Baja Rose Is A Rare Find

The Baja Rose is an unusual and rare rose that is native to North Baja and Southern California. This plant can be found at the Tijuana Estuary Nature Center. Photo by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan

by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan

When you think of roses you probably think of fragrant, colorful, largepetaled flowers, but did you know that there are local, small roses that don’t fit the typical description? The Baja Rose is one of these lesser recognized types. Known by its Latin name Rosa Minutifolia (small-leaved rose), this plant can be found at the Tijuana Estuary Nature Center near the nursery.

This rose is native to Northern Baja and is considered rare because of the loss of habitat on this side of the border. It is also on the endangered species list. Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve Education Specialist, Marya Ahmad, said this particular rose bush was rescued from Otay Mesa by staff because it was probably in an area undergoing construction, and removing it was the only way to preserve it. Because of its rarity, it is being propagated by the San Diego Botanic Garden in order to preserve it.

Different from other rose bushes, the Baja Rose is very thorny and grows to about 3 feet in height and equally wide. Its leaves are tiny and have a different pattern than what you’d expect from a more popular rose bush. The rose pink colored petals are striking and Ahmad pointed out the yellow antlers covered in pollen, explaining that the Kumeyaay, an indigenous native tribe, used this rose to make rose hip teas which are beneficial to digestion. The Kumeyaay, like the rose, originally lived at the northern border of Mexico and southern border of California.

Ahmad encouraged everyone to come and see the plant in person. According to CalScape Native Plant Society, this dense and spiny bush is native to Chaparral and maritime communities of Baja California. Baja Rose plants have also been reported in Rose Canyon.

The Baja Rose is drought tolerant. It can survive up to 9 months without water, however, if watered it may flower longer. It has a long flowering season from late winter through spring, making it perfect for coastal gardens, native gardens or bird gardens as it grows in full sun, sandy soil and can be tolerant of clay soil. There is no need to prune it, and it supports about 15 varieties of moths and butterfly species, including the Painted Tiger Moth and the Variable Checkerspot Butterfly. Seeds for the Baja Rose are available to purchase at some local nurseries.

Ahmad, who hosts Lunchtime Live every Tuesday from the Tijuana Estuary Nature Center, has done a show on the Baja Rose entitled “Roses Aren’t Always Red, They Can Be Rare.” To view, log on to Facebook/Tijuana Estuary (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Center).

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Mommyand Me

By Hattie Foote Did you know I have haters? It makes me laugh even writing that. Believe it or not, some people are not charmed by me. Crazy, right? I mean, I’m sure we all have people who just don’t understand or enjoy our winning personalities, and that’s fine. We are never going to please everyone; such is life. I guess this comes with the territory of sharing my journey so openly, but I received my first hate email a while ago.

In all honesty as a people pleaser, I thought it would upset me more than it did, but it was so wild and out there that we couldn’t help but laugh. I won’t go into details because it’s silly, but the one thing that really made me “lol,” was that they kept referring to me as a “MOM” in quotation marks, as if I am faking it. A parenthood expert I am not, but I have the stretch marks to prove I am , in fact, a “MOM”.

For this month, I decided to bring in the expert, the person who has firsthand experience with my “motherhood” skills. She is 7 years old, has large curly hair, and is so honest and kind. I am so happy to introduce my favorite girl, Lux.

Babe thank you for doing this. As you know Mother’s Day is coming up, do you have anything special planned for me?

Maybe going on a road trip maybe? Maybe to like Lake Arrowhead? And stay there for three days and we can maybe go hiking and snuggle and go in each other’s rooms and put notes under each other’s doors.

That sounds really great, what do you suggest for a Mother’s Day dinner menu?

I think crab legs and definitely not pizza, because that’s too party-ish. And I would cook spaghetti and turkey, maybe chicken. Kind of like Thanksgiving. Dessert would be pudding and chocolate chip cookies. And s’mores and that’s it. In the morning you would have coffee in your bed, and maybe in the night if we grabbed jackets, we could go stargazing in the snow.

The snow? It’s May?

Oh yeah, well we can go stargazing and bring hot cocoa and then after that we grab some books and go to sleep.

Honey, that sounds like the perfect day. So, if someone asked you where to buy Mother’s Day gifts in Coronado, what would you say?

