Jersey Lillies and their California cousins

Perhaps it's the time we live in, or the man I'm married to, that has influenced how I look at the flora and fauna in our San Gabriel Valley. Guess the answer doesn't matter much save to share that I grew up thinking appreciating very different flowers and plants.

I grew up loving callalilies, columbine, ferns, and naked ladies not so much because I loved their scent or form, more because they were the flowers my mother spoke about and her eyes would get misty or her features softened . Thanks to my dad I developed of love of roses and fruit. His preferences being a reflection of 20th century California icons of commerce.

There is an abiding love for all of these plants, but our home is increasingly shared by Southern California natives and their waterwise cousins. I don't always know the names of the plants. I only know that these were at the Sunnyslope Water Company and that they make sense in a landscape that is informed by open space and the precious value of our local sources of water.