Transitions

As we transition into fall -- yes, it IS September, or at least that's what the calendar says -- our gardens follow suit. The weather may still be confusing, 88 one day and 68 the next, but plants still follow their own timetable. Incidentally, the amount of moisture that makes it to the roots of many plants, be that from rain or our hoses, will have a major effect on the 'performance' of a plant and, for example, how soon deciduous shrubs or trees will begin their slow descent into a dormant period. That is why many of you are noticing that certain trees are already starting to color up or drop their leaves. It's the way the plant protects itself in the long drought we find ourselves in.
Well, I have just welcomed a new 'member' to my family, a Nikon Coolpix 820 camera. I've been having trouble with my dslr Nikon, now most likely a lens issue, and so I decided to explore using a simple Point-and-Shoot type camera. It does have its limitations but it's easy to use, the quality is excellent and it has an effective zoom function. Today's photos are from the new camera. I wanted to test the camera's ability to shoot in shade, sun or mixed light environments, as well as close focus shots and using the zoom at full extension. So, here they are. These may not be the best shots ever taken but they do capture some of my early September garden.

Salvia splendens 'Sao Borja.' S. splendens varieties will act as annuals in colder climates but here in the mild zone of Oakland mine has become a perennial. Now in year three, it has finally bloomed like I'd expected, offering rich burgundy flowers.

Staghorn fern. I have two, one wedged into the V of a tree and this one growing in soil. As you can see, they're just as happy in soil, as long as they're not over-watered. 

Digitalis 'Pantaloons.' Okay, not the greatest shot. But it didn't seem as if this foxglove would ever bloom again so I'm very happy to see flowers once more. Its variety name derives from the fact that the flowers have 'split' sides, making it somewhat unique among foxgloves.

What's that up in the sky? Is it a bird ... a plane ... or in this case, a sunflower? A Gaillardia? Nope, it's a new, double form Gazania called Sunbathers 'Nahui.' The only reference I could find for this variety name was as another name for Carmen Mondragon, who rose to some fame as a model and muse for such painters as Diego Rivera. She was said to possess a magnetic beauty so perhaps this flower captures some of her allure.

Sempervivum 'Pekinese.' A new succulent that combines lime green and cream colors, though this photo doesn't show the latter.

Crassula falcata. Last week's blog showed the flowers starting to color up. Here they are in their shocking red tones. 

Just to the right of the above Crassula is the now nicknamed 'Golden Mile.' It starts with this pretty, dwarf Duranta 'Gold Mound.' He's been a shy guy, not growing much and this is the first year where there's enough of the foliage to warrant photographing it.

Here's the first success in using my zoom function. This is Vigna caracalla, better known as Snail vine. It would look like little dots without the zoom function. The clarity seems to have held up pretty well.

Lotus jacobeus. I'm loving my Black Lotus, although in truth the flowers are more bronze colored. Still, they're exceptionally pretty and there's lots of them.

Tecoma stans 'Bells of Fire.' I think a better name would be 'Bells ON Fire' given their fantastic color. 

This shot of my Luculia pinceana isn't that great a composition and it hards to appreciate the pink tones to the flowers. But it is a good excuse to mention once again this intensely fragrant shrub. Sensational.

Here are two Chamaecyparis species. On the left is 'Barry's Silver' and on the right is an obtusa species called 'Nana Lutea.' Calming but lovely. 

Aloe striata. This Coral aloe is progressing very nicely, though it has yet to bloom and develop the flowers that yields its common name.

There's nothing quite like the midnight burgundy color of Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf.' 

Tecoma x smithii. Still my favorite Tecoma, this hybrid produces huge clusters of peachy-orange flowers that are a real standout.

Scintilating Skullcap

One of the categories of common names for plants that I find particularly amusing are the ones that end in -wort (as in Mugwort) or in -cap, as is the case with the charming low growing perennial Scutellaria, commonly known as Skullcap. Somehow I picture Lady Hamlet holding a skull, with a Scutellaria cascading over the top. In fact, the term refers to the hooded nature of the little flowers. They are widespread, mostly occurring in temperate regions of the globe. I was surprised in looking up this genus that it contains 300 species (most of which alas we will never see). One of the common ones is S. suffruticosa, with its colorful deep pink flowers. However I just came across one I was unaware of, S. javanica 'Veranda.' With darker and glossier leaves and purple flowers with white throats that are a bit more tubular than suffruticosa, it's a real beauty (see photo below).
Scutellaria baicalensis (in particular) has been in use for over 2000 years as a remedy for such conditions as hepatitis, diarrhea and inflammation. It is still used as a traditional Chinese herbal preparation today.
So, a doff of the cap to the history of plant names and the stories they hint at.
And now the photos ...

