by Elinor Gale

Carole Delmar and her succulent garden. Photos courtesy of Katie Dunlap.

Garden Delight in El Granada can be seen if you take a slight detour off Highway 1 to a street named The Alameda. There you’ll discover a garden oasis of succulents, grasses and flowering plants. You won’t find this garden adorning private property; it sits nestled among eucalyptus trees on the island that divides The Alameda. The garden delights residents and passers-by, thanks to the inspiration and dedication of Carole Delmar, who’s lived on The Alameda for 25 years — and the generous spirit of her neighbors.

Ten years ago, when Delmar had to replant her yard after an extensive house remodeling, she planted a piece of succulent from a friend’s garden. With a little water and minimal care, that succulent flourished and began producing babies — so many, in fact, that she began giving them away.

“Once a year, I put a table out and advertised free plants. That became messy, because people were stopping and taking other plants. It was questionable what was free and what wasn’t. Some plants were taken and others were dying out there,” Delmar says.

She began donating plants to organizations, including the Succulent Society and a group home that took away three truckloads. Still the plants multiplied and she couldn’t bear to throw them away.

Aeonium aboreum, native to the Canary Islands and normally a winter bloomer.

Eight months ago, when Delmar suggested to her husband, Jim, that they buy 10 acres in Grass Valley and start a nursery, he said they had enough projects. “Why don’t you go plant the island?” he asked.

“I don’t think anyone had cleaned up the island since I’ve lived here, so it was probably 4 inches of eucalyptus droppings: leaves, acorns, branches and bark. Since it was messy, it lent itself to people throwing on their trimmings from their yards, sometimes a Christmas tree or old plants. Maybe they thought they’d grow, but they wouldn’t until you took off the layers of eucalyptus debris,” Delmar says.

Delmar did most of the work herself with the help of a gardening friend she calls her dump-run buddy. “We took seven truckloads of debris to the dump.”

“I started taking my babies and planted one, two, three and just kept going. I just planted in front of our house. The plants looked so pretty and happy. People walked by and said, ‘It looks great.’ A couple of people said if I had extras to plant them in front of their houses. I made sure the neighbors were comfortable with what I was doing. It expanded into what you see out there now,” Delmar says, pointing to the 54-by-150-foot garden.

“All of one type of succulent came from that one plant I took from my friend’s garden. They’re all around the house, on our deck and over on the island now. I’ve probably given away 250 of them, too. This is the right spot for them. I give them a little water when I put them in the ground and unless we have a really dry spell, I don’t even water them. I’ve also planted native grass, and I’m attempting to grow roses out there for a neighbor who loves roses and donated six bushes. So far, they’re working beautifully, which is amazing since people say ‘You’re not going to grow anything under eucalyptus.’ Another neighbor donated plants that attract humming birds and butterflies.” Delmar adds, “Arable 720, a company that supports community projects, donated three $85 containers of soil conditioner. Most of the garden comes from donations. With love, care and some attention, things are thriving out there.”

The taller plant on the right is thought to be aloe arborescens. The foreground plant with yellow spiked flowers is aloe tenuior.

Delmar, who now spends an hour a week maintaining the garden, has also planted a variety of plants, many donated by friends and neighbors: rosemary, thyme and sage; apple, lemon and plum trees; and potatoes and artichoke plants. She says: “I thought it would be fun as people walk by to have fruit or herbs. I wanted edibles so I could say, ‘If you need a lemon, apple or artichoke, come get one.’”

Delmar sees many benefits from her efforts — beyond finding a home for her excess plants. She says: “I’ve met neighbors I’d never met before. It’s a great way to meet and talk and have some sense of community. A school teacher came by and said, ‘Can I bring the kids over?’ Someone who grew up on the coast asked if he could bring his dad to see the garden, saying, ‘He always wondered what could be done to beautify the island.’ It’s been a beautiful experience.”

The garden work gives Delmar some more personal benefits, too. She says: “It’s a joy for me to work out there. It’s also important to my health. My husband and I are in real estate — Del Mar Properties — working out of our home after years on Main Street in Half Moon Bay. I spend hours at the computer and need to get off it and into the garden. I was waking up with night sweats and didn’t want to start hormones. When I’ve been raking and hoeing, I’m tired and have been sleeping through the night. Getting fresh air and exercise and meeting people are all good things for me, and the community seems to like it, too.”

Echeveria elegans, also known as mixed hens and chicks.

Delmar adds, “For Valentine’s Day, my husband gave me a weed whacker and a red hoe. Isn’t that romantic? How much jewelry do you need?”

And she has this advice for all of us: “If things are growing in your yard or neighbors’ yards, clean up an area and plant them instead of throwing them in green waste. Don’t try to grow plants that take a lot of maintenance.”

Delmar is still giving plants away and is happy to talk about gardening as a “neighbor, not expert.” You can reach her at carole@cdelmarrealestate.com or call 650-726-0473.