Showing posts with label Beyond my Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beyond my Garden. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2015

Succulent Gardens

The Succulent Gardens located in 2133 Elkhorn Rd, Castroville, California is a remarkable destination for any gardener.  It functions as a nursery and demonstration center but it also boasts beautiful and mature succulent/cactus gardens.  I had the pleasure to take pictures and buy a few plants during our visit there earlier this year.  



 













Thursday, July 23, 2015

Ruth Bancroft Garden: A Garden of Austerity

Planted with water-wise plants, the Ruth Bancroft Garden exemplifies an austere garden.  It is not the typical lush and colorful garden where everything is provided and all challenges are eliminated to optimize the performance of plants. In this garden, the plants are those that can live on less water - it is not that they do not need more water but that they have a deeper tolerance to drought.

Here are pictures of some plants I saw:

1.  Prickly Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica)

2.  Agave peryii - starting to bloom

3.  Agave havardiana


4. Echinopsis huascha

4.  Probably a Stenocereus_eruca

5.  (Help me name this plant)

6.  (Help me name this plant)

Visit your local public gardens to expand your imagination.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Royal Poinciana Tree

Fig. 1   Royal Poinciana (picture taken at the Mauna Lani Bay)


Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
Family: Fabaceae
Adaptation: Tropical- sub-tropical regions
Common Names:  Flame Tree; Flamboyant Tree;
                          Peacock Flower; Gulmohar

One of the trees that caught my attention during my (and my daughter's) recent trip to Hawaii Island is the Royal Poinciana Tree.  It has a spreading habit which becomes more pronounced as the tree matures (Fig. 1).  In some cases the width of the canopy is greater than the height of the tree. Delicate fern-like leaves cover the arching canopy.  Once a year, the tree puts on a show of bright red-orange flowers that come in huge clusters.  At the peak of the blooming season the tree is covered with massive blossoms at which point the foliage becomes insignificant.


Fig. 2   Large pods hang beneath the canopy of Royal Poinciana

After the colorful show, some of the flowers develop into large pods - characteristic of the fabaceae family (Fig. 2) - which contain the seeds.  At this stage, the flamboyant inflorescence of the tree is taken-over by the interesting appearance of black pods that are supended under the canopy.


Fig. 3   'Royal Poinciana' in the tropics.

I have seen Royal Poinciana trees in the Philippines, Belize and even in the warmer coastal areas of California but I'm sure that I will never see it flourish in my own garden.  The winters here - although relatively mild - will not agree with the tropical requirements of this tree (Fig. 3).  However, I have read that its smaller cousin, the Dwarf Poinciana (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), can tolerate colder temperatures. Hence, I might still have hope. :)
Related Posts with Thumbnails