Southern California is one of the few parts of the USA that experiences a semi tropical environment year around and as such, has a history rooted in agriculture. The lands slightly inshore, North of San Diego have always provided a bounty to locals and much is shipped out to other parts of the country when they can't grow locally.
One such settler was a horticulturist. Luther Gage brought Ranunculus seeds and began growing them South of Oceanside. His neighbor took a liking to them as well. Frank Frazee became obsessed with cultivating the pretty flowers. He took great pride in propagating a wide variety of colors. In 1965, he and his son moved the growing operation that also included gladiolus and poinsettias to land owned by The Ecke family. This is the location where the fields are today.
As time went by, the urban development grew all around the flower fields. The idea to become a tourist attraction created the revenue for the farm to survive and thrive and become more important to the community than any development ever could. Today, over 100,000 people from all around the world come for the bloom period which lasts from March through April.
The Ranunculus flower is native to Asia Minor, Members of this genus include buttercups. To me, the greenery reminded me of poppy. After the Tecolote Giant Ranunculus finish flowering the seed is collected to use the next season. Then, the tuberous roots are dug up and processed for shipping to garden centers all around the country to be sold for planting. More than 70 million flowers come out each year. About 7 million of them are cut and sold to florists across the country. The seeds are planted in the fall and the cycle starts anew.
This is a great, easy stop if you are driving between Los Angeles and San Diego.
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