Red

This is a lovely plant called Calliandra tweedii or Trinidad Flame Bush. It grows about 6- 8 ft tall, blooms off and on and likes full sun. Native to South America it has red flowers kinda like a bottlebrush but round instead of cylindrical. I thought all flowers that look like stamens were from
Australia. But I was wrong. You learn something new every day! It's got ferny foliage and is related to the Mimosa tree. This one is in a huge pot at one of my commercial jobs. About once a year it threatens to die(they have difficulty watering it). And I freak out because it's not easy to replace that big. But it's happy now and a wonderful plant.

White Summer Flowers

It seems so many fragrant summer blooming flowers are white. Star Jasmine is still blooming and my Stephanotis is just starting to bloom. The Jasminum multiflorum that came with our house seems to always be in bloom(that'll be another post).

I wanted to share this other fragrant white flower, Mandevilla laxa. I saw it blooming on the wall at the nursery of The Huntington Botanical Garden about 5 years ago and was happy to be able to buy one. I had it in a 15 gallon can with just a few stakes until a few months ago when I planted it in the ground of our backyard. It has already reached the top of the trellis and is looking fabulous!

The genus Mandevilla was named for Mr. Henry Mandeville, hence we pronounce Mandevilla- MAND-a-VILL-a and NOT with the spanish y tortilla sound.

It's a wonderful plant if a bit hard to find. Maybe the fragrant flowers will make my summer a bit bearable(I hate summer heat). Enjoy your fragrant summer flowers.

Plant Search = Paydirt!

I used to grow this plant about 10 years ago.  I forgot about it until last November when I saw it growing at a new client's house because you just don't see it very often.   It is a wonderful perennial called Tracheluim caeruleum or "Throatwort" because it was used to treat throat problems.  It is a Mediterranean native and that's why it does well here. It comes in ranges of purple and white, likes sun to part shade and makes a great cut flower.  Trachelium grows to about 3 feet tall in flower and has unusual bronzy foliage.  My client's plants are in bloom now and are looking fabulous!  I have been nursery hunting for it for 8 months and finally found it TODAY at San Gabriel Nursery!  I bought all 3 of them that they had and will plant them tomorrow in the garden.  I am so happy I just had to share. 

Car Flowers

I just had to share these flowers from the recently opened Carsland at Disney California Adventure next to Disneyland in Anaheim. The place was packed this past weekend but these flowers really jumped out at me. Looks like they were made from car tail lights. They are pretty and they don't need water or care!

Pumpkin Crazy!

I knew that pumpkins would grow like crazy when they get started. I grew them for a client about 10 years ago and was looking forward to growing my own. I planted about 6 seeds at the end of March. It took about 7 days for them to sprout. They are now taking over the backyard! Many days Rick would look at them and ask me "Are they supposed to grow this fast?". I would smile and say yes.   They are spilling out of the raised bed now. And that's ok because there's not a lot else going on there. I see a few female flowers with tiny fruit on them. I can't wait to watch the fruit grow! I remember that today they'll be an egg, tomorrow a softball and the day after they'll be the size of a basketball! Watch for more pumpkin updates!   Yay pumpkins!

Basil

I adore Basil. It's an herb, not a person. If they would make a perfume from it, I'd wear it. Besides being yummy in all of Italian food, and salads too, Pesto is made with Basil! Yum! Next time you go to the Spaghetti Factory, ask for their Creamy Pesto salad dressing in which to dip your bread. It's supremely delicious!

So here is just a little update with a photo of 2 kinds of Basil I have growing. Look how cute the Boxwood Basil is! It's got tiny leaves but the same doings as regular Basil.

Old Fashioned

You just don't see Canterbury Bells anymore. At least I don't. This beautiful specimen of Canterbury Bells, Campanula medium was growing at one of my new jobs near Los Angeles. CB is a biennial meaning it takes 2 years to flower from seed. It prefers a bit of shade in our hot inland climate and blooms late spring into summer to about 2 feet tall. The flower stalk usually needs to be staked as winds and the weight of sprinklers on the flowers make them fall. They come in lavender, pink, white and purple. It is so pretty!