3 Weeks to hasta la vista Trump!

 So, I'm stocking up on my party supplies for election day (or the day after, or two days after ...). I may be obsessed with my garden, with music and with art but nothing is more important than sending The Donald packing.

Okay, yes, gardens. Still plenty going on in my garden so let's go straight to the photos. This week I used my telephoto lens which allowed me to zoom in on smaller flowers.

My Rudbeckia Indian Summer has been a blooming machine. The R. hirta hybrids may not be as good in year two but they often bloom up till XMas here in Oakland.

The same can often be said for Calibrachoas, like this Cabaret Diva Orange.

My Justicias are blooming a bit late this year but I'm getting the best bloom season yet on my J. fulvicoma.

Monardella linoides. This hard to find Coyote mint is wonderfully aromatic, with lovely flowers that butterflies adore.

Salvia guaranitica Black and Blue. My zoom lens allowed me to get in for a closeup of this flower's black bract and violet petals.

Ditto for the unusual Ruellia brittoniana. It has simple purple flowers that remind me a bit of those on Solanum genus members.

The recent heat seems to be agreeing with my Grevillea Superb. The blossoms have a bit more color than those from even last month.

These curious little flowers belong to Berzelia lanuginosa, a S. African native. Called appropriately Buttonbush, the flowers come out pure white then age to this color. I love 'curious' plants.

My Hibiscus Adonis Pearl keeps on blooming. This isn't the best photo but I do love the huge flowers that, as I've mentioned, stay open much longer than with typical Hibiscus varieties.

This shot shows both the handsome leaves and an unopened flower bud on my evergreen Magnolia grandiflora Little Gem. It finally has rooted down through its huge pot and got a good root system established.

This quirky little guy is Senecio crassissimus, sometimes known as Vertical Leaf senecio. It's a sturdy succulent with a, yes, vertical habit.

"So hardy, they'll grow in trees." Not sure where that quote derives from but it is actually true of most bromeliads. Not sure what this gift is but it has made itself at home in the crevice of this tree. I'm giving it a spray of water a couple times a week and that's it.

My Eremophila glabra cyanosa seems to bloom in fits and spurts but it is slowly adding more of these charming tangerine-colored flowers.

The flowers on Salvia bullulata Pale Form may be tiny but they're a gorgeous robins-egg blue.

Pavonia missionum is a charmer, a Malva family member that while not hard to find at full service nurseries isn't always on everyone's radar.

No idea why my usually spring blooming Clematis Belle of Woking has just put out four flowers. Confused? Just wanting to show off? It isn't obvious here but the flowers are a pale violet color.

My Begonia odorata 'White' may have taken awhile to get going but it's now a blooming machine.

While it's the antler-shaped fronds on Staghorn ferns that draw our attention, the basal (and sterile) frond is quite beautiful on its own.

Monkshood. I've always thought that a plant so incredibly poisonous as Monkshood (Aconitum) should be associated with monks. But it's true, this unique flower showcases a hood that sits atop the opening to the flower.

Alert the media! My Podranea ricasoliana has produced its first open flared trumpet flowers! And they were worth the wait!

Finally, a shot of my glorious and seemingly ever-blooming Begonia Illumination Apricot. Highly recommended for an easy to grow floriferous begonia.

Garden as Refuge

 Not going to wax poetic but in this time of sheltering and minimal contact with friends, my garden is even more of a treasure. I am lucky to have a garden with year round interest so I can go out on any given day and there is much to love and appreciate. Even the work - weeding, pruning, deadheading - is a balm these days.No matter the nature of your garden, I hope it is bringing you solace these days. 

And now the photos!

Here's my new Calibrachoa. We probably sell more of these at our nursery as a hanging basket plant than almost any other plant.

Erica speciosa. For some reason the foliage shows more chartreuse here, when it's really a rich green. A near constant bloomer.

Mandevilla Apricot. An unusual color for a Mandevilla, which are normally red, pink or white.

If this fluffy seedpod looks familiar, it isn't what you think (Asclepias). This Tweedia is however a member of the same milkweed family. The fluff, with tiny black seeds embedded, allows the wind to disperse the seed.

Helichrysum Lemon Licorice. This is a sturdy little ground cover. Pretty too!

Mimulus Betabel. Mimulus are very long bloomers, especially if they get a little regular water.

Grevillea Superb. One of our best selling Grevilleas and here's why. The colors are usually a bit deeper but they do go through a change from bright red to soft orange to cream.

Lobelia may be common but it's an easy way to add wonderful blue colors to the garden.

Here's my sweet kitty in repose as her caretaker does all the garden work!

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (plumbago) is a wonderful late fall and winter ground cover and another way to add intense blue flowers to a sunny spot.

Although the more vibrant yellows of spring are gone, there's still plenty of bright tones left on my Cistus McGuire's Gold.

My Sideritis cypria has been a revelation. First the intense and true silvery foliage, then the curious lime bracts and the tiny yellow flowers nestled inside these bracts.

Mina lobata is another plant whose flowers go through a color change, as you can readily see here.

Aloe arborescens variegata. This super easy to grow aloe makes do with any kind of soil and sun or light shade, plus next to no water.

Calamintha. Bees love this Calamint, although my cat is so far ignoring it. Mind you, she has her own patch of Nepeta (catmint) to enjoy.

