Spring has arrived a month early at Point Reyes Flowers, where the roses are off to an explosive start. Pink damask bushes are already suffusing the air with a sweet, delicate perfume. Nearby Julia Child roses, buttery gold with a citrus fragrance, are starting to pop, dahlias are weeks ahead of schedule and a delphinium is hip high. Flower beds are layered with straw to hold moisture and suppress weeds. At this time of year, it takes constant vigilance to keep pests away, said co-owner Peggy Orr. Snails are a particular nuisance and must be plucked off. Happily, the chickens gobble them up.
Pruning season has just wrapped up at McEvoy Ranch, which grows seven varieties of olives, all Italian. Now each of its 14,000 trees resembles a graceful vase, with older branches scaffolded to bear the tender shoots that will deliver next year’s olives. Green bracts are emerging—two weeks ahead of schedule. By May, they’ll blossom with tiny white flowers. Olive trees don’t need insects for pollination; instead, the ranch relies on the spring breezes that race through the wind tunnel of Petaluma Gap. All winter, McEvoy’s prized oils settled and finished until their release in March.
Mike and Sally Gale’s ranch is a graceful place, with 60 black Angus calf-cow pairs grazing on the pleated hills around Chileno Creek. But they’re preparing to set it ablaze. The flames—a three-to-five-acre prescribed burn to be conducted in July by All Hands Ecology—will help halt the spread of distaff thistle, which has invaded Chileno Valley. To prep, cattle are off the land to allow the fire fuels to grow. Helicopter spraying of herbicide has already reduced the thistle, and burning will eradicate what’s left. Meanwhile, Sally is disappointed that the Transportation Authority of Marin has not committed to helping create a newt crossing under Chileno Valley Road. At a recent meeting, TAM was interested in learning about the bulgy-eyed salamanders, but it didn’t move toward a solution. “It’s one thing to be adorable,” Sally said. “And it’s another to be funded.”