Filmmaker Stacy Peralta gets imaginative with Cayucos garden

The first time Stacy Peralta saw the unusual tree his reaction was visceral: “I thought it was a dinosaur plant. It captured my imagination because it was so beautiful and haunting.”

That aloe bainesii tree led to a lifelong passion. Today the Cayucos resident’s front yard teems with so much variety and color that he and his visitors feel as though they’re walking into a painting that always changes.

Peralta, an Emmy-winning documentary producer/director, discovered his interest in plants in the 1970s and became really serious about 25 years ago. He moved most of his aloe collection from his former Santa Monica home to his seaside cottage in 2008 and continued to add to it, sourcing new varieties throughout California and Arizona.

The modest size of Peralta’s front garden belies the fact that he has packed more than 100 species of aloe here, from miniatures up to aloe trees.

All California plants have suffered with the drought, but the aloes and other succulents reward the stress with vivid reds, oranges and yellows. They don’t require water for six months although they do need regular moisture when first planted. “I haven’t turned on a sprinkler in years,” Peralta said. He just hits specific plants with the garden hose if they need help.

A variety of succulents tumble like puppies across slate walkways. “I love the colors of these different groundcovers. They’re very sculptural, and the color stays beautiful all year round,” Peralta said.

His aloe garden is knit together with many scrambling, spreading succulents such as blue chalk (senecio mandraliscae), and a cavalcade of jade species (crassulas), sedums in green, red and rust, frilly red and burgundy echeverias, and plump turquoise graptopetalums.

Peralta talks about “hybrid vigor,” using plants that have been crossed with different varieties. These plants grow faster and larger than their parents. Most of the plants originate in South Africa where it is now summer. When he traveled there four years ago he said he was like a kid who loves candy — and there was candy everywhere.

Plant propagation can be an exacting science; however, Peralta relies on local talent. He lets the hummingbirds and bees move the pollen around his garden. That way the birds and bees do the hybridizing for him.

Since 80 percent of the aloes bloom at the same time, he places a net over the seed pods after they’ve flowered and saves the seed. When new plants grow he knows which plants they come from because he puts a name stake in.

Transporting mature aloes from his Santa Monica garden to Cayucos wasn’t without its challenges. “A lot of preparation is involved. You need to cut them back as much as possible but retain as much rootball as you can. I got scratched a lot.” He covered many in Bubble Wrap so they wouldn’t get marked up.

“I moved them in groupings. Over time I would take a plant here and there and try to get something each time I headed south. I had so many plants in Santa Monica and so many special ones you wouldn’t even know I had taken any,” Peralta said.

Filmmaking can be a crazy business, he explained. That’s why he especially enjoys his peaceful garden. He expects the plants to grow wildly this spring with all the rain.

A particularly arresting sight along the driveway are the bright coral fingers of euphorbia tirucalli’ “Sticks on Fire,” wrapping around the corner and punctuating the greens, yellows and blues. A simple gray gravel driveway doesn’t distract.

The papery white bark of melaleuca linarifolia trimmed into pom poms is virtually the only non-succulent in this garden, a relic of the former owner. A kalanchoe (mother of thousands) has prolific clusters of bell-shaped vivid burgundy blossoms nodding toward the earth.

His favorite public garden is the Huntington Botanical Gardens near Pasadena. “It never ceases to amaze me. They keep adding rare plants and updating.” Lotusland in Montecito and the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek also inspire.

“I met Stacy when he stopped by my plant shop in Cambria after surfing,” said Nick Wilkinson, who owns Grow Nursery.

“I could tell he was really into plants because he bought some really weird stuff. He’s a collector and has turned his collection into a beautiful garden. A collector of that caliber is always looking for the unusual. He’s definitely turned a collection into an amazing garden. It keeps getting better and better. He’s also very generous with his plants. A cool cat for sure.”

Looking through the lens of a director’s eye, Peralta talked about aloes: “All these things do is create beauty.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Filmmaker Stacy Peralta gets imaginative with Cayucos garden."