Scutellaria javanica 'Veranda.' As mentioned above, this little charmer features purple flowers with white throats. They don't get big, usually topping out at ten inches, but can spread. They are hardier than they look, although I'm not sure about this lesser known species.

Plemonium 'Stairway to Heaven.' Well, maybe if 'heaven' is only a foot off the ground. The nice thing about this variegated form is that it looks great even before it blooms.

I love the rich colors on this Portulaca 'Soleil Tangerine' plant. There's a Darwinian reason why many succulents have especially showy flowers but absent that discussion let's just appreciate the way they brighten our day.

Speaking of succulents with vivid flowers, I give you Crassula falcata. This specimen's flowers are just beginning to color up but they will eventually be a vivid red. This is the so-called Propeller plant, named for the broad, flat leaves. Crassulas can take many forms, being quite Chameleon-like.

I was looking for contrast here and a certain depth of field and I got both with the morning sun lighting up the top three flowers on my Scyphanthus elegans. They almost resemble cup-shaped, flaming comets bursting out of the night sky. 

Tiger lilies (in this case Lilium tigrinum splendens) are one of life's simple pleasures. I love the recurved petals, the pollen rich stamen and of course the spotting. 

"Okay, quick, all you mimulus flowers, crowd close together so I can get you all in this shot." Okay, it only seems like this abundance of blooms must have darted together just for the photo. Mimulus are exhibit A to prove that not all natives are boring (not that that's true anyway). And of course, there's a steady stream of bees and hummers visiting.

So many Tecomas, so little ... space! Okay, it only seems like there's an endless number of varieties of this extravagantly flowering shrub out there. A fairly recent entry is this T. stans 'Bells of Fire.' Lovely!

I love the way that Echeveria flowers appear on arching stems. 

My favorite Grevillea, G. 'Moonlight,' has begun a new bloom season. They produce the most extravagant (and huge) cones of alabaster flowers. I love everything about the flowers -- the color, the form, the size and even the chocolate-colored seedpods.

Though not the best shot, I couldn't leave out this photo of Dianella 'Baby Bliss' flowers. The blue and gold combination and the nodding form is just so irresistible.

Ampelopsis would be pretty enough to photograph all on its own but I love the variegated leaf version of this Porcelain Berry vine. This year promises to be the best yet for a crop of iridescent blue berries.

The Return

We're not exactly in the dog days of August but for many there is a pause. Summer's been here awhile and at least in the milder parts of the Bay Area, our warm weather lasts well into the fall. And yet, the kids are heading back to school and the summer vacations are drawing to a close. Many people have taken time off from their gardens as well, focusing on other activities. The nursery trade is no different, in step as the marketplace dictates, to when customers will return to retail nurseries to buy newly arrived fall plants. Of course the growers have to plan ahead for this, in order to have those plants on the 'shelves.' That is most apparent with bedding plants but it's also true for perennials as well. Rudbeckias and Echinaceas appear in greater numbers and there's plenty of Salvias to choose from.
It's in the fall season when we get a better idea of the annual/perennial balance in our gardens. That single choice is perhaps the greatest commonality among all city gardeners. And that balance may well change according to the season. In my own garden, where I have a great preponderance of perennials, finding room for new perennials is always a challenge. And with our drought, I'm more determined than ever to have as few plants in pots as is possible.
That said, here is a 'snapshot' of my mid to late summer garden, as seen in today's photos.

Here are two shots of my Albuca spiralis. The photo below makes it apparent where the species name derives from. This South African bulb is one of a select few plants that have curly or twisty leaves. One person has dubbed this group 'Twirls and Curls.' I call this my 'Corkscrew' albuca.

Asarina scandens 'Joan Lorraine.' Though it's just beginning to flower, this vigorous little climber has scaled a nearby gutter drainpipe and is nearly up to the roof! Love the rich purple flowers and the delicate leaves.

Here's another shot of my yellow flowering Scaevola. The plants look delicate but they're much tougher than they appear. A great cascading plant, it's perfect for hanging baskets or spilling over a low wall. 

Calceolaria calynopsis. This hard to find, red-flowering Pocketbooks plant is a real showstopper! The flowers are also larger than the C. mexicana or C. 'Kentish Hero,' which only adds to the plant's appeal.

