Rocking the Garden

Recently I've been exploring the meanings of certain species' names, referring to certain traits that they convey. There's a lighter side to the use of names in the nursery business and that shows up mostly in Common names or in Variety names. I once thought of doing a feature article on categories of these names and one of them was on Rock n Roll or musical references. So, here's a few to amuse you (and maybe to bring back memories of your favorite groups or songs). In no particular order, here are examples with the botanical name followed by the musical reference:
Impatiens sodenii 'Madonna.' "Lady Madonna" by those Liverpool lads.
Ceanothus 'El Dorado.' "El Dorado" (album + song) by Electric Light Orchestra.
Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue.'  "Sentimental Blues" by Ray Charles.
Nicotiana 'Only The Lonely.' Someone had a Ray Orbison fixation it seems ...
Adenanthos sericeus. Commonly called Wooly bush. "Wooly Bully" by (who else) Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs.
ZZ Plant (I won't bore you with the botanical name as it's a mouthful). ZZ Top. As they say, too easy.
Geranium 'Rozanne.' All right, all you Police (or Sting) fans, sing along -- "Roxanne."
Syringa 'Miss Kim.'  L'il Kim. Fitting that both plant and person pack a big punch in a small package.
Sedum 'Angelina.'  "Angelina" by Hall & Oates.
Ipomoea 'Sunrise Serenade.' "Sunrise Serenade" Chet Atkins.

Okay, that's wot I got for the moment. I'm sure you plantophiles could come up with more.
And now the photos ...

Stachys albotomentosa. The 7-Up plant is famous for that distinctive scent but the flowers are also pretty.

Tricyrtis variety. Not only are the flowers exceptionally pretty but the stigma are pretty cool too.

This fern was incorrectly ID'd as Adiantum 'Ocean Spray' but in any case it's unusual and lovely. Didn't quite get this in focus but thought I'd include it anyway.

Hydrangea quercifolia. One of my favorite four season plants, it's run wild in my tropical corner bed. Here's a simple shot of a flower panicle just beginning to open.

Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate.' Tradescantias, being so common, are often overlooked. This variety has the deepest purple flowers plus interesting stamen.

Tecoma x smithii. This vining shrub is called Orange Bells for the lovely tubular orange flowers. Now, I have to find a nice sunny spot for it ...

Lilium 'Black Beauty.' I love the green "ribs" on this showy lily.

This aforementioned Wooly bush (Adenanthos sericeus) has slowly taken over my Aussie Natives bed. Its common name owes to its super soft foliage. Love the color too!

A bit shaded but here's my Petunia 'Phantom.' One of if not my favorite petunia and it's also an homage to a nursery cat we lost two years ago.

Eryngium + honey bee. Just a cool shot, made more so by the contrast in color and species between the purple flora and the golden fauna.

Felicia amelloides variegata. This 'Blue Daisy' is simple but oh so charming.

Another shot of my new Echinacea 'Harvest Moon.' Love the peachy-golden hue.

Dahlia 'Bishop's Children.' Once again, umm, aren't bishops supposed to be celibate? That aside, this dahlia features the darkest foliage and red flowers (shown off nicely when backlit).

I'm not generally a fan of annual type verbenas but this Lanai Peach is quite lovely.

One last shot of my red Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis). It's made itself at home in the bed beside the Dicentra scandens and Daphne odora 'Marginata.'

Here's a better photo of my newest rave, Ipomoea 'Sunrise Serenade.' Extravagant!

Finally, one last shot of my exuberant Canary Creeper nasturtium. Here the individual flowers look like little yellow flames dancing down the stem.