Nola's Iris gardens in San Jose
Fantastic hidden pearl by the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve! If you go hiking to one of my favorite preserves in San Jose, the Iris garden of Nola and her husband Gary Prevost is a must visit (if you love flowers as much as I do, and you should, flowers embody beauty and grace and maybe by association you get to smell better and be more graceful too).
I missed last year when I found out about this place for the first time, as the season goes only from April to end of May, so is now or...next year.
There is no way you can get lost. When you are driving up the hill you will read some cool signs attached to various trees: 'roses are red', 'violets are blue', 'peonies are pink' and 'iris for you!". Needless to say that I loved that nice clic-d'oeil to the visitor and after a hike today, went immediately to get some flowers...to find out you have to buy the bulbs online.
There are 2000 varieties! Impossible to get bored, just by reading the names such 'Angelic wings', 'Lascivious dreams', 'Polish princess' or 'Capricious candles' you get to think: am I at a garden or reading the latest collection of OPI nail colors? That amazing. Oh, and the most amazing of all is that is totally free to enter and to park (beware that there is not a huge parking lot as this is mostly a private ranch where also people go pony riding).
I am impressed to know that you can go and have a picnic at the pretty new deck with covered ceiling and great vistas of San Francisco Bay in a clear day as today. I asked a woman if she had to rent to do her picnic with a bunch of friends and she said she just called in advanced and informed, but no charge. More pluses: you have coffee and water offered (also free) and some drinks on sale. Everything is so peaceful and beautiful and Nola is so super friendly that you want to just be there the whole day.
To top it off, you can get (also free) the 'bearded iris planting and gardening guide' written by the couple with tips on when to plant and how to take care of these precious flowers. Remember: Iris is deer resistant, do not resist my dear!
I missed last year when I found out about this place for the first time, as the season goes only from April to end of May, so is now or...next year.
There is no way you can get lost. When you are driving up the hill you will read some cool signs attached to various trees: 'roses are red', 'violets are blue', 'peonies are pink' and 'iris for you!". Needless to say that I loved that nice clic-d'oeil to the visitor and after a hike today, went immediately to get some flowers...to find out you have to buy the bulbs online.
There are 2000 varieties! Impossible to get bored, just by reading the names such 'Angelic wings', 'Lascivious dreams', 'Polish princess' or 'Capricious candles' you get to think: am I at a garden or reading the latest collection of OPI nail colors? That amazing. Oh, and the most amazing of all is that is totally free to enter and to park (beware that there is not a huge parking lot as this is mostly a private ranch where also people go pony riding).
I am impressed to know that you can go and have a picnic at the pretty new deck with covered ceiling and great vistas of San Francisco Bay in a clear day as today. I asked a woman if she had to rent to do her picnic with a bunch of friends and she said she just called in advanced and informed, but no charge. More pluses: you have coffee and water offered (also free) and some drinks on sale. Everything is so peaceful and beautiful and Nola is so super friendly that you want to just be there the whole day.
To top it off, you can get (also free) the 'bearded iris planting and gardening guide' written by the couple with tips on when to plant and how to take care of these precious flowers. Remember: Iris is deer resistant, do not resist my dear!
Comments
Post a Comment