Past Events
October Orchard Tour and Succulent Pumpkin Making
On a sunny Saturday in October, thirty of us toured Lynne Barnett’s Fallbrook home, and some of us stayed afterwards to make succulent pumpkins to decorate our homes for the Fall.
Lynne has lived on her nearly two acres for 26 years. There was an existing avocado grove, and Lynne has added a dragon fruit grove with around 100 plants, a home fruit orchard, extensive succulent and flower gardens, and a water harvesting system for catching storm water. Lynne shared some of the practices that have helped her succeed with dragon fruit (see this month's newsletter for details).
Lynne’s succulent gardens are extensive. One notable one is “Elephant Food” or Portulaca afra, which Lynne said is being studied for its resistance to burning. It is a useful landscape plant in our area, easy to grow, and in Africa provides food for elephants and rhinos. Our chapter meeting presenter also discussed this plant during the meeting.
Before and after the tour, the group enjoyed social time and snacks. Some of us stayed and expressed our artistic sides, making succulent pumpkins underneath a huge shade tree in Lynne’s backyard. We all appreciated Lynne’s generous hospitality and sharing of her extensive knowledge.
