Spring Sprouts at Deerhaven

It seems like every day, something blooms or turns green during this time of year.  At this 2700-foot elevation, the average last freeze date is around April 22, but the gardens don’t know that!  Daffodils planted on the hill in front bloom from late winter through spring.  Daphnes perfume the backyard, followed by lilacs and each type of fruit tree.  Majestic oaks around the property thicken with brilliant new leaves, and wildflowers and grasses carpet the ground.  All of this new green is so bright, you might need to wear your sunglasses just to look outside!

In the local area, spring brings a host of activities to the community as well.  Over 60 wineries cover the hills within very easy drives of the ranch.  Your biggest worry will be deciding which direction you’d like to explore each weekend – in your neighborhood of Pleasant Valley, south to Fairplay, or north to Apple Hill/Camino.  You can learn about the wineries of the County at http://eldoradowines.org/.

Know that the neighbors will come calling.  We’re talking the fur and feather kind.  Deer have a long history here, and plantings in front that are not deer-fenced have stood the test of time – and munching – and survived.  Smaller furry creatures also wander through.  Birds, both resident and migratory, are attracted to the wide variety of plants in the garden, and the wild areas of the property bring along a host of butterflies, ladybeetles and other charming insects.  It’s a balanced ecosystem, one that nurtures both developed and wild parts of the property. 

If you don’t feel like planting the raised beds in the vegetable garden, May marks the beginning of the farmers’ market season in the area.  A consistent community favorite is the Placerville Market, every Saturday morning on Main Street.  After a short 15 minute drive, load up on your favorite produce, plants, cheeses, meats, food products and sundries, then stroll to one of the great breakfast spots along Main.  There are many to choose from, and you’ll soon find a list of favorites. 

Or, bring your goodies home and settle in the rose garden with your coffee and your treat.  Those buds are bursting, and around Mother’s Day, you can count on fragrances and colors to delight you.  Bud burst in the neighboring vineyards add even more beauty to what is already a gorgeous view.  And you’ll probably be looking forward to swimming in the afternoon by then too!

Summer – and You Won’t Mind the Heat!

 

 

Swim season starts in late spring and extends well into fall when solar panels heat your water.  The saltwater pool is great for your skin, easy to care for, and makes afternoons of floating in the sunshine a preferred family activity.  With steps that feature benches for in-water seating at both ends, this pool is designed for lap swimming – or serving as the focal feature for your meals on the attached dining patio during the summer or on the covered patio during the wetter seasons. 

You can set your watch by the breeze that blows up from the Cosumnes at midday, inviting you to linger under an umbrella and wile away a couple of hours – or maybe take a siesta on the double chaise.  Plan on casual or formal meals outside, evenings by the fire pit, and your favorite beverage enjoyed outside at the end of your day.  You might even move one of those chairs under the shade of a mimosa tree, just to stare up into those fuzzy flowers and watch hummingbirds at work.

Summer also means bounty!  Over 35 varieties of fruit trees produce steadily over the next few months, including cherries, plums, apples, pears, citrus, olives and figs.  Herbs will spice up your meals.  Small bunches of grapes swell in your personal table and wine grape vineyard.  Lavender perfumes the air.  The waves of flowers in the perennial gardens are designed to be low maintenance, providing months of ongoing color and scent enjoyment.

Worried about that water bill?  Don’t be!  All plantings are on timed irrigation systems.  The Ranch has a well for domestic and garden water, and a spring that feeds water to the vegetable garden and front planting areas.  Both water sources continue to produce well throughout recent drought conditions, and both have 2500-gallon holding tanks, so you can enjoy your gardens without worrying about pesky water district bills.

In the local area, there’s plenty to do and see throughout the summer months.  Those farmers and producers you meet at the Saturday market might have a farm-to-table dinner – on the farm.  Wineries feature music and food events.  Take a ride on one of the local bike trails, hike in the Sierras just an hour away, or fish the rivers and lakes.  To learn more about activities in the area, visit http://eldoradocounty.org/recreation.html.  Whatever your outdoors preference, it’s available or easily accessible from Deerhaven.

Or hang out.  You don’t need to do anything.  It’s peaceful by the pool, and that water can be mesmerizing.

Fall, and the Colors are Stunning

Where to start when discussing fall colors?  The Japanese maples in your serenity garden and on the north side of the house?  The fall bulbs exploding in the flowerbeds?  The differing hues of the grapevines across the way, where you can now pick out each variety?  Or the view across the canyons to the south, where the massive color displays mix with the pines to create a carpet of magic?

Like the greening of spring, the colors of autumn seem to change daily.  The filigreed leaf of a maple shifts from green to bright red in a blink, salvias put on massive bright floral displays, and even the interior needles of the pines change colors.  The breeze continues to whistle through those pines, and they’re joined by the rattle of mimosa seedpods.

