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During a recent walk at Steven's Creek Trail, I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I saw the amazing plantings that the City of Mountain View had put in at a traffic circle near the Rengstorff House.
The eye catching ceanothus - I think that's Dark Star in the back, and a groundcover ceanothus toward the front - drew me in right away.
Coming closer, I also saw some tall mallows and salvias, just starting to bloom. Happy bees and bumblebees were enjoying the feast.
And I'm quite sure that this planting saves the city some water. What I appreciate is that the city plants more traditional annuals and perennials in the traffic circle downtown, where I'm sure people prefer the bolder colors and rotation of plants. But here, close to places for walking and biking, it's a great idea to use plants that are attractive, drought tolerant, and good for wildlife. It just made me smile.