This weekend, my youngest daughter was dying to go to Coloma, CA, where on the American River gold was discovered in January 1848 . That discovery is what shaped California to what it is today.
We had a nice picnic on the American River watching rafters float by and spending time on the river bank skipping rocks. Truly a nice day with beautiful weather. Perfect.
As with any time I am out and about, my eyes are always looking for that ultimate garden experience, for me, I am particularly drawn to Asian-style gardens and of course any beautiful specimen of bamboo, be it a potted plant or a full on grove.
On the way home from Coloma, travelling north to Auburn, I remembered a tip from a bamboo customer about a beautiful bamboo grove, just east of Downtown Auburn. Of course, upon my suggestion that we take a small detour to check this out (an adventure in my eyes), I got an immediate sigh and eye-roll from my oldest daughter. But, my wife, bless her soul, gave me that 'OK' nod. Yeah!
OK, so after a mile or so down the road, we arrive and there was a beautiful grove of what I think is Phylostachys nigra 'Henon', or maybe Phylostachys vivax.
The angels sung, the butterflies flew and I think I saw a rainbow in the sky. Well not really, but, that one rare thought that us gardeners get, ran accross my mind... 'you have arrived, my friend.'
Indeed, I had. After a hurried set of pictures, I left feeling very satisfied for the treasure I had found, hidden away, but worth the hunt.
So, being inspired by all the beautiful bamboo that I have seen in my travels; from San Francisco's Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park to Capitol Park in Sacramento to the United States Botanical Garden in Washington D.C., I decided to create a map where bamboo fans like myself (and others, maybe even you) can post where they have spotted beautiful examples of bamboo. The map, a public map built in Google Maps, is called Bamboo Spotter. If you have found a beautiful example of bamboo, post it in Bamboo Spotter by clicking below. The map is public and can be edited by anyone. All I ask is that the bamboo can be seen in a public space, like a park or a open public area, and that no advertising be posted on the map. Please no posts on private unless you own the property.
View Bamboo Spotter - Bamboo that can be seen in public spaces in a larger map
If you have trouble editing, just shoot me an e-mail at sean@madmanbamboo.com and I will manually add you as an editor.
May you have sweet dreams of your special 'garden dream place.'
Sean
Mad Man Bamboo - Rocklin, CA
(916) 300-6335
www.madmanbamboo.com
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Twitter: @madmanbamboo
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1 comment:
What a great idea for the map. I can only imagine how long it took to put that together.
By the way, how far is Coloma from the Oakland area of California?
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