This January we travel to California to visit a remarkable Woman and her obsession with transforming a Very Steep Hillside into an Oasis against the odds of Nature, such as the deer that want to feast upon her labor of love and the Earth wanting to erode the hillsides. but one thing they didn't take into account was that Jain was on her way to defeat them all...Sitting high on a Hill with Vistas that can literally take your Breath away ....she has created her own little Garden of Eden that has millions of steps so she can travel to the many garden rooms that she has lovingly named after places that hold an affection in her heart. She and her husbands diligence has paid off in a big way...her acres of Iris, Roses...the widest range of flora that can't be listed in one article...My dream..to just be allowed to wake up and walk out her door and take in all that surrounds her~~what a triumph ..You win Jain!!
Welcome to my garden in northern California. I live on five acres, ALL of it a steep hill, overlooking a valley filled with fruit orchards. we built our home in 1989 and the gardens have been evolving yearly. When we first moved in, fruit trees were a must, since I had never had land before, I wanted EVERYTHING. soon, we learned we had bought into a too precarious location, mudslides and fires rule the roost here... after losing over 100' of road to our house for over a year I began planting for erosion in a very fierce way.
The top of the property is what I call the fall garden. I bought every tree that changes color in northern Ca. Over time it has matured into a fall fantasy area for me, but the area was truly developed to help hold us onto the hill. my husband built a bridge over the ravine and my ivy house is the focal point, flanked with 2 lions. I adore this area when it turns scarlet in fall.
The following pictures show you the road then, and now... the hillside is lined with root hugging fall trees and evergreens to highlight the color changes.