Speaking of hard to find, this rare Lotus (L. jacobaeus) is called 'Black Lotus' for the deep burgundy blooms. And yet, I've noticed on my specimen that it has quite a few flower clusters that are a golden ginger color, as can be seen in the higher cluster here. Curious. 

Likewise with my Gloriosa lily. These are two flowers from the same plant, the one on the left almost entirely red and the one on the right the more usual yellow-bordered orangey-red.  Both are pretty, n'est-ce pas?

Along the 'differences' line of discussion, I love seeing flowers in all their stages of unveiling. Here's my Datura 'Blackcurrant Swirl,' still unopened. At this stage, the purple hue is at its richest, an almost velvety deep wine color.

Lilium 'Black Beauty.' No black but the flowers do feature a rich rosy-red hue. This is by far my most prolific lily, getting easily 20 blooms off a single stem every year.

I love the velvety feel of  Lepechinia hastata's leaves. Textured, felty, furry, call them what you will but their tactile appeal, that wonderful grayish-green color and the intense aroma all make the foliage on this hardy, drought tolerant 'native' a great package. I say 'native' because this plant is endemic to Mexico but has slowly crossed the border so it's a welcome immigrant.

The flowers on this shockingly showy Mimulus (M. 'Fiesta Marigold') really do take some getting used to. It's a hybrid, having a little M. aurantiacus in its parentage but it is not a true Sticky Monkey flower. Still, it provides that wow factor in my front yard, a mere two feet from passersby.

Many of you will recognize this Salvia as 'Hummingbird Sage.' While that is the common name of this handsome S. spathacea, the truth is that hummingbirds love nearly every salvia for their nectar. This guy has the advantage of being a California native.

I always think that the flowers in the photos of this Justicia fulvicoma look more painted than something coming from a camera. The flowers have just an indescribably lovely color.

Begonia rex 'Escargot.' This is the best year yet for this tender begonia. I've left it outside to fend for itself in my Oakland garden and though it was late to leaf out this year, it's filled out very nicely. The variety name owes to the spiraling shape of the leaves, said to suggest a snail's shell.

Discovered this 'Ursine' in my garden but decided to let him stay. It's a Blue Bear's Paw fern of course (Phlebodium areolatum) and his handsome grayish-blue paws really stand out in this shady, raised bed.

Can goldfish live outside the water? They can if they're a Goldfish plant (Nematanthus species). Normally grown as a houseplant, I have mine outdoors until the really cold weather arrives. 

One of my favorite Agastache, A. mexicana 'Sangria' has lovely raspberry-colored flowers and a very pleasing fragrance. Agastache, known as Hummingbird mint due to their minty fragrance and appeal to hummingbirds, are easy to grow and most will return faithfully each year. Make sure to plant them where you'll regularly pass by, so as to enjoy their unique perfume.

Ring dem bells!

We have a small shrub planted at the entrance to our Grand Lake Ace nursery in Oakland and it's in full bloom right now, showcasing yellow, flared tubular flowers. Of course anything this showy is going to draw interest from customers and that affords me the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite plants -- Tecoma. Many gardeners are familiar with Tecomaria capensis and its tubular orange flowers. It's a semi-scandent shrub that can border on being invasive. Tecomas (in some circles the terms Tecoma and Tecomaria are used synonymously) offer several species that are even showier and are less likely to go wild on you. Start with Tecoma stans and its hybrids. The straight species, known as 'Yellow Bells,' has vivid yellow flowers that are flared at the tips. It can get big, to 15 feet, but can be pruned hard to keep it lower and bushier. No need to do that with T. stans 'Mayan Gold,' a dwarf sport that tops out at 3 x 3. That's the one we have planted in our Ace entrance. And now there's a new dwarf stans hybrid -- 'Bells of Fire.' Sporting orangy-red flowers, it's a real showstopper and it too stays in the 3-5' foot size range.
Then there's the peachy-gold flowering Tecoma x alata. Just as tough as all the Tecomas, it tops out at 8 feet and has arching or semi-scandent branches. The other commonly available Tecoma, one I have in my garden, is the exquisite T. x smithii. Similar in its form to the x alata, this sport features peachy-orange blooms that, like most Tecomas, appear in clusters. When in full bloom the dwarf varieties especially are smothered in flowers. Showy indeed!

