I was suppose to prune the blueberry bushes earlier in the year. When I finally got to it, the bush was already flowering. So I decided to just take out a few branches anyway.

Then I noticed how cute the little flowers are and decided to photograph them.

For this photo, instead of my usual light box, I placed parchment paper and taped it to a sunny window. It seems to work OK.

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Purple Iris in bloom in my little garden.

M’s mom sent us this photo from Canada. She said the snow is starting to melt and the sun is out.

And Clancy the poodle looks perfectly happy and cute. Especially with that spring scarf.

Since I always saw amaryllis bulbs being sold during the Christmas holiday, I thought they were winter blooming plants.

So I didn‘t think it would start producing flowers this time of the year. In reality, summer is their natural bloom time. Although it is autumn, the warm temperatures we’ve had for the past few days gave the plant ideal blooming weather.

I’ve always referred to these flowers as amaryllis (as that is the name given to them at garden shops). According to the Pacific Bulb Society, the correct name is hippeastrum. Which is a genus in the family Amaryllidaceae with 70–75 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars.

The flower got stuck with the name amaryllis decades ago when those being sold were the hybrid plants. Either way I think amaryllis is much easier to say than hippeastrum.

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This is my summer flower surprise - a blooming Moss Rose. I had thought they were history after last winter’s freeze. But I was wrong!

M first spotted the young mysterious plant in the Meyer Improved Lemon tree pot. We wondered whether we should pull it out since it’s probably weed. Then we both decided to keep it and just see what kind of plant it would become. And I’m glad we kept it, as it made for a nice surprise.

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This summer I will be adding more notes on interesting and new plants. To start, I want to introduce clianthus puniceas.

It’s a perennial bush in the legume family that can grow up to 8 feet tall. It’s native to the tropics and found growing in New Zealand.

It’s is usually referred to by it’s common names such as Parrot’s Beak, Lobster’s Claw, Glory Pea and White Heron.

I especially admire the clusters of blooms that dangle like jewelry off the branches. Photo from Annie’s Annuals.

According to Annie’s it is a fast growing plant. The blooms are filled with sweet nectar to attract birds and other pollinators. It can tolerate a range of soil and temperature down to 13 degrees. But I would be cautious about growing this in colder climates.

There is also the red variety too. The leaves are also pretty, they remind me of tamarind leaves. Photo from New Zealand Plants.

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Vines are some of my favorite plants, and if the vines have beautiful fragrant flowers and edible fruits, then it’s even better.

Schisandra or Chinese magnolia vine is a twining climber plant with both.  The plant is native to the Russian far east and northern China. It is similar in appearance to a clematis and can easily grow 10 to 20 feet in a season.

The leaves have been described to be slightly heart shaped with a citrus lemon scent.  The fragrant white flowers appear in spring and by autumn produce bright clusters of red fruits.  The leaves also turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

These bright red berries remind me coffee berries and grapes at the same time. I would love to try growing one of these vines. They could start to bear fruit in 3 years. Photo from Fair Life.

Backyard Gardener’s website listed the following requirements for successful planting.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 to 9
Light Range: Part Shade to Full Sun
pH Range: 5.5 to 6.5
Soil Range: Sandy Loam to Clay Loam
Water Range: Normal to Moist

Since I am in Zone 9, this plant would do well.  I mainly want to harvest them for the berries. As the dried berries are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

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My book review for today is:

Tulipomania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower and the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused written by British journalist Mike Dash.

I actually enjoyed this book more then I thought. The reader gets a bit of history and more about the tulip.  I especially enjoyed learning about how the tulip bulb traveled from central Asia and made it’s way to Holland.

Tulip mania peaked in February 1637.  It was a time when the Dutch did not like to live beyond their means. But at the same time, seeing how much money one can make dealing with bulbs was very tempting.  The tulip was considered a luxury item and status symbol for some people.

And what I found humorous was how people reacted when the tulip market crashed.  It’s so strange how people can come to love something so much but then hate it so.  I know people were losing money and homes, possibly their mind too.  But you can’t win them all.  Especially if you were dealing in a speculative market. 

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This interesting looking flower comes from the perennial climbing vine that also has a sturdy woody stem.  They are commonly refer to as Passionflower or Passionvines.  It’s name originated from the Spanish Christian missionaries as the flower resembles the crown of thorns worn by Jesus during the crucifixion.

But in other parts of the world such Japan and Israel, it is refer to as the “Clock Plant.”  I can see the resemblance to the clock here too.

A good description of the origin of the name “Passionflower” by Kew Botanical Gardens:

They called it the passion flower because they thought that it symbolised the death of Christ. The five sepals and five petals of the flower, which are similar in appearance, represent the disciples without Peter and Judas. The double row of coloured filaments, known as the corona, signifies to some the halo around Christ’s head and to others the crown of thorns. The five stamens and the three spreading styles with their flattened heads symbolise the wounds and the nails respectively. The tendrils resemble the whips used to scourge Christ and the lobed leaves look similar to the clutching hands of the soldiers.

There are about 500 species of this flower, but only 55 species of Passiflora are grown for their edible fruit.  There are also many that are not edible, so you have to be careful not to eat the wrong one.

I once bought some passion fruit at the Santa Barbara farmer’s market.  I don’t see them anywhere in Northern California, as they grow in warmer areas.

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My mom has a cutting of this desert orchid for almost two years now.  They are also refer to as night blooming Cereus, Queen of the Night, Dutchman’s Pipe Cactus and epiphyllum.

Now it has finally bloomed and I am lucky enough to been able to witness it.  For those not familiar with these flowers, they only bloom for one night.  This bloom has a very light fragrance which I prefer over the larger blooms.  It seem that the other variety with larger leaves and flower smell so strong.  It would give me headaches just being around it.

The Queen of the Night blossom remind me so much of the in bloom.  I don’t doubt they are related.  But the Queen of the Night doesn’t bear any fruit.  It only blooms for the night and shrivels up by the next day.  And the Dragon fruit’s bloom is much more substantial looking.

Epiphyllum blossom come in various colors, from deep pink to white.  So far I’ve only seen the white ones.  At one time I even considered joining the local Epi Society ($12 annual membership).  The membership comes with a free cutting.  And at their meetings, you can meet people who are more than willing to give you growing tips and possibly cuttings too.  I think that would be worth it (if only I had a larger area to grow them).  But right now, one potted white version is fine.

Here is one bloom that shrivel up and had it’s chance to bloom.  And there is two more that will be blooming tonight. My mom gave me a cutting that is about 1 year old, but there are no blooms yet.  My pot and plant is much smaller.  And I put in in partial shade most of the day.  my mom grows her collection of various plants and flowers in direct sunlight and so far things are doing well. More photos: Dave’s Garden - many pictures of the night blooming Epi.

The first sign of spring for us in California is usually peach or plum blossoms. But sometimes you can catch wild daffodils growing alongside the highway too. And the one I look out for most of all is pretty and colorful tulips growing from the garden. They don’t look like normal flowers since they remind me more of Easter eggs in different colors.

Photo from The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Information.

And when I think of tulips, I always think of the Netherlands. Or the fact that tulips at one time in history was very valuable and caused a “tulip mania”. Or more of a speculative bubble, like that of the dot come years. But that is a whole other topic. Read the rest of this entry »