danger garden: Lotusland

Friday, March 22, 2024

Ferns and bromeliads at Lotusland

On Monday I shared photos of the spiky plants at Lotusland (as seen during my November 2023 visit), today we'll have a look at the ferns and bromeliads...

My entire visit that day was limited to just two hours and I hadn't earmarked the fern garden as a "must see". Thank goodness I ended up with a few extra minutes and was able to dash thru this special—but frequently overlooked—part of the garden.

I don't recall seeing this palm (?) trunk used as a mount for staghorn ferns on my previous visits.

I love it!

More tree ferns, perhaps Sphaeropteris cooperi, synonym Cyathea cooperi?

Pyrrosia lingua I believe.

Looks like something that would be called a bird's nest fern, but it's definitely not a Asplenium nidus.

I wonder what the weight of one of those hanging staghorns is?

Here's a small one just getting started. You can kind of make out the cage holding the plants together.

This part of the garden would be nothing without the huge old trees to support the epiphytic ferns. One of them came down with the heavy rains earlier this year. I believe they were able to rescue the fern however.

Niphidium crassifolium

We've moved to the bromeliads now.

I think this may have been the first time I've walked this part of Lotusland without extreme shadows. The high filtered light was lovely.

I can't give you names of these plants, just think of it as a dreamy photo essay...

Oh! This one I know, or at least I suspect. It's got to be a pyrrosia but I don't know what species has such ultra-thin leaves.

Check out that variegated fruit!

Thanks Lotusland, you're always a special place to visit.

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Monday, March 18, 2024

Agaves, aloes, cactus and euphorbia at Lotusland

A friend recently visited Lotusland and shared a few photos on Facebook, that got me to thinking about the fact I hadn't finished coverage of my November '23 visit. Today's post is a plant-centric one looking at agaves, aloes, cactus and euphorbia around the garden. First up some magnificent Agave victoriae-reginae.

Aren't they just perfection?

I think these are Aloe dorotheae, then again it's kind of laughable that I would even attempt to ID an aloe, my knowledge of the genus is paper thin.

I do know an entire garden area devoted to them ends up looking rather other-worldly.

Agave bracteosa

There are a few Agave gypsophila at the bottom of the photo, and that tall cactus on the right is actually a euphorbia.

Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata'

Euphorbia polygona (I believe)

On the other side of the driveway are the cactus. So many cactus.

Closer to the house (now offices).

I love the golden barrels.

I started to type "even better when they're under a Dracaena draco" (dragon tree) but then realized no, I like the ones against the house better. These two shapes aren't complementary to my eyes.

There is an entire section of the garden devoted to cactus, that's where these next five photos were taken.

Opuntia galapageia var. profusa

Cutest short opuntia tree!

Cutest tall opuntia tree (Opunita galapageia var. galapageia)

I didn't get the name of this one, but it's the cutest droopy opuntia tree.

Agave franzosinii

These could also be A. franzosinii, but I'm not sure.

Blooming Agave franzosinii.

The entrance to the blue garden.

I don't remember this small cactus garden from other visits. Perhaps it's new?

Or maybe I've been in such a hurry to get to the bromeliads that I missed it (the bromeliads and ferns are my last remaining Lotusland '23 post).

The Agave attenuata lining the drive are usually one of the first things I see at Lotusland, but for this visit I entered the garden from a different pathway so I saw them as I was leaving.

And this big boy was outside the wall.