Thursday, September 24, 2020

Let’s drop by the Huntington; plants on plants

Hey, look at that, we're back at the Huntington Garden in San Marino, CA...

One of the first blog posts from my December 2019 visit to the garden was about jungle cactus growing in and on other plants, such as an opuntia, and a low branching tree (here). This post continues the theme of plants growing on other plants. Look closely at that bleached bare stump behind the tall white cactus in the center of the photo...

That one there...

Did you already spot that cute little ball cactus perched on top of a branch? Seed grown I wonder, perhaps "planted" by a bird? Or a plant placed there by a gardener?

Next up we have a palm...

At first glance there is nothing remarkable about the palm's trunk, but look closer. See anything?

The Kalanchoe are what I first spotted but there's another ball cactus and a small columnar some-something too. I absolutely love this.

Our third installment isn't technically plants on plants so much as it's plants on a rock, well, unless you consider the moss, which I suppose I am, so plants on moss!

This one I'd believe happened naturally, but the fact there's both an opuntia and an agave makes me think there was a human hand at work here.

The name of this series "let's drop by the Huntington" was inspired by a fantasy of living close enough that I could stop by and wander the pathways any old time the mood struck. I can't help but think there are more of these "plants on plants" out there to be discovered, if only I were able to visit more often and hunt for them...

Weather Diary, Sept 23: Hi 67, Low 60/ Precip .74" (seriously) 

All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

8 comments:

  1. This post has a really fun theme. I wonder if you'll apply "a human hand" to encourage it in your garden. After all, you do have a palm tree, right?

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    1. My palm doesn't have the great pockets provided by the large leaf bases that this one has, and epiphytes (or small succulents) aren't typically hardy in our winder temps, but I'm trying!

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  2. I'd guess there were human hands involved in the planting here but then anything is possible. There's an Opuntia growing in the crevice of a tall deciduous tree in my "neighborhood" botanic garden. You can pick it out relatively easily when the tree is leaf-less but it's hard to see when the foliage fills out.

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    1. Opuntia are famous for this behavior, and I love them for that.

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  3. I often perch plant divisions up on something to remember to carry them elsewhere, and then forget.

    I miss the Huntington--hope to get back there AECV (After Effective Covid-19 Vaccine).

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  4. Always a pleasure to peruse the gardens at the Huntington. I esp. love their cactus garden.

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