Christmas, it’s sooner than you think

5 weeks from today actually! Like you needed the reminder right? You’ve been seeing the cards, ornaments and décor in the stores since about September 20th…

I stopped at Marbotts Nursery a couple weeks ago; Christmas was about the furthest thing from my mind. So it was extra surprising when I stepped inside one of their greenhouses to find this...Aren’t they pretty? I found these "mellow" poinsettias so much more attractive than the ones we usually see. Their colors are subtle; they hint at the season, not scream it. Still I couldn't bring myself to buy one, not yet. Not until Friday November 29th. Then LOOK OUT...it's Christmas twenty-four/seven for me!

Plant shopping in November

I do a lot of dreaming about life in a warmer climate, but compared to many places (Denver, Spokane), I do have it pretty good here in Portland. After all it’s November 19th and we haven’t had a real frost yet, and last weekend I was out plant shopping.
The objective of the trip was to acquire more Yucca A. Purpurea. I’ve regretted only getting two of these unusual (and well priced, at $7.99) yuccas when I first saw them at Tsugawa back in August (picture above from that trip). Of course part of the joy of plant shopping is even when you have a goal in mind, there are distractions!

Like this dark Euphorbia Blackbird. Two have died on me in the past; maybe the third will be the charm? It will lend a little color and allure to our front steps…as long as its alive. (same plant, same place, same time...interesting change of colors in the photographs)The coloring on this Euphorbia Excalibur also grabbed me, and since it’s hardy to -20 F if I don’t get it in the ground before winter kicks in it will be fine. For now it’s tucked in the top of a bamboo stock tank (pot and all).
Another distraction was this Cockscomb Cryptomeria; I love Cockscomb flowers and didn’t know there is a whole tree with such fun shapes! This is an advantage to shopping with a gardening friend who has different taste; she’ll pull you into parts of the nursery you wouldn’t normally go and you might find treasures like this! I didn’t purchase one, but I’ve been thinking about it ever sense (this is usually a pretty strong indicator of a future purchase).
Thankfully they still had the Yucca A. Purpurea available …I got four!I was told the color range is because the greener ones were just brought over from the greenhouse, less sun = less color. They too are tucked in the bamboo tank for now…because I think I’ve decided where they’ll go (at least a couple of them, maybe not all of them), and it involves a project…a project called…

MOVING THE ACANTHUS
Yes, a project so ugly that deserves an all caps announcement. A smart person would have done this job last spring, when we planted Sammy and I had the area all cleared out. Even then I knew I should have been moving it. My sunniest best draining planting area does not need a huge bully of an Acanthus; it should be the land of Agaves, Yuccas and their friends. I am dreading this move…

Lotusland!

Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California…
Finally, I’m at Lotusland!!! I am a little nervous. They’re checking our credentials to make sure we’re worthy of touring without a docent. I’m trying to look cool. You know like I belong there, I don’t need to be “escorted”, when in reality I’m so geeked-out and eager to be on my way that I can hardly stand the waiting. Okay the word comes down…we pass! We are off, on our own…in paradise…

I am sure the docent tour would have been lovely, and I would have learned many things, but I needed to move at my speed. Even if you’re a member (as we are, thank god I was in-the-know on that one) your time in the garden is limited. We had just a little over 2.5 hours to see it all!

This was the original entrance that led to the Madame Walska’s home (I'm on the inside looking out)...
After entering the gate you travel down this fabulous drive with Agave attenuata flanking the road on both sides.
Look at the size of the trunk!
The Cycad garden was incredible…
Encephalartos Ferox
Encephalartos gratus
Encephalartos horridus Macrozamia communis
There were so many beautiful Bromeliads! Seeing them in this environment certainly helped me to understand the lighting conditions that they thrive in.
Look another Vriesea imperialis!
Vriesea fosteriana
Dunno...but I love it...
King palm
I love the criss-cross pattern of the foliage on this palm
Aeoniums The “famous” Oyster fountain
Aloe marlothii
Close up of Aloe marlothii Aloe plicatilis Fan Aloe
The Lotus pond
And the Lotus pond bog gardens, on either side of the benches Wow…Agave bracteosa… Agave bracteosa, close up. This is the biggest one that I’ve seen “in real life,” Isn’t it graceful?
Agave gypsophila… so curvy! I need one! (I know…I need them all!) Isn’t it sexy? Agave victoria-reginae…seeing this one it dawned on me that I didn’t yet have one of these in my collection (problem solved thanks to online shopping)
Agaves in the distance...
Crown of Thorns
My fondness for Barrel Cactus is growing. These are spectacular! Euphorbia ingens Weeping Form, near the former home of Ganna Walska. Euphorbia ingens close up Aeonium Schwarzkopf and the tiled parking area in front of the home. Something I’m sure I would have learned from the docent but I found on their website…”Santa Barbara receives only about 16 inches of rain a year, so you may be impressed -- or perhaps startled -- by the vast amounts of water required to keep the garden going. Luckily the property has its own well. What's more, as the country's only sustainable ornamental garden, Lotusland no longer relies on chemical fertilizers or herbicides.” Go Lotusland!