With the change in seasons, the wildlife changes too.  If they aren’t too shy, you’ll have already met this year’s crop of fawns, and now you’ll notice their predominant spots disappearing.  Baby quail race after mama into the underbrush.  Different varieties of hummingbirds visit the flowers in aerial displays that rival Star Wars.  Dragonflies flit around the pool and gardens.  Squirrels bury acorns at an amazing rate.  Cooler weather is coming and the creatures can sense it.

But your gardens are still producing, and will be, often up until Thanksgiving.  Courtesy of a wonderful topography that allows colder air to flow down the hillsides at night, the microclimate at the top of the property is a good ten degrees warmer than the bottom.  This means that your vegetable garden enjoys a longer growing season.  Apples and pears ripen into late fall.  Citrus and olives, trees not usually found at this elevation, also do well. 

Fall means the rains will return.  A great place to enjoy the sounds and scents of the wet stuff is the covered patio, reached through the French doors in the dining room or entry hall.  The sounds of drops on the broad leaves of tropical plants around the patio might make you think you’re in Hawaii.  Wild grasses, long dried to summer gold, take on a rich spicy scent.  It doesn’t take much for the ground to begin to green once more, and with each storm, the leaves and needles blanket the ground in a rich later of nutrients to feed the soil for another year.

And for a full wine country experience, harvest time is not to be missed.  Take part in a winemaking educational class, visit a vineyard and watch the picking process, or attend a grape stomp.  Visit Apple Hill for a baked pie or fresh cider.  As the farmers market winds down, make plans to buy the goods you’ve come to love from people who have become your friends at the local organic food coop, or visit their farms and take part making cheese or charcuterie.  Apple Hill and the surrounding agricultural areas offer year-round fun – just check out http://www.applehill.com/.

 

Winter – Cozy Time

Yes, it will snow at some point.  It usually isn’t a lot or often, and it usually doesn’t last long.  But you’re at the end of the county-maintained road, which means they plow to your gate.  You’ll get home – no worries.  And soon, you’ll be seated in the living room by a crackling fire in the woodstove, watching the flakes come down.  Or you’ll be sliding down the hill out back on a piece of cardboard, a kid again!

Buttoning up for winter involves a few little details.  The potted citrus trees like to live under the patio cover with some holiday lights, the warm kind.  Unless you feel like scooping leaves and needles on a daily basis, the pool cover needs to go on.  There will be some pruning and deadheading and trimming to be done.  But you’ll be glad to get outside on those sunny days between rainstorms.  It all smells so good!  And sometimes you’ll be serenaded by the sound of rushing water in the seasonal creek at the base of your mountain.

Bare branches bring their own special beauty to the garden in the winter.  Rich bark with its crags or smoothness becomes visible.  Quirky twisted limbs and straight stalk-like shoots compete for your attention.  Being able to see through the bare trees means the views of the canyons and valleys below are especially clear.  Sit in the hot tub on a cold night and appreciate the twinkling lights below you.  And don’t forget the ones overhead!  Throughout the year, stars are brightly visible, but winter’s clear skies make watching for shooting stars a desirable pastime.  Can you pick out the Milky Way?

Winter in the region is special too.  Sierra snow sports are an easy drive up Highway 50, but you don’t need to go far to find snowparks, winter hiking, and skiing.  In fact, when the snow is on the ground, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are neighborhood activities, and you’ll meet your friends from the road at the communal mailboxes for a daily chat.  Placerville hosts winter events like the tree-lighting ceremony, decorated Christmas trees along the freeway, and sleigh or stagecoach rides to see the lights.  Cut your fresh holiday tree at one of the many tree farms in the region.  Facts on the fun Lake Tahoe offers can be found at http://www.visitinglaketahoe.com/.

Once the holidays pass, don’t think you’ll be resting by that fire for long!  Local breweries introduce their special ales, and winemakers have barrel-tasting events.  Crab feeds are a fundraising staple, and you’d have to work hard not to find a food, wine or beer event on any given weekend.  In fact, it’s just about impossible!  Monthly Saturday night art walks continue on Main Street in town, and restaurants featuring locally sourced ingredients love to show off their chefs’ skills.

Inspired, you’ll strategize what seedlings you’d like to start in the two greenhouses in time for spring planting.  You’ll take the pool cover off, yearning to see the two tile turtles swimming along its bottom.  The fire pit becomes a focal point for evenings spent with your family and friends.  And long about mid-January, you’ll see the first tiny shoots of daffodils poking up on the hill in front.  Another great year at the resort is just beginning…