Luther Burbank, American botanist, developed the Santa Rosa plum, the spineless cactus, the Elberta Peach and the plumcot among so many other plants that we eat and enjoy every day. During a cycling trip to Santa Rosa and California's wine country, I stopped in to tour his home and garden.
Luther was a simple man with a loving heart. He lived in this small home on four acres and developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants on this and his Gold Ridge Farm in Sebastopol. It was his passion and life's work. His Santa Rosa home is now a public park with tours of the house and greenhouse.
The entry has a wonderful fragrant rose garden where one could sit for hours just watching the bees buzz and the birds sing while scratching up tidbits from the soil. I was visiting during Amgen's Tour of California so there were many festivities sponsored in the garden.
After spending the morning on a cycling tour of Santa Rosa listening to the falling water lulled me into unconsciousness on a grassy bed for at least half an hour.
There were many architectural details that made the small house feel grand.
A centerpiece, this spineless cactus is over 100 years old and was developed and planted by Luther himself.
I recommend stopping by this small but historically significant garden when you visit Santa Rosa. Learn more here: http://www.lutherburbank.org/