Rain lily flowers may be simple but they do add a splash of white to a fall garden.

The fine textured plant here is Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Snow.' It's already a dwarf variety (to 14") but I'm growing it as a bonsai so it really will stay small. Love that delicate texture.

Begonia Gene Daniels. It's hard to see here but this begonia has rich, velvety red undersides and then in early fall sprays of these pink flowers.

I'm still not sure which Plectranthus this is, having taken a cutting from a friend's garden.

Begonia 'Fannie Moser.' This angel wing begonia features super dark leaves. Nice!

Yes, it's the parade of begonias. Here's my B. acetosa, with its sprays of simple white flowers.

Phlebosia Nicolas Diamond. Love this new fern!

Aechmea 'Pickaniny x White Knight.' This variety is noteworthy for its dark banding on the undersides of the leaves.

One last Begonia, this one Autumn Ember. Here I love the way the light is playing in a multitude of ways off the various leaves.

Tillandsia tectorum. Still the king of silver tillandsias.

Rhipsalis species. I've lost the tag for this one but it's very happy and tumbling out of a pretty small pot.

Autumn Splendor

 Those regular inhabitants of the Bay Area know that autumn can often bring us our nicest weather and our gardens are often beneficiaries of that late in the year warmth. If one happens to have plants that are late summer and fall bloomers, those gardens can often shine right now, while gardens in colder climates are starting to wind down.

Today's photos gave a taste of that autumn splendor, with flowers and foliage alike shining. 

Arum dioscoridis. If this spathe looks sort of familiar, that's because it looks a lot like those of several Arisaemas. Both belong to the Arum family so there's the explanation. I waited 3 years for this first spathe so it's cigars for everyone!

It's still small but this Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria angustifolia) is making steady growth.

I wasn't sure it would work, growing flowers out of the side opening on my hedgehog planter but have no fear. Success.

Monardella odoratissima. Though this form of Coyote mint is hard to find, it has proven to be an amazing bloomer. Butterflies love it of course but so do bees. And that scent is so lovely.

Punica granatum Dwarf. This dwarf pomegranate has been a real joy, blooming while still young and even producing a few fruits (though it is considered an ornamental).

Oxalis latifolia. This beautiful shamrock oxalis provides a nice splash of color in my dry garden bed.

My cat Phoebe on the prowl. "Here, mousey, mousey!"

Here's a side angle view of my dry garden bed. The large plant in the right front is an Aloe striata.

It took a couple of years to get established but my Grevillea Superb is off and running.

Hesperoyucca whipplei. Formerly known as Yucca whipplei, this guy's upright spines are not yet deadly. Love that steel blue color.

Aloe rooikappie. This South African aloe is a prolific bloomer.

Thunbergia battiscombei. The so-called 'blue thunbergia' is just getting going, blooming wise. Less of a vine than most Thunbergia, it forms a scandent bush.

Correa species Orange. This Aussie native is a reliable bloomer, putting out a great many small tubular orange flowers in the fall.

Nothing says 'red' like the flowers on a Bouvardia ternifolia! Hummers love them!

My favorite new succulent, this Kalanchoe tubiflora has little tubes at the ends of each branch.

It took forever but my Duranta Gold Mound is now fully established and has, in fact, outgrown its intended size of 4-6'.

The jury is still out on whether this plectranthus is P. oertendahlii or something else. I love the silver patterning on the leaves.

My Begonia Irene Nuss went crazy this year with a bevy of pink-flowering clusters. Happy, happy!

At the other end of the spectrum, I've never been able to make my Begonia luxuriens happy. And it has yet to bloom, though most grow this palm-leaf begonia for its foliage.

There was no variety name tag in this pot of Agastache so not sure of its ID. No matter. Very pretty..

Median strip #1. I've planted out all three median strips in front of our property, each with a combination of plants in the ground and in pots.

The phoenix. My Berberis Orange Rocket was all but dead when I pruned it back hard, moved it into more sun and fed it. It's bounced back gloriously!

Lobelia and Cushion bush. These guys were great choices for filling in a small spot. Neither will get big and I think they complement each other.

Cunonia capensis. The so-called Butterknife tree puts out these fuzzy bottlebrush-like blooms in late summer. Wonderful!

Lepechinia hastata (Pitcher sage). Almost the perfect plant - tough, beautiful, long blooming, with fragrant foliage.

My Azalea Court Jester seems to be a fall blooming variety. It doesn't get started until August.

Calaminthes nepetoides. This relative of catmint, sometimes called calamint, puts on an impressive blooming show in late summer.

Neoregelia 'Marcon.' One nice thing about bromeliads is that they're interesting year round. That's because it's the foliage that's the star attraction.

Begonia Gryphon. This hybrid begonia has yet to bloom in its first 6 years but no matter, it has such interesting foliage.

Here's  closeup of a panicle of Begonia Irene Nuss flowers.

Though not the best photo - the flower isn't in perfect focus - my Haemanthus albiflos was still worth including. A much more reliable bloomer than it's Blood lily species mate H. coccineus, it blooms faithfully each year.

This eye-catching new fern (Phlebosia Nicolas Diamond) is said to be  cross of two fern genera - Phlebodium and Pyrrosia. Lovely!