Welcome TO THE CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA BEACH BLUFF PATHWAY
This pathway, completed in June, 1988 has been designed to:
1. Provide a safe place for pedestrians to walk along Scenic Road.
2. Help direct beach users to the access stairs and ramps, thus reducing the threat of erosion.
3. Provide parking and access to the pathway and the upper beach for people of limited mobility.
4. Beautify and protect the upper bluff area with drought tolerant, low-maintenance plants.
5. Accomplish these goals in a manner in keeping with the natural character of the Carmel shoreline.
SAND AND CYPRESSES
The white sand beach with bluffs framed by dark green wind-sculptured Monterey Cypress trees is a sight to delight. These natural features have made Carmel Beach a special place for residents and visitors alike.
Unlike most sand which is deposited by river action, the white sands of Carmel Beach are eroded directly from granite “granodiorite” headlands of the Monterey Peninsula. The resulting sand grains are made of quartz and feldspar – producing a beach of smooth, soft white sand.
The amount of sand varies 10-12 feet with the season because of changes in wave action. There is more during summer and fall resulting in a broader beach. There is less sand during winter and spring when the sand is transported off shore. At this time the visible sandy portion of the beach may vanish and the beach as a whole is much narrower.
The Monterey Cypress trees belong to a species with extremely limited natural distribution. The trees along Scenic Road were mostly planted between 1915 and 1918. They have responded to wind and salt spray by taking individualistic wind-swept shapes.
LANDSCAPING PLANT LIST
CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA BEACH BLUFF PATHWAY
COMMON NAME (BOTANICAL NAME):
COLOR PLANTING
Not Native to California
Statice, Wavyleaf Sealavender
Not Native to California
Yellow Sand Verbena (Abronia latifolia)
Native to California
Purple Sand Verbana (Abronia umbellate)
Native to California
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Native to California
Paint Brush (Castilleja latifolia)
Native to California
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum)
Not Native to California
Beach Morning Glory (Convolvulus soldanella)
Native to California
Live Forever (Dudleya caespitosa)
Native to California
Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus)
Native to California
Lizard Tail Yarrow (Eriophyllum staechadifolium)
Native to California
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Native to California
Ferns (Ferns)
Native & Not Native Species to California
Pacific Coast Iris (Iris Douglasiana)
Native to California
Sea lavender (Limonium prezii)
Not Native to California
Lupine (Lupinus chamissonis)
Native to California
LOW SHRUBS
Manzanita (Arctostaphylos edmundsii)
Native to California
Dwarf Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis)
Native to California
Carmel Creeper (Ceanothus griseus “horizontalis”)
Native to California
Hybrid Rockrose (Cistus skaberii)
Not Native to California
Crimson Spot Rockrose (Cistus ladanifer)
Not Native to California; Invasive
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Not Native to California
French Lavender (Lavandula dentate)
Not Native to California
Sticky Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)
Native to California
Evergreen Currant (Ribes viburnifolium)
Native to California
Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus)
Not Native to California
Dwarf Bush Germander (Teucreum fruticans)
Not Native to California
EROSION CONTROL
Ice Plant (Carpobrotus edule)
Not Native to California; Invasive
Pacific Dune Grass (Elymus Mollis)
Native to California
LARGE SHRUBS
Native to California
Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
Not Native to California
Brewer Saltbrush (Altiplex lentiformis “Breweri”)
Native to California
Australian Tea (Leptospermum laevigatum)
Not Native to California
Myoporum (Myoporum laetum)
Not Native to California
Karo Tree (Pittosporum crassilolium)
Not Native to California
Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
Native to California
BARRIER PLANTS
Joyce Coulter Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus)
Native to California
Julia Phelps Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus)
Native to California
Pride of Madeira (Echium fastuosum)
Not Native to California; Invasive
Newport Escallonia (Escallonia “Newport Dwarf”)
Not Native to California
Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)
Not Native to North America
Griselinia (Griselinia lucida)
Not Native to California
REFERENCES:
Calflora...”information on wild California plants for conservation, education, and appreciation.”
Calflora is 1. a website you can use to learn about plants that grow wild in California (both native plants and weeds); and 2. a nonprofit organization responsible for the website. Calflora is run by some volunteers and one part-time paid engineer.
The Jepson Herbarium
University of California, Berkeley
Index to California Plant Names
California Native Plant Society (CNPS)
Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants
2 comments:
Great pics & info links. The Las Pilitas Nursery site also has an informative article about planting under oak trees. The Calflora website is packed full of interesting information too. Thank you for putting all this info on the web, especially the links to other informative and interesting websites.
While reading I was astonished to learn the Monterey Cypresses trees along the beach were mostly planted between 1915 and 1918. These magnificent trees are nearly 100 years old. What will the landscape look like when these trees die or become diseased and are removed? It is sad the city has not planted cypress trees along the beach every decade since the early 20th century. If the city had planted 10 trees each decade since 1915, then all the life stages of the Monterey Cypress would be there for us to see and enjoy their individualistic wind-swept shapes.
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