Dragon tree or Dracaena draco
Wow.
Also from their website…” Walska didn't always seek out plants in remote locales. Ms. Wolf explained how Walska created her Dragon Tree forest by driving around the neighborhood. "When she found a good specimen, she had her chauffeur knock on the front door and offer the owner some money. If someone didn't want to sell, she usually had a case of champagne delivered and that changed their minds." I like her style!

Behind the home, look at those Banana!
And the Moorish pond with its long tiled rill
The Neptune fountain
The smell walking along under the lemons was intoxicating!
The Dunlap Cactus Collection - From a sign near the entrance we learned this is the Dunlap Cactus Collection of Merritt Sigsbee Dunlap, friend of fellow cactus enthusiast Ganna Walska. His collection, including 530 specimens representing over 300 different kinds of cacti and 40% of them grown from seed, was gathered over a 70-year period and donated to Lotusland in 1999.

Birds Nest Fern (we've left the Dunlap Cactus Collection)

Tree fern and Alocasia odora
And our time in the garden draws to an end. Oh and I finally bought something!
Having seen the stunning Agave bracteosa at Lotusland I was in love. They were selling a good sized pup for $7, so naturally I had to have it. Of course I completely forgot that my parents bought me one at Cistus just a month ago. Perhaps I’ll plant one in the ground and keep one in a pot and see how they perform. And my big score…they had an Encephalartos horridus! It’s small but I am so happy to have it!
I was so impressed by Santa Barbara; it seemed a gardener’s paradise. I asked the lady in the gift shop if she was a gardener. She was, and completely agreed that she was living in plant-heaven. Turns out she grew up across the street from Lotusland, on the other side of the “pink wall” she said that her brothers used to dare each other to climb over the wall and into the gardens, back when Madame was still living.

Ok I must say I was disappointed when I started going through my Lotusland pictures, I didn’t have nearly the fabulous photos that I thought I would. I think somewhere along the line I forgot what I was seeing with my eyes was not magically being recorded by my camera, plus it was a beautiful sunny day, the kind of day that creates harsh shadows and makes macro garden “big picture” photography a very tricky thing. I don’t feel I fully captured the beauty in the garden. You just need to go see it for yourself!

Cactus Jungle

Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California…
After spending several hours ogling plants at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens I was ready to visit a local nursery and buy buy buy! Cactus Jungle was my destination.
It didn’t quiet turn out the way I had hoped (I didn’t buy a single thing). But it was a great nursery to visit and took me to a part of town I wouldn’t have otherwise gone to, where I discovered a CB2 and a Crate & Barrel outlet store. Cactus Jungle targets the Bay Area shopper and prides themselves on their locally grown plants. Makes sense…if you can grow these beauties in your own back yard why would you want to bring them in from elsewhere?
Many of their plants are already potted up in terra cotta pots, which for me is not a plus. I fear it adds to the cost, definitely adds to the traveling weight, and results in waste because I don’t really care for the look (so they would have to be repotted anyway). But, I bet it’s a huge positive for most of their customers. After all terra cotta is one of the best container materials for agaves because it’s virtually impossible to over water anything in a clay pot. Another bonus, since they are already potted their customer doesn’t have to go home and risk poking an eye out, or breaking of a sculptural leaf, replanting something.

