These are Mexican Evening Primrose. I planted the seeds last year in my mom’s flower garden. And they finally starting to bloom this summer.

Since it took so long to bloom, I had thought the seeds were dud and I got weeds instead. Especially since the plant just kept on growing leaves for most of the year.

During the spring, I had wanted to pull the whole thing out because I didn’t see any flowers. And I also wanted to make room to grow other flowers too. But I’m glad I didn’t. The Mexican Evening Primrose are especially nice late in the evening when the breeze comes by and it starts to sway.

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This is an update on one of my flowering succulents. 

I had mistaken them as vygies, when they are really a part of the ice plant family. The correct names are Baby Sun Rose or aptenia. Scientific name: Aptenia cordifolia.

This year I had to cut them back because it was growing too fast.

This variety with red flowers has become widely used as an ornamental plants. They are used as popular ground cover in really hot places such as Arizona. I sometimes see aptenia used as ground covers or grown around city sidewalks.

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I’ve always wanted to grow Cypress Vines (also called Star Glory) and was really happy to find the seed packets for sale.

I know some people can’t stand any type of vines and think they are messy to grow and get rid of. But I am some of the few folks that love climbing flowering vines, from morning glories to clematis.

These tiny red star shaped blooms are a nice contrast to the green fern like leaves.  Unlike morning glory, the bright flowers stay open all day long. Photo from Missouri Plants.

When I see photos of Cypress Vines and morning glories, I always think of my father.  Like myself, he also loved to grow flowering vines.

My father had grown Cypress Vines in the entrance of our tropical childhood home in Thailand. Every time I left or entered the front door, I felt like the plants were greeting me. The leaves were very soft to touch and looked very green and fuzzy.  Actually more feathery. And the bright red star shaped flowers were so cheerful.

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Clematis are some of the most beautiful climbing vines. The name clematis comes from the Greek word “klema” meaning “climbing”. There are over 400 varieties of clematis in the world.

Clematis are natural climbers, so it’s best to grow them along fences, trellis, arbors, or even with a nearby shrub.

In the botany world, the colorful flowers are actually not petals, but sepals of the plant. In other plants, sepals are normally green and much smaller then the petals.

This one is called “John Paul II”.  The buds are very pretty, they look almost like lily blossom.  And the white flowers (sepal) look like fabric.

And this is the “Ariake” clematis from Japan. Such a delicate looking flower.

This down facing clematis is “Blue Boy”.  Also another delicate variety found growing in Japan.  It looks like a pretty parasol.  The buds are also very pretty.

This is the “Dr. Rupel” found growing in Argentina. It is another one of my favorite clematis. The pink ribbon like strips almost look like they’ve been painted in by someone. This one is similar to the “Nelly Moser” variety that is also very popular.

Note: These beautiful collection of clematis photos are by Tsuyoshi Isojima of Hiroshima, Japan. Of all the varieties of clematis, they are some of my favorites.

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Carolina Allspice is a new plant I just discovered and would love to have in the garden. It’s a fragrant flowering shrub with dense leaves and suckers that can grow up to 9 feet tall. It is native to the woodlands of the south eastern United States. Including Virginia, Missippi, and Florida.

Here is a photo of the pretty blooming Carolina Allspice.  It has dark maroon to purple petals that bloom at the end of short branches.  Image from rareplants.de

The scent is what intrigues me. As it carries fruity notes of pineapple, strawberry and banana. Even the leaves are described to be aromatic when bruised.

Scientific name is Calycantus Floridus and common names include:

Sweetshrub
Carolina Spicebush
Carolina Sweetshrub
Spicebush
Common Spicebush
Strawberry Bush
Yellow Sweet Betsy

Floridata has more useful facts about growing the Carolina Allspice.

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Every spring I always enjoy seeing flowers in bloom, especially the French lilac.  I found this growing along the fence of a cute little cottage in the neighborhood.

Most French lilac I’ve seen are purple, but this one is in pure white. The leaves are heart shaped and remind me of the Bodhi tree.

The flower is very fragrant, almost like perfume.  But unlike the sweet smell of honeysuckle, this scent is almost too strong for me.  But some people really enjoy this scent and it’s popular blend in perfumes.

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This spring I will attempt to grow nasturtiums (again).  Nasturtium is native to the South American Andes from Bolivia to Columbia. Some consider them to be herbs as the leaves and blooms are edible. The leaves have a crisp peppery taste that ’s great as salad greens.

I especially love the cheerful crinkly flowers of orange, red and yellow. And the leaves remind me of small lily pads. Photo from Hume Seeds.

They are suppose to be some of the easiest flowers to grow. Yet when I attempted to grow them last spring, I didn’t have much luck at all.

This is all that grew in 4 weeks (photo from last spring). When I decided to transplant it, the whole thing just died a few days later.

I must not have seen this helpful tip from the seed packet:  “Does not transplant well.”  This year, I will be sure to plant them in a large pot or just straight into the ground.

A few more tips:

* Garden nasturtium enjoy sandy soils.

* Too much water and fertilizer could result in more leaves then blooms.

* It also enjoys full sun or light shade and prefers some shade in the summer sun.

* Nasturtium are somewhat drought tolerant but enjoy regular watering.

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It’s October and the fragrant Butterfly ginger has bloomed in my mom’s garden.  She planted these back in May of this year.  For our northern California climate, these plant enjoy being in pots.

It’s got an interesting way of blooming.  Notice how they shoot up from individual pockets.  I didn’t catch them when they look like spears.

The fragrance is really the best part of this flower.  It reminded me of Gardenia, but with a lighter scent.  The ants and bees like it too.

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The more I look into the Purslane family the more interesting it gets.  There is the Portulaca Grandiflora that includes the Moss Rose, Samba Rose, Rio Rose, and Yubi.

The only Portulaca I saw at my local nursery was what looks like Moss Rose but was labeled as “Portulaca Oleracea”.  Which is really the scientific name of the edible Purslane.  I think it may have been mislabeled someone just put the wrong label on it.

This is the plant I brought home.  When I first had it, there were many bright flowering colors, but now there aren’t as much anymore.  The petals are like gift wrapping tissue paper.  Some say it looks like a carnation.

Even if it’s part of the Purslane family, I would be a bit sketchy about eating the leaves of these guys.

Photo from Martin Group of Illinois.  This is what they refer to as “Moss Ross”, it is in the Potulaca family.

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I found these seeds at Orchard Hardware and thought it would be a nice addition to the garden.  The Calendula I plan to grow in pots (since I don’t have much garden space).  They are also referred to as “pot marigold.”  And Calendula petals are also a nice addition to my soap and balm making.

The heirloom zinnias “Granny’s Bouquet” should be nice too.  I would pot them as well, but I think they would be better grown in my mom’s garden.  My mom is the ultimate “kitchen gardener” as all her plants are used in her cooking.  But she does add a few of her favorite flowers here and there.  Mostly marigolds, chrysanthemums, and carnations.

Last year I planted some gladiolus for her and also a row of really tall zinnias too.  The zinnias were hardy flowers that bloomed all summer long and even to autumn too.  I saved the seeds but then forgot where they went!  Better planning next year. Read the rest of this entry »