Marde Ross & Company

I Moved to Lupine Ridge Farm, Glen Ellen, CA  in 2000 from Palo Alto where I lived for almost forty years.

The company was created in 1985 and inititally distributed flowering bulbs.  I began to study photography in order to illustrate the catalog I sent out at the same time.  Around that time, I had the opportunity to grow cut flowers on a friends very large property while he created a home and surroundings from an old gravel quarry.  For five years I remained on my "farm" there and grew many types of flowers for cutting as well as carried on with my bulb business. I grew cutting flowers from seed, or starts and rarely cuttings.  Roses, peonies, tulips, callas, lilies, sweet peas, larkspur, perennials, all kinds of lesser bulbs, anemones, ranunculus and on and on.  For several years a helper delivered a bucket of flowers to subscribers with the freshly cut flowers that we grew. I stopped growing flowers year round in 1991 or so, began to travel more and more.

After outgrowing my quarter acre in Palo Alto, I bought Lupine Ridge Farm and have expanded into growing more and more of the peonies I sell. When I began growing peonies in Palo Alto, no one thought they would work in our climate, but I was featured with my successful peonies in Sunset Magazine.

With my left over daffodls and then with extra ones I purchased, I covered my hillsides until I now have planted over 180,000 daffodils and narcissus and have my own "Daffodil Hill."

 

Fall Day View toward the San Pablo Bay

 

 

Sunrise from the back deck in winter.

 

 

Sunrise in the winter.  San Pablo Bay view.

 

 

View from the back deck of the cottage through the oak trees to the San Pablo Bay in the distance. Little development is seen from any spot on the 10+ acres.

 

Below the side deck is a gate leading down a stone staircase to the stone and bluestone patio and where the paths begin.  Yellow daffodils are planted on both sides including Dutch Master, February Gold Trevithian, and Unsurpassable.  White climbing roses droop from their network high in the oaks.

 

 

At Thanksgiving, the paths are quiet and the trees bare of leaves.  On the hillsides, none of the daffodils have begun to emerge.

 

 

Viewing platform overlooks the ridge and valley where there is little devlopment to be seen.  When the daffodils are in bloom, none are visible off the front of the platform.

 

 

The view back up the hill to the cottage hidden by oaks and the white climber rose canes in the foreground.

 

 

Paths dividing below the patio with left heading to the platform and the right path to the grotto.

 

 

J.D. loved the path and scampered up and down with Cedric in their earlier years.

 

 

 

Cedric owns Lupin Ridge Farm, or at least he thinks he does!

 

 

These fields bloom at different times with Ice Follies blooming first on the right, and as they finish, Thalia begins to come into bloom below.  There are approximately 40,000 Ice Follies above and 60,000 Thalia on the larger and longer hillside below.

 

 

View from up the hillside of Thalia below and Ice Follies above.

 

 

Midway down the steps of the Ice Follies and Thalia hillside.  What a view.

 

 

The small lawn below the back deck is an oasis of cool and calml