Agave americana
Everything was very healthy and large, in fact that was another reason why I didn’t purchase. Most everything I considered purchasing was too big to haul around with us for the rest of our vacation, since we were only 5 days into the 14 day adventure. If we had been headed straight back to Portland after Berkeley I would have definitely bought a couple things. Madagascar Palm
Now that I’m looking at these pictures I am wondering how I passed on this beautiful specimen? (Agave scabra ??)
When I enquired as to the hardiness of a particular agave I was told all their agaves are good to 25 degrees, except the tropical Agave attenuata which needs to be protected in the 30’s. I’d never heard the attenuata referred to as tropical but it makes sense.
Since getting home from vacation and looking them up on line I’ve discovered they have a lively blog which covers everything from a story on the agaves at Alcatraz to a post about danger garden and the discarded lobby plant (Cactus Jungle is where I saw the Vriesea imperialis that helped me identify mine), plus they frequently update it and answer people’s questions. Looks like it could be a great agave knowledge resource!

Cyphostemma juttae
Right across the street from the nursery was this huge Philodendron bipinnatifidum (at least I think that's what it is...)
While shopping at CB2 and the Crate & Barrel Outlet I noticed these amazing violet flowers on a vine, I have no idea what they are but they are beautiful. Bougainvillea… And these Leucadendron, a favorite cut flower of mine and here they are growing in street-side planters. On the way back to our hotel we stopped for gas. And WOW! Growing right there by the gas station was a Callistemon tree! Not a shrub but a whole row of big beautiful trees! I love Berkeley.

But I hate Dusty Miller

Driving home on a grey rainy evening, stopped at a traffic light, I noticed these fantastic bright little plants. Wow. Such perfect light texture, just what a fall/winter garden needs, then I realized what it was I was admiring. Dusty Miller! But I HATE Dusty Miller. HATE!

Not just a little, but for a lifetime. When I bought my first house there were 4 things I had to do immediately. Rip up the carpet, tear down the lattice work next to the carport, take down the white plastic (fake) shutters and rip out the dusty miller. Not necessarily in that order.

Yet here I was admiring it and actually thinking about it in my garden. Yikes. Obviously this is something to ponder, no need to act rash.

What about you? Are there plants you used to run from that are now working their way into your heart?

Bloomday, November 15th

The most interesting bloom I’ve seen this bloomday isn’t in my garden, it’s in my dry cleaners parking lot. Yucca blooming in November? In Portland Oregon? What’s up with that? My Yucca and most of the others around town bloomed in July. Crazy! As for what’s blooming my garden the pickings are getting very slim…

The yellow Abutilon is still adding much needed sun to a corner of the garden. This was an impulse purchase last spring, and once I got it home I realized I didn’t have a place it. It started from a tiny 2.25” pot and has done pretty good in it’s less than ideal location. The real test lies ahead with the winter months.

I’m almost ready to cut this Eucomis and bring it inside so we can enjoy it, since we aren’t spending much time outside now.

And the Sea Oats dry so nicely I should do the same with them.

Fatsia Japonica getting all crazy…I love this plant. I really should get another one.

The Cannas seem too tired to actually open their blooms; the motivating sun hasn’t been seen much lately.

Still enjoying the blooms on this mystery grass which just appeared this summer.

A single bright Fuchsia bloom. Don’t know why I ended up with this plant, it’s so not me.

An inherited (from previous owners) Pieris japonica is getting ready to bloom; looks like it will be a prolific year.

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what else is blooming around the world November 15th…

Vintage Hawaiian Fun

I’m generally against recycling content that has already been posted on another blog but these vintage 50’s postcards are so fabulous that I had to share!I first saw them on Paradis Express, a blog out of France. If you’ve never visited it is worth checking out, amazing inspiration from around the globe available in one location. The original post on Paradis Express linked to hundreds of vintage postcards (mainly travel) in this flickr photostream.Both postcards are from the Haleakala National Park in Hawaii. The featured plant is a Silversword, which I had never heard of but Wikipedia has helped to educate me, and you too if you click here. The next 2 photos are from the Wikipedia page, I hope they don’t mind me borrowing them. They were just too fabulous not to share! I really need to visit Hawaii!

