After pounding Southern California off and on the rain has taken a break, the sky is clear with little puffy white clouds and I am ready to take it on the road. By taking it on the road. I mean that I am headed out to Fillmore to shop for trees at Valley Crest Tree Company. They have amazing trees and I want to buy them all but I only have a small installation. Since I’m only getting one tree I can take my CRV and load up the back.
My drive on the 126 is always a pleasant one, a gently curving highway it is never too busy when I go. I plan my trip in the mid morning and enjoy the scenery as I listen to KCRW on the radio and relax. If you have never been to Fillmore, you really should think about a day trip… it’s really quite a quaint town. It has a few nice restaurants, a some very cute stores on Main Street and even Goodwill.
Soon enough I am at Valley Crest, and the grounds are just beautiful. The day is perfect and both the boxed tree and the landscaping is stunning. I first check in to make sure that they have my invoice ready and of course my friend Bill has it all arranged. I hand in my check sign on the dotted line and I’m back in my truck and headed out into the fields.
With the handy little map that Bill gives me, it is easy to find where they keep the variety of tree I am looking for, and one of the workers lets me select the exact tree that I want from a wide selection before loading it into the back of the truck. The Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) that I’m going to use in a Native garden fits fairly well but I can see that picking my son, Aidan, up at school will be interesting. He’s used to me picking him up will an assortment of plants, and I try my best to keep the sharp ones away from his spot in the front seat. He’ll be fine, as long as he limbos under a couple of branches. Since he’s a good sport, I’m not worried.
Before I leave the grounds, I drive around and snap some photos. The sky is beautiful and the trees are very happy. As I meander through the rows and rows of trees, know that in my mind I’m selecting the best ones for you!
For more information see my website www.thegrassisalwaysgreener.net
