An Inspired Cook

Red and Yellow Dahlia

Our day at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens was one I will never forget. We arrived early to find the flowers still dotted with dew. The dew on the plants and flowers made them so vivid and bright, it was like an added texture on top of their natural beauty. The gardens are part of a 47 acre area with 4 miles of trails, with trickling streams running through it along with a path that leads to the ocean. We spent hours walking the trails and taking pictures of the colorful flowers. There were many garden collections but the Dahlia Garden was my favorite with every color of dahlia imaginable. I wish I had a knack for gardening, I would fill my yard with so many colorful flowers. It’s just not in my skillset, Joe will tell you that I kill every plant I touch. But for me, the next best thing is visiting a botanical garden and taking photos so that I can revisit them. After looking through all of them the red and yellow dahlia was the one I kept going back to. There are so many to choose from, take a look and find your favorite!

When you first walk into the gardens you will see areas like this perennial garden grouped together.

Click on any photo to enlarge

Here are some of the perennials . . .

Here is some native succulents and trees that I found interesting.

I love these!

The Dahlia’s!

The lacy spiderwebs covered in dew!

If you are ever in Northern California near Mendocino or Ft. Bragg, I encourage you to visit the botanical gardens. It’s an amazing collection of gardens, plants and flowers that will keep you busy for hours!