daily news and photography about cacti and succulents
and some california natives too
"Drolly entertaining and informative at the same time." CSM
Ceanothus “Blue Jeans” has whorls of deep lavender flowers. Does deep lavender mean it’s purple? I wonder about these things. Anyway, this is one of the deer-resistant holly-leaf ceanothuses. Forms a dense shrub that is just coming into a full flush of bloom.
Arctostaphylos densiflora “Howard McMinn” is a really nice, deeply-red-barked, twisted-branched medium-height California-native manzanita that has a large showing of pink-tinged bell-shaped blooms this time of year.
They are not to be used as a border plant, as they are only to be used as a centerpiece for a small garden. OK, you can also use them as a feature plant in a larger garden. And they can occasionally be brought indoors in colder areas to be a houseplant sitting in a very bright window, but never in a green pot. Mustard and Burnt Umber are the preferred pot colors.
They can also be bonsai’ed, but that will take a lot of work to reestablish and maintain.
I see more of the coreopsis flowers have opened. I took the photo this morning before the storm started. And the storm has started.
Coreopsis gigantea, California native from the Channel Islands.
Ceanothus “Julia Phelps”
The ceanothuses are coming into bloom, just like the arctostaphyloses. That’s what happens when the winter rains start up around here. And we’ll see various species and varieties continue blooming through spring. So we always like the ones that are early bloomers.
This variety forms a really nice medium height, wide-spreading-but-not-too-wide shrub. Makes a good cover plant for native hillsides, although more compact than some of the lower-growing groundcover ceanothuses. Also will work well in a small yard or as a street shrub. Can be pruned to create the perfect shape, but just not so severe to be a hedge. I like them in their more wild form.
Arctostaphylos rudis “Vandenberg”
We are at the start of manzanita bloom season. The earliest bloomers are starting. We should have species blooming from now until May. Nice!
Ribes sanguineum ‘Claremont’
This native flowering currant has delicious fruit, if you like currants that is, and you know who you are. But it’s really all about the flowers, now isn’t it.
I was able to capture this picture in the 5 minute break in the weather a couple days ago, at the same time I took the protea photo.
This plant has been put aside for Samuel. Good thing I was able to get the picture when I did, because there’s no telling when I would be able to get another one.
Epilobium canum “Catalina”
I wonder if this was first discovered on the island of Catalina? Or maybe the color reminded someone of the island. Hmmm…. How can I find out? If I google it, I find out that it was
…selected by Mike Evans of Tree of Life Nursery from the Middle Ranch area of Catalina Island.
Good to know. If I were to name it, I would call it a “Creeping Trumpet”.
Aster chilensis “Purple Haze”
Such a native wildflower in the Sunflower family (asteraceae) that you should have to have a license to grow it.
It does take a bit more water right now and through the summer than other natives, but the payoff is a full autumn flush of blooms. This was the first bud to open this year. Congratulations!
The fall blooming California natives are starting to bloom at the nursery.
Here we have a favorite, the Lotus crassifolius var. otayensis and the blooms are just starting to crack open. Pea-sized!
Fremontodendron mexicanum
Finally, another Flannel Bush that looks just like the other Flannel Bushes. This one gets 15ft. tall, and quick too.
Really, I can’t tell them apart. But whatever, they all have these giant yellow flowers, they’re all Cal. natives, they all are irritating to the touch. You know, the flannel bush!
The UC Davis Arboretum has a bunch of good programs.
Saturday, August 15
Guided Tour: California Native Plants in the Garden
10 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center
Tour the Mary Wattis Brown Garden to see great native for your home garden.
And in case you can make it over there in the next hour:
Friday, August 7
Folk Music Jam Session
12 p.m., Wyatt Deck
Pull out your fiddles, guitars, banjos (you name it) for an acoustic jam session. Campus and community folk musicians play together over the lunch hour. All skill levels welcome. Listeners welcome!
Oh well, I guess my fiddle will have to stay put away until another day.
Salvia “Allen Chickering”
I see we have more native wildflower perennials in bloom. I see that the photos keep coming, no matter.
This one smells really nice – the fragrant leaves make a nice tea. The lavender flower whorls make this a Bay Area garden favorite. Not to mention that it’s deer resistant and attracts butterflies. This plant has everything. But wait! Don’t make your wildflower decisions yet! Did I mention it makes an herbal tea? I did? What was that, kid? I can’t hear you, speak up a bit. Hey! You kids! Get off my lawn!
Lupinus arboreus
I blogged this Northern California native wildflower recently (way back in May) but they’re still in bloom, so I am being forced to blog this again, now aren’t I? Someone must be at fault here.
Penstemon heterophylla “Margarita BOP”
This California native perennial is a low shrubby 2 foot border plant, with abundant bright blue flowers through spring and summer. Long-lived, hardy to 10°, prefers lots of sun and little water. Now that’s the kind of plant we like.
I wonder what a garden blogger would say about this plant? Barbara at Wild Suburbia has some beautiful wildflower pictures, including this particular penstemon variety.
Dudleya cymosa
This is one of the more attractive dudleyas we’re growing. Fat green leaves with bright red edges, and these spectacular bloom displays – as much for the red color of the bloom stalks as for the pale yellow flowers.
Dudleyas were named for famed Stanford forester (and botanist) William Russell Dudley.
I wonder if I’ll ever get a plant named after me?
Solanum umbelliferum
Kinda shrubby, but a small and airy shrub at that. Showy violet flowers are in full bloom and can keep going through summer and fall.
Soft.
This is a local native onion. And it’s a pretty annual bloomer, with clumps of grass-like leaves through the winter and spring. But I’d call it a deciduous bulb.
Allium unifolium
Lupinus arboreus
A northern Cal. native, so you know it’s good. This lovely plant will help renew depleted soils, and will survive in coastal sandy areas too. That’s a winning combo. Oh, and also the flowers, oh the flowers.
What a strange common name for a plant.
What a beautiful plant.
Dudleya attenuata, native to Southern Cal., but grows like it was meant to live in the Bay Area.
