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

A proud Schefflera parent am I…

There is joy in any new plant acquisition. There is the happy discovery of a new-to-you plant, the bargain impulse buy that you may regret later but you’re too caught up the moment to care…and then there are the ones you’ve been dreaming of and/or planning for awhile…

Yes…I am the proud owner of this Schefflera delavayi from Cistus Nursery…

I can’t stop grinning…

I keep having to stop what I’m doing and go look at it.

Here’s what the nursery has to say about it…“In our never ending search for garden hardy evergreen Schefflera relatives, here's one that's actually a Schefflera. This Himalayan species grows eventually to 6 or 8 ft and can have leaves in excess of 2 ft with an exquisite tawny indumentum. So far has proven hardier than even Fatsia to a low USDA zone 7!! Dappled shade is best with even moisture.”

**sigh**

While I was tempted to bring it into the house and put where I could look at it when I woke up during the night I did not. That would mean I’m a freak. I mean a girl has to draw the line somewhere…

Yes, you can grow Cactus in Portland (and many other places)…

I’ve had many conversations with passersby about the fact that yes indeed you can grow Opuntia in Portland and have them live through the winter. In fact Cactus are native to every American state except Vermont and Maine (according to swcoloradowildflowers.com). Here is Opuntia humifusa continuing to bloom it's heart out in my garden...

To help support this notion of successfully growing Cactus (for anyone still hesitating) I set out on a little Opuntia recording expedition. It wasn’t my goal to revisit those gardens where we know Prickly Pear are growing, like this one, this one and this one. But rather to find new gardens where they were planted in amongst other plants, in more eclectic garden styles. Where they are being treated as a special feature, in a container, and left out in the elements over winter and surviving just fine…or where you can see a gardener that is “spiky-curious” but not quite ready to make the complete leap over to the spiky side. This is my not-at-all scientific record of Opuntia growing in Northeast, and a bit of North, Portland in July of 2012…

This is the first Prickly Pear I remember seeing upon moving to our house the summer of 2005, I used to drive buy it every day on my way to work. I don’t know if they are constantly trimming it back, or if it’s stunted because it’s growing in a small container.

Just a couple of houses away is this specimen.

In a jail of sorts on a front porch.

This next entry is one that has me wondering why they chose Opuntia…is it a threat? (note the security sign oh so close to the dangerous plants)

Are they just getting started on what will become a thicket of Prickly Pear?

I have photographed this planting before. I love its hedge-like style…

They’ve also got some planted in their hell-strip, along with another favorite of mine…Phormium.

Just down the street (neighbors do have a way of influencing each other don’t they?) are these…

I love the fleshy green pads snuggled up next to the hairy rough Trachycarpus trunk…

This one is growing up against what must be an apartment building…

They’ve got a couple in their hell strip too…(long with a healthy collection of weeds)

Just down the street…

Look at those bumps!

I wish I knew which Opuntia this is…

Here Opuntia act as a buffer between the river rock, boulders, and bark chunks.

And here they cozy up against the house, peeking out just enough to be seen.

These are the mother plants of my first Opuntia (shown in the photo at the very top of this post), these have come a long way since first pictured on my blog back in April of 2009. Because of this generous neighbor I’ve propagated pads to pass on to friends and family, as well as a healthy supply for my own garden.

I think every stucco house needs to have a few Prickly Pears out front…

Don’t you?

So colorful with yellow and orange flowers along with the purple fruit! (and of course the bright house color too)...

These floriferous pads are planted behind a border of boxwood (proving you can successfully mix your garden styles) in the garden of our friend Michelle...

These Opuntia humifusa are growing in the garden of my plant lust cohort Patricia…

And I believe these are the pads she discovered broken apart and left on the sidewalk last winter. That’s another great thing about these plants they’re tough! Even when stupid people mistreat them they keep on looking good!

As evidenced by this blooming remnant in my other plant lust partner, Megan’s garden. Some idiot pulled her Opuntia humifusa from the ground and tore it to bits. Didn’t seem to faze them one bit……

Finally I need to share the latest addition to my collection: Opuntia x rutila...look at those spines!

Isn't it a beauty? I picked it up at Cistus yesterday! Here's the full story from the tag: "This so far unnamed hybrid was an early Colorado Plateau collection by plantsman Claude Barr. Stout orange-red and black spines mark pads roughly 3" long, the elongation suggesting parentage by O. polycantha and O. fragilis. Mid spring, yellow flowers fade to apricot. Wonderful for small rock gardens with the usual cactus conditions -- sun, lean and well-drained soil, and little or no summer water. Frost hardy in USDA zone 4."

Are you growing Opuntia yet? If not...why not? Wanna try? Leave a comment and I'll send a pad or two (propagated from the "neighbor plant") to a random winner (in the Continental United States, sorry Louis), last day to comment to be included is Friday the 27th, I'll draw the winner over the weekend. Fun!

**Sunday the 29th, update!!! Random winner chosen by assigning numbers 24-33 to the entrants and asking disinterested husband to pick one, he chose #25 which was Alison, congrats and thank you everyone!**