Berkeley Botanical Gardens, Part 2

Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California… The day we visited the gardens was the day after a huge storm swept through the area. We were so lucky! The sky cleared and it was a beautiful day, due to the rainfall everything smelled so fresh and wonderful. It was just perfect. Evidently it was a perfect day for the areas termite population too, as they were out in mass and, well, mating. It was remarkable. We noticed them “in pairs” on the rocks and pavers and small swarms in the air. Several landed on us, most of the time leaving their wings behind, stuck to our clothing. I did a little research and found this online: “The big event of the year is of course the mating flight of reproductives, which seems to happen simultaneously for all members of a species in an area. Immediately after the flight is over, they break off their wings and then proceed in bonded pairs to dig out their first subterranean home.” Freaky.
Starting up roughly where I left off yesterday…

Love this name! Pingo-Pingo Ephedra andina…the 'Pingo’ is the ground cover-ish plant in the back ground. Unfortunately I am not sure what the dramatic plant in the foreground is, no label.
Euphorbia broussonetii from the Canary Islands Puya and their dying blooms. Puya are part of the Bromeliaceae family, along with Dyckia, Vriesea, Tillandsia, Hechtia, and others. Sea-urchin Cactus Echinopsis chiloensis Erythrina falcate, we wondered if the holes were part of the tree or some sort of insect damage. They seemed far to patterned. I found someone online who attributed them to Woodpeckers. Erica longifolia or Long-Leaved Heath
Cussonia paniculata
Cussonia spicata from SW Africa
Cussonia spicata again, these are dormant terminal growth buds. Aloe mitriformis - Purple Crown from South Africa Aloe spiral close up (sexy!) Aloe rivae, from Ethiopia
Aloe rivae close up There were so many lizards! SF Botanical Gardens were alive with squirrels, Berkeley Botanical Gardens were alive with lizards, and they were just as tame as the squirrels!
Okay this is it, my new favorite must have aloe...Aloe capitata var. quartziticola. Look at this aloe! I almost considered ripping one out of the ground and just running for the car. Isn’t it HOT!? If I had any idea how completely unavailable it would be online (I’ve since looked and looked…) I might have just done it.
Close up…(beautiful!) Aloe plicatilis Fan Aloe
Agave parryi var. huachucensis, from Arizona, so dramatic! I had to include another picture All the label said was ‘Agave sp. Mexico’ Another photo, isn’t it beautiful? I want to know what it is! Love the angles on this (also unknown) agaveAgave ovatifolia from Mexico
Don’t they look like they're lined up and gossiping?
Cyphostemma juttae from. South Africa There was an Agave that had bloomed and was dying, I love that they left it in place so people could see the stages of death Pachypodium lamerei in the greenhouse
Agave Americana ‘Mediopicta Alba’ ? Outside the greenhouse and near the ‘sales area' (yes there is a sales area!) in the entry plaza...If I lived in the area I would be there every week to see what was for sale. As it was there was nothing available during our visit that temped me. I did enjoy seeing these Yucca Blueboy, they reminded me of the Yucca A. Purpurea that I bought in Washington at Tsugawa. Perhaps I need to get a couple more!
Well, that's the end of this tour of the Berkeley Botanical Gardens. I whole-heartedly recommend a visit if you are in the area, I cannot imagine that you would be disappointed.

Berkeley Botanical Gardens, Part 1

Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California…
The Berkeley Botanical Gardens are amazing. Seriously amazing. I took over 400 pictures, I’m not kidding! Of course they all weren’t keepers but it was a job to edit them down to “blog-able” quantity. I’ll try to do the gardens justice in the next 2 days.
The gardens were established in 1890 and currently have over 13,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world. The collection is planted in naturalistic landscapes covering 34 acres. The plantings are grouped primarily by geographic origin; nine regions (and several special collections) are represented: Mediterranean, Asia, Southern Africa, New World Desert, South America, Australasia, Mexico/Central America, Eastern North America, and California. Here is a map if you want to know more about the layout. Unfortunately the tour I am taking you on is a hodgepodge of my favorites, heavy on the Agaves and in no particular order other than the counterclockwise path we took from the entrance.

