Ouch - I'm embarrassed to have to say this, but it turns out California Natural Scenery Co. was too good to be true - it looks like their product isn't made from the real California plants as they claim.
I was really excited about their HO-301 Toxicodendron Diversilobum (that's Poison Oak, for those of you who didn't learn the latin names when you went to summer camp), and I like the look of their bushes… but they didn't actually make it from Poison Oak like they said. I figured this out when I accidentally put my elbow in the pile of bushes I was planting on the railroad last night. When I didn't get the characteristic rash by this morning, I knew something was up. A closer examination of their product shows it's actually mostly ground foam, and not Poison Oak.
I am very disappointed, and apologize if I got anyone else excited about their new products. It's too bad, for the Pampas Grass looks pretty good in my Vasona Junction scene, as seen here. They're a little short, but they'll do.
And if you do see some of California Natural Scenery products in the store, make sure to test it before you buy any significant amount. Rub a bit of one of their bushes on your skin, and if you start itching uncontrollably the next day, you know they're really making the product they're claiming.
[First photo: What I thought I was getting - real Poison Oak, as seen on a hike in New Almaden a while back.]
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