And now this week's photos from my garden. They represent a cross-section of what is interesting in our gardens. Many of the photos are of flowers, which are naturally too inviting to not capture on film. But there are also photos of foliage (especially the Alpinia 'Zerumbet'), one of an interesting patterning on stems (Amorphophallus rivieri), one of a nutritious nectary (Echinacea) and several combo shots. Okay, here they are.

And here is our main attraction, the Tecoma x smithii. Love that color!

Portulaca 'Soleil Tangerine.' Here's a fuller shot of this dazzling new Portulaca. There are many succulents that have colorful flowers and Portulacas are near the top of the list.

If it looks like a Scaevola and quacks like a Scaevola, well then it must be a Scaevola. And it is indeed, here a yellow-flowering variety. Like the more common purple flowering types, this 'Fan flower' is a great cascading plant.

Immediately identifiable by its deep burgundy rosettes, Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf'  is one of the most popular succulents for adding both dark tones and some height and size to a particular bed or large mixed succulent bowl. Mine is still awaiting its final destination.

Here's my 'Odd couple.' The yellow 'spear' is the forming inflorescence on a Billbergia (soon to produce flowers whose color is yet a mystery) while the dainty climber with the small yellow cup-shaped flowers is Scyphanthus elegans. As a quasi-vine, the Scyphanthus will attach itself to anything close by and though it's finally starting to climb the trellis behind it, the 'spear' is fair game too.

This 'combo' shot didn't quite come out as planned. Yes, it's a nice photo of the beautiful Gloriosa lily flower but if you look closely, in its open center are tiny blackish flowers from the nearby Lotus jacobaeus (Black Lotus). Both are plants not commonly found in gardens and that's especially true of the unusual and hard to find Lotus. In fact this lotus in no way resembles the common Parrot's Beak lotus commonly found in nurseries. What's that expression? 'Black is the new black.'  Truly black flowers are hard to come by and this is one of the few.

Although the lighting isn't perfect, here's a shot of the aforementioned Amorphophallus rivieri. As with many Arums, this one has spotted or patterned branches. One wonders how this came about. Is it for purposes of camouflage or to get the attention of some insect?

More mimulus! This one is M. aurantiacus 'Bronze,' one of the Sticky Monkey Flowers that are found in our northern California landscape. This is a new addition and still very small but it's already in bloom. Found on dry rocky slopes, this plant flowers at a young stage because it needs to take advantage of precious rain to grow and attract pollinators.

This spotted Begonia is one of the so-called Angelwings types. As you can see it sports bright pink flowers. As with many begonias, it appreciates bright shade or morning sun. 

Here's a better shot of my new Asclepias tuberosa. There's orange and then there's ORANGE. Just as popular with butterflies of all kinds though I'm not sure if monarchs will lay eggs on them, as this butterfly bush is an east coast species. Popular too with hummers.

Echinacea pupurea hybrid. Here the focus is on the 'cone,' a favorite destination for bees and butterflies alike as it's very rich in nectar. I think it's every bit as beautiful as the petals, if not more.

Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee.' Love this plant, in part for the mix of green and silver. Its species name refers to the rosemary-like foliage, though in this case the leaves are very soft. It produces tiny white flowers in summer but for me the show is the foliage.

Lilies are my favorite common bulb and here's a photo of my Lilium 'Scheherazade.' It's an Oriental type lily and well, just a beauty. At the risk of telling a bad joke, this is one lily that has many stories to tell.

Although the flowers on this shell ginger are pretty (and fragrant) most people plant this Alpinia 'Zerumbet' for its foliage. This photo demonstrates why. Each leaf has its own distinctive patterning and mix of greens and golds.

I need to unpack my zoom lens so I can get closeup photos of certain flowers in my garden and here is one that I need it for. These are the flowers on Vigna caracalla, better known as Snail vine. And yes, the flowers are shaped like snail shells and exude a light, pleasing fragrance. An aggressive climber, it will latch onto anything close by so be careful where you plant it.

I thought this was an interesting composition, with the small and delicate lavender flowers of Thalictrum rochebrunianum seeming to emerge from the broad yellow leaves of the Abutilon thompsonii. Thalictrums, known as Meadow Rue, seem like ancient plants to me but maybe it's just because they've been in cultivation for a very long time.

Though this Asarina procumbens was in a bit too much shade, this shot in a way captures its affecting shyness. It's a low growing, cascading Asarina and the flowers are more like those of a snapdragon or Nemesia than the tubular flowers of most Asarina species.

I'm still not sure which Tillandsia this is and it's never bloomed but it's silver waterfall-ness is so beautiful.