Right near the entry were these Encephalartos. So far as I can remember this is the first time I’ve seen this plant and I was instantly in love. Put this on my must have list…never mind that they are only hardy to Zone 9 (a zone warmer than mine).
Encephalartos arenarius (above and below). Like all Encephalartos, this is an African native, this one from S Africa. Like all cycads, it is a dioecious plant (separate male and female plants).
Encephalartos eugene-maraisii (male)
Encephalartos horridus
Agave macrantha
Agave macroculmis
Agave pacifica Agave parryi (so said the label, I am not used to seeing the leaves flare out like these do...which reminds me, to remind you ,that I'm doing my very best to get these names correct, if anyone sees something I've got wrong please let me know so I can correct it!)
Look at all of those pups! And what lucky gardener is going to clean the needles? They must have a special blower/vacuum just for this!
Agave sobria ssp. Roseana
Agave ferdinandi-regis, this plant is considered to be a form of Agave victoriae-reginae with a more open rosette and fewer and larger leaves (so says the San Marcos growers website)This is how they dealt with an agave that was projecting it's spike into the path, ouch!
Nolina Beldingii It was hard to tell if this was a recent accident or it had been like this for a while. And what caused it? Nolina CF. beldingii, I so wanted to cut off one of these squiggly leaves and take it home with me! (don't worry, I didn't - that would be wrong)
Beschorneria albiflora Sonoran palm Sabal Uresana
Equisetum hyemale relative in the tropical house. They were also growing outside along the building, like they had escaped! Below, fronds of Rock Palm Brahea decumbens, I loved it pared with the berries, beautiful! Mexican Grass Tree Dasylirion longissimum Mexican Grass Tree Dasylirion quadrangulatum and Nolina nelsoni I neglected to get the name of the tree, but I loved the cones… Agave wercklei
Don't know what this one is...but I love it!This beautiful agave was growing in the “off-limits” area. The bloom spike on this agave got to heavy and fell over, it didn’t seem to slow it down any.
Crassula tetragoma
Echium decaisnei Echium lusitanicum If you look really close you can see the golden gate bridge in the distance. Or at least I can see it because I know it was there, you might have to use a little imagination. Well, you made it to the end of Part 1! Tomorrow is Part 2…including my new favorite (must have) Aloe…

Instant Gratification from Plant Delights Nursery

Meet my new garden additions, ‘Chocolate Chips’ and ‘Porcupine’…

Last month Pam from ‘Digging’ included a photo of Manfreda undulata 'Chocolate Chips' in a post on an Austin garden tour. WOW, instant plant lust! I knew this would be the next Manfreda added to my growing collection, if I ever found it. Later Nicole from ‘A Caribbean Garden’ commented on the same post, including a link to the very plant on Plant Delights website, it was just too easy! It was mine within the night.

Mail-ordering plants is not typically for me. Wandering the nursery isles, touching the leaves, smelling the flowers, comparing the plants and making sure I’m getting the best one for me…that’s what plant shopping is all about. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking at catalogues and websites, gathering information and getting inspiration, but when it comes time to hand over cash for a plant I’m an “in-person” shopper.

That said, occasionally I come across a “must-have” plant that isn’t readily available here in Portland. When this happens being able to turn to a website, or catalogue, is wonderful, and…instant gratification!
As much as I’ve enjoyed pouring over the Plant Delights catalogue in the past I’ve never ordered anything. Now that I have I can say they make ordering easy and the follow up communication from the nursery staff is excellent. They do have a minimum order and the single ‘Chocolate Chips’ was not cutting it, so I had to add another plant (darn). Just recently I realized I was without an Agave victoriae-reginae so I quickly clicked on that and my order was complete.
I was curious about what condition the Manfreda would be in when it arrived. All Manfreda share the common trait of very brittle, easily broken leaves. How could they ship this plant and have it arrive looking good? How big would it be? Would it look anything like the picture? I was pleasantly surprised! 'Chocolate Chips' arrived with a few broken leaves but all-in-all much better than I feared. It’s good sized and has great color. Nicely done!
I was a little disappointed in the small size of the Agave victoriae-reginae 'Porcupine' but it certainly looks healthy. I think come spring it will go in the ground since it is reportedly hardy to zone 7b. Uhm….maybe this online shopping thing could become addictive, especially in the winter months when the pickings can be slim at our local nurseries.