Orange for Halloween

I love orange and am constantly perplexed why so many people don't enjoy this wonderful color! In our harsh sunny climate orange is bright and showy. Here is an orange Kalanchoe. They also come in red, pink and white. Kalanchoe is pronounced CAL-an-KO-E and is a succulent plant that blooms for us in cool weather. It grows about 12" tall and takes part shade to sun. The more fun, the redder the foliage. Yay for orange! Happy Halloween!

Yellow Shrimp

I know that I say this a lot. But I love this plant! Pachystachys lutea or Yellow Shrimp plant is tropical and native to Peru. In SoCal it grows to about 3 feet. I am on my 3rd try as it's frost tender. It blooms most of the year here. Those yellow parts are bracts with the white part being the actual flower, like Pointsettias and Bougainvilleas. I haven't tried propagation from cuttings yet but read that it's fairly east to root. Grow in part shade and protect from frost. Yellow is a rare color for shade, not seen in Azaleas, Camellias nor Hydrangeas. Yay for yellow!

Super Easy Daisy

Euryops daisy is one of the easiest plants to grow. I don't really know a common name for them. Everyone just calls them Euryops, pronounced  YER-E-ops.  The latin name is Euryops pectinatus, from the Greek "eurys" = large and "ops" = eye referring to the showy flowers.  Pectinatus = from the Latin meaning pectinate (i.e. with narrow divisions like a comb referring to the divided leaves).  Thank you internet!  So, I guess it means big eye with comb like leaves :-)  And of course they hail from South Africa where our climate is similar and from where all the cool plants originate.

I have seen them on an east side with only morning sun and in the south and west where they get full afternoon sun.  They bloom wherever but really prefer full sun! There is this green leaved version plus a gray leaved version.  I prefer the green over the gray(and I usually love leaves that are other than green)  because often they revert to green anyway.  The plant grows pretty fast; about 3 feet in one year and up to about 5 feet.  They bloom when you wouldn't think a daisy shouldn't; Autumn through Spring here in SoCal. 

What is great about Euryops is that if it gets too big, just whack it back!  It takes to cutting down to bare stems.  Try that on a Marguerite and you'll be sorry, it'll be dead(I know from experience).   Sometimes the young plants can get rangy.  Just  cut each stem and 2 stems will come out making the plant bushier.

Enjoy the sunny daisy flowers of Euryops!  

Sun Fuchsia

They call this a Sun Fuchsia but it's name is Fuchsia Gartenmeister. I love that coral orange color. It takes sun to part shade. It has small long tubular flowers. Like other Fuchsias it is prone to that Fuchsia mite that contorts the new growth and aphids too. But if you can keep them away this is a fabulous plant that is showy and only grows to about 3-4 ft.

Curly Leaved Willow, no REALLY curly!

So you all probably know what they call the corkscrew Willow - Salix tortuosa.  Florists use it as interesting filler or as dried branches because the branches are sort of curly.  A few years ago at the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona I noticed a weeping tree with curly LEAVES!  There were several of them and they were about 40 feet tall.  I've always loved curly things(maybe because I have straight hair.)  The leaves were each curled around and so pretty!  I know that sometimes curled leaves mean bugs inside.  But this is not like that!

 I took a few cuttings.   I understand that September is not that good a time to try to root cuttings of a plant that is going to lose it's leaves soon.  But that is the only time I was at Fairplex!    They did not root :-(   I had even emailed them in the Spring to see if I could go and take cuttings then with no reply. I don't think they care.  2 years ago I took more cuttings when I was at the fair volunteering.  They rooted!

 Yay! Yesterday we went to the FAIR and visited my tree or my "baby mama". 

  

Fairplex in Pomona has been around since the 1930's so who knows when these trees were planted.  I did notice yesterday that 2 or so of the trees are gone because they took down some buildings :-(   So there is only one left.  

These are my 2 baby trees.  I rooted 3 cuttings and gave one to a friend.  It is such a precious plant to me and I don't even know the name!  I have searched the internet endlessly and can only find "tortuosa" which this is NOT!  If you know the name, please share!   I love my Curly Leaved Willows.  Now I just have to figure out where to plant them in my new garden.  I'll probably just plant one in the ground and keep one in a pot for just in case :-)   Happy gardening!  

Bauhinia

Bauhinia is a varied genus. Most people know the Orchid tree - B. purpurea. I have a vine version called B. corymbosa that has smaller leaves and pale pink flowers. But my favorite is the shrub B. galpinii! Native to South Africa(as so many cool plants are) this Bauhinia is a shrub that tends to vine. It grows freestanding but also wants to weave itself with others. It can be kept at about 5 feet but wants to grow to 10 feet. And as my friend Alice knows this plant laughs at pruning. The flowers are so pretty, coral orangey and a unique shape. I don't care if it grows like a crazy plant. I love it.

Update

Just a little Sweet Pea update today. Got sprouts? I do. If you haven't planted those seeds, go do it NOW! And in 6 months we'll all have flowers to enjoy. :-)