Flame Acanthus

I saw this plant with the lovely coral orange red flowers at the LA County Arboretum in Arcadia a few years ago. Soon after I was really happy to find it for sale in the nursery at The Huntington Library & Botanic Gardens. I've never seen it in another nursery. It's Anisacanthus quadrifidus wrightii or Flame Acanthus. It's native to the Americas, drought tolerant, likes full sun and attracts hummingbirds.  I think those are all the best qualities in a plant! It grows to about 3' tall and wide. It's blooming right now and will through the summer.  Research says this plant is named for Charles Wright (1811-1885), botanical collector who collected extensively in Texas, Cuba and his native Connecticut. 

Have you grown this plant?
Happy Gardening!
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Barberry

In SoCal we are spoiled with evergreen plants. Many trees are deciduous here. But no one wants a deciduous shrub. Berberis thunbergii is one of many Barberry native to Asia. So called because of it's thorns and sometimes(I've never seen them) little berries. It is mostly grown here for its burgundy foliage. Because of our mild winters it's only partially deciduous here. It likes full sun and different varieties grow from 3-6'. It's not ubiquitous in SoCal like it is in the Pacific Northwest. I see it once in awhile. This one I planted many years ago at a job in Glendora. It's looking pretty awesome now.

Burgundy contrasts nicely with green. 

Can you see those thorns? 

Don't grab barehanded

Happy Gardening!