A succulent nursery in the Gold Country
What we call the Gold Country is the area on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada where gold was discovered by James Marshall on January 24, 1848, triggering the California Gold Rush . Marshall found gold while working on building Sutter’s Mill , a water-powered sawmill on the South Fork of the American River in the settlement of Coloma . And that’s where my frequent partner-in-crime Kyle and I were headed last weekend, not to pan for gold, but to visit a modern-day pioneer who is establishing a small succulent nursery outside of Coloma. Amie Frisch in her greenhouse After leaving the Bay Area three years ago, Amie Frisch has been living in Coloma full-time, developing her 20-acre parcel of land and building her first greenhouse. At 20 ft. wide by 40 ft. long, it looks huge to me (the little greenhouse in my backyard is only 7 ft. × 8 ft.). But it will be dwarfed by the second greenhouse Amie is planning; that one will be 70 ft. long! Amie specializes in Crassulaceae , i.e. plants ...