blue spruce to provide ample shade and privacy.

Riding along the flat streets of Alameda we rode straight into a festive gathering place and hidden Tiki Lounge. Adorned with silk lanterns, dangling parasols and Chinese peasant hats this garden was a bounty of orchids set among Nyssa sylvatica providing shade with pink dogwoods, star magnolia fuschias, and tulip trees. Throw in some scavenged material and artfully crafted scrap into a working tool shed and you have an island paradise.

Among the Victorians is a flowering, fruit bearing garden with fragrant plants throughout. There is an outdoor kitchen conforming indoor luxury with faux bois furniture, a bar table that seat 10 and a Viking Range and wood fired oven for outdoor pizza parties. The boxwood, roses and Japanese maples make for a relaxed atmosphere with little maintenance for this busy, high profile, functionally entertainment oriented family. A beautiful gathering space for every occasion.

Finally we made it to a New Look for an Old School. For two years a volunteer work crew showed up with picks and shovels and donated plants and materials for two Saturdays a month to refurbish it as a gathering place for children and parents. It's heartfelt to see such a transformation and the pride the community has for their school and our youth.

The long day was over. Starting the ride at 9am and finished the last garden by 6pm as the sun was edging towards the horizon. We were a hot and hungry bunch of 20 or so adults, and one very sweet 16 year old. We all rode back to Oakland chattering about the day, making jokes with old friends and promises of getting together with new ones.

I've been riding my bike around San Francisco and the Bay Area since 1989 when I moved here from Southern California. For all these years to culminate into this one sun filled, glorious Sunday was well worth it. I don't think there was any better way to meet healthy, like-minded, intelligent well-rounded people than on an all day local tour on your bike.

For the tour information, check out the Tour website: http://secretgardentour.org/

Or contact the school office:
Park Day School
Main Campus (Gr. K-6)
370 43rd Street
Oakland, CA 94609
PH: (510) 653-0317

Renessa is also a member on The Garden Geek. You can find her as Superass. See what she's got growin' on.