Friday, July 27, 2012

Huntington Garden Fridays, chapter 4 (the end)


In the interest of a little showmanship I should have switched the order of these posts around so I could end with last week’s installment, since was definitely the most inspiring. As it is I’m afraid this final chapter might be a bit of a letdown.

Let me set the scene…our group had just finished the long journey through the Desert Garden when we realized the Huntington closed a full hour earlier than we thought. Suddenly our leisurely stroll took on a bit of a hustle, as the others wanted to see a few of the museum exhibits and I dutifully joined in, that is until my husband looked at me and asked what the heck I was doing. Did I really want to be inside not outside in the garden? That’s all the encouragement I needed and I shot back out into the garden with almost an hour left to explore. On our previous visit we barely touched on the Australian Garden so that was my destination, via the Palm and Jungle Gardens.

This palm takes my breath away every time I see it…Bismarckia nobilis

So many palms, so little time…

If I could grow this I would definitely have to plant it so the undersides of the leaves were as visible as the front.

Cycads...

So many bromeliads!

Okay onward to the Australian Garden and this Eucalyptus macrocarpa (Mottlecah), which was glowing from the distance as I approached.

Adenanthos cunninghamii (Albany Wollybush)…

This part of the Huntington lacks the breathtaking display factor that makes the Desert Garden so amazing. There are cool plants, but they are sparsely planted. This, plus the fact that I was now on my own, allowed for cataloguing of plant names. Grevillea ‘Superb’ … (and it was)

Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'Scarlet Sprite'

Grevillea robusta ‘Silky Oak’…it’s a tree! A huge tree…

Anigozanthos flavidus (Kangaroo Paw)

Banksia littoralis (shrub form – Swamp Banksia)

Melaleuca pritzelii

I thought this image was of Leptospermum petersonii but doing a little internet research has led me to think maybe I’m wrong. None of the pictures I could find of L. petersonii showed these great seed pods, just a silly white flower. (update 7.31.12 looks like this may be a Eucalyptus caesia, thanks Auroraaa!)

Also didn’t catch the name on this Callistemon…

Banksia marginata (shrub form – Silver Banksia)

Kigelia Africana (Sausage Tree), and you’re right…not from Australia! Can you see the “sausage?”…

Acacia aneura (Mulga Tree)

Acacia craspedocarpa (Broad-leaved Mulga)

Another Callistemon…

And a few landscape shots of the wonderful trees…

These next photos surprised me; at least my taste is consistent even though I don’t remember things! I LOVED this Bocconia arborea and took a lot of photos.

Just a couple of weeks later (and having forgotten all about the Bocconia arborea) I bought this Bocconia frutescens at Dragonfly Nursery…they are both in the Poppy family and the leaves are very similar!

More images of the Bocconia arborea (which is from Mexico, I must have wandered out of the Australian Garden)…

Right after snapping that last photo I was told by a passing volunteer (for the second time) that the garden was closing and I needed to make my way to the exit. Darn. I’ll be back though…still so much to explore!

Other Huntington Visit posts…chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3

37 comments:

  1. Nice pictures.
    If I had a dime for every time I've been kicked out of a garden or greenhouse at closing time...

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    1. I always feel horrible at the ones who don't tell you it's past closing and just let you wander around longer.

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  2. Just chiming in to say that this installation was. It a letdown at all. So much whoaing and wowing from over here!

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  3. LOVE LOVE LOVE! the palm gardens there look superb! I am so with you on the bismarkia. It has to be one of the most beautiful palms ever!!! The blue of that one is the reason why I am lusting after brahea armata so much. It's the closest thing to the bismarkia and borderline hardy for us in the PNW (they just hate our wet winters ... like most plants I seem to like). Did you see many nice arcontophoenix alexandrae? I think that they are one of the most beautiful palms for SoCal.

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    1. I have to admit that I'm not very palm knowledgeable, I must have seen several lovely Arcontophoenix alexandrae but I don't remember! I think one of the things I really appreciate about the Bismarkia is that it looks good even when it's small...so many palms look awkward until they are large.

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  4. Not a letdown at all! The images of Bismarkia nobilis alone made my day! Beautiful! They said Californie is the place you otta be so they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly. Hills that is.

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    1. If only I could afford Beverly. Hills that is.

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  5. Wow...who knew Grevilleas could grow into trees!

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  6. Could that possibly be a Red Cascade Callistemon?

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    1. Good call...I think it could!

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    2. After scouring the web for one, we found one at our local awesome garden center last week, and put it on hold. We have to pick up by Wednesday! I had no idea they had them... but it's from Monrovia so I'm beyond the moon!

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  7. There are some nice ones here, but I agree overall doesn't have the impact of the previous post. Still, if you hadn't posted this I wouldn't have found out about Bocconia arborea -- love the leaf shape!

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    1. It's a beauty for sure! Are you going to try and hunt one down?

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  8. Enjoyed the tour and now that I'm a gardener I need to go back to Huntington Gardens.

    Had no idea the Bismarckia was the object of so much plant lust. Now I understand your comment on my post!

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    1. It's such a stunner! No doubt people have been stopping to stare at yours.

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  9. I was fortunate to visit Australia in 2000 and 2001 and I fell in love with so many of their unusual and interesting plants. Absolutely love that Grevillea ‘Superb’

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    1. Australia is definitely on my wish list of places to visit, how lucky you are to have been!

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  10. Maybe because this part of the garden is less landscaped, I always have an easier time envisioning these plants in my garden. The melaleuca nesophila was blooming last time I was there, and now I want one for my garden!

    Your pictures are beautiful, as always!

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    1. Good point, it could be a little overwhelming to imagine trying to recreate sections of the Desert Garden at home.

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  11. Oh, this was not a let-down at all for me! I loved looking at so many new plants. That blue Bismarckia is pretty cool. I just loved the Eucalyptus flowers and the Grevillea flowers and that weeping Callistemon. I'm so sad that our shared trip to the Huntington via your blog is now over...

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    1. Me too...it was fun to relive the visit while I edited down my photos!

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  12. Are palms the gateway drug for cacti-yuccas-sotols-agaves, or is it the other way around? This post has me questioning.

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    1. Interesting question...I have to say my cacti-yuccas-sotols-agaves crush came way before I purchased my first palm...

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  13. What a gorgeous tour and such outstanding plants! Wish it were my back yard.

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    1. Oh gosh...me too! Great established plants as well as plenty of space for more plantings!

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  14. super cool!!!.....I wish to know the name of that wavy plant that looks like a relative of the elephant ear with red veins!!! I WANT ONE!!!!

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    1. Sharon I believe it is a Philodendron but I have no idea which one...

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  15. No letdown at all! I'm a fan of Australian plants and can always look at them happily. Maybe the open placement is meant to replicate more typical distribution Down Under, or maybe the plantings are just newer and haven't filled in as much as the Desert Garden.

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    1. I think you're right with the "typical distribution" theory. Although there is a lot of empty space that looks like it intends to be planted someday.

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  16. Great minds are thinking alike. I am also showing some palms and loving on the Bismarckii.

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  17. A very enjoyable tour of your blog... The picture of "Leptospermum petersonii" looks like Eucalyptus caesia seed pods - see here:
    http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/WhatsInBloom/dec06/Page5.html
    and also here:
    http://www.eukalypt.org/euc_tertiary_pages/E.caesia%20subsp.%20magna/ecaesia.htm

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