Well, I would go to a couple of stores. The first place I would go is to Lumo to grab some jewelry. (I’ve trained her well.) And second, I think for a gift we can also go shopping for moms is at Vons. And this isn’t really at a store, but they could go to Coronado Beach and collect seashells and tape them on a frame. Then we would bring the mom to the nail salon and that’s it.

What if nobody feels like cooking, where are some good restaurants you would recommend?

Maybe, I would go to High Tide pizza or Saiko Sushi. I think both of those are good choices.

Those are great options, baby. Do you have any questions for me about being a mom?

Well yeah, um how does it feel to be a mom? It’s the best feeling in the world, it’s almost impossible to describe. It can be a little crazy sometimes, but it’s my favorite thing in the world.

(Intermission, thanks to my 4-year old Hunter): “Somebody get my iPad. I need to go to the bathroom!

How does it feel when things get crazy?

Sometimes it can be overwhelming making sure everyone is getting my help and attention, but I know one day I will miss the chaos.

I feel like a lot of moms have that feeling.

Yeah, it can be hard but it’s the best job in the entire world. Do you want to be a mom when you grow up?

I have not decided yet, but I think so.

That’s ok, you have plenty of time and you will decide what works for you when you are older.

How many kids would you want?

None.

I thought you just said you think you want to?

Yeah, I decided no.

Ha-ha, ok, well, whatever you decide is fine!

Actually, I will go to the orphanage, I’ll have one baby. The rest would be too much work. If I had 400 kids, I would hate it.

Hunter, (in the distance): “Somebody wippppeee meeee!”

Ok, we better wrap this up. How am I doing as a mom? How would you describe me?

Well you are the best. Um, and you go to Target and Chipotle a lot. I love being with you.

Wow, how about that interview? We are just like Oprah and Meghan Markle…..kind of. Full transparency, Lux was paid $3 for her time. I hope you enjoyed getting to know my sweet girl. I also hope you don’t get a gift from Vons, sorry about that gift guide!

Pour a little love your mother’s way. Enjoy treating mom to a cup of tea made even more special with herbs from your garden. Try dried herbs like mint, rosemary, sage, jasmine, chamomile, fennel, basil, ginger, lemon verbena or lemon balm.

For a fun blend, try 1 teaspoon dried hibiscus flower, 3 teaspoons dried lemon verbena, 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, 1 cardamom pod per one cup hot water, steeped for 10 minutes. From fifthseasongardening.com

Spend time together and make a magical flower garland. It can be as simple and easy as tissue paper flowers with string or sophisticated with card stock flowers, using a glue gun.

Crown mom with a magical ring of flowers. Go old-school with a ring of clover flowers or make paper flowers.

Lavash mom with garden vegetables in a colorful spring roll. Purchase or make your own spring rolls, add Thai peanut sauce to go with.

Adapted from yummymummykitchen.com

Adapted from jessicagavin.com

1 package rice paper spring roll wrappers 5 ounce bag baby spring lettuces Red bell pepper, cut into strips Cucumber, peeled, seeded, sliced Avocado, peeled and sliced 1 cup carrots, sliced thin julienne 1 cup thinly sliced cabbage Fresh mint and basil

In a medium bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil until smooth. Add more water if you would like

Dip rice paper in 1 inch of warm water to soften 10-20 seconds, lay on work surface. Place handful of greens at one end of wrap. Top with other veggies and herbs. Wrap rice paper securely, burrito style, until sealed, being mindful of vegetables possibly poking through the rice paper if wrapped too tightly. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to eat, cut in half.

½ cup hoisin sauce ¼ cup peanut butter ¼ cup water 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon peanuts for sprinkling

Transform various petals, leaves and flowers into art. Spend time and imagine together.

HummusDip

Go simple with a vibrant array of spring vegetables and herbs in a hummus dip. Serve hummus, homemade or purchased, in a flat bowl and load in the vegetables, standing up.

A perfect way to dip.

Adapted from loveandlemons.com 1 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed 1/3 cup smooth tahini 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 clove garlic 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 5 or more teaspoons water as needed

In blender, add chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blend on high speed until very smooth, adding water as needed, until desired consistency.