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. 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.