Alcatraz: The Garden Tour, Part Two

Once you reach the top, you're at the cellhouse. If you'd continued following the garden tour, this is near where it ends, just beneath the Recreational Yard, where the fenced in prisoners' garden once was and where it has been restored. (Note the Lobularia maritima in the foreground.) 

In case you were wondering, this is the inside of the prison. To be honest, inside it is very small but it's so interesting. (We had an amazing time watching the European tourists and we both loved hearing Italians speaking Italian.)

Back on the trail, these were the plants I was able to see as the tour went from the top of the Rock down along the westside towards the north with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge that's amazing.

Perennial Statice, Limonium perezii.

Seed heads of Bear's Breeches, Acanthus mollis.

The refurbished prisoners' area greenhouse.

The prisoners' greenhouse back in 1993 or 1994 during my first visit to Alcatraz.

Aeonium arboreum and Acanthus mollis.

Crassula, Aeonium, and Acanthus. I am not sure what the silvery one is but I am sure someone else will know. 

This is another view of the same area.

And another view. I think there are some Aloe in there too.

This is about as close as you can get to the water on this side. There is a fence though so you cannot walk on the pavement. This area is protected. Birds nest there.

Kinda not sure about this one but it is a Mediterranean plant all right.

Fig Tree, Ficus in the prisoners' garden.

Notice the fence. You can also see the skyline of downtown San Francisco.

From that area you can walk up the steep stairs to the Recreational Yard.

We started to make our way back down to the ferry at this point and believe it or not there were still plants to see that I'd missed on our way up. 

Crocosmia.

Monstera deliciosa in a photo display in the Warden's Office of what it looked like during the Kennedy administration. 

If you were coming to visit someone on Alcatraz, you would have had to walk under this display. The cornucopias with their bountifulness is a bit odd. 

The planter box along the road down to the boat was full of Geraniums. 

Behind this row and down below are some of the areas we'd been granted access too earlier in the day. 

Alcatraz is full of Fuchsia after Fuchsia.

A lone Hydrangea with a few Western sword ferns, Polystichum munitum. 

Leathery Polypody Fern, Polypodium scouleri. This is a great native plant.

 Trailing Iceplant, Delosperma cooperi.

Where the Rock meets man.

This was a very tall red Geranium.

 Trailing Iceplant, Delosperma cooperi.

Nasturium have taken over and are growing wild on the island.

Unknown Geranium.

Unknown Geranium.

Back at the dock there is yet another Geranium.

An unknown Fuchsia tree.

Fuchia trying to get off the Rock.

A carpet of Aeonium. 

This is a view of the Aeonium carpet as seen from the ferry. 

If this did not whet your appetite for a trip to Alcatraz, I don't know what will! I can't wait to go back myself and I am so impressed with of all of the amazing work they've accomplished with the gardens.