Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! December 2023.
Current Question:
What is blooming in your garden now, did it just get started, is it in full bloom or is it starting to fade? Or is it going CRAZY like never before?
Barbara Huntington of 92913, tells us…
... I call it Mexican Marigold but have had trouble finding botanical name. I will take a close up and see what PlantSnap - Plant Identifier App, #1 Mobile App for Plant Identification says. I water it occasionally and sometimes chop it down.
Kathleen Downs from 80906, stated…
...Just the drooping ends of most. I did have a purple and white iris, then several yellow irises that are apparently late bloomers. Lots of the yellow came up in a couple of purple in late October, early November and I had them in the house. It was great!
Nancy Groves of 92122, shares…
...Beautiful bromeliad Aechmea 'Del Mar', blooming on my front doorstep in a large pot has been in bloom for four weeks and the bloom will be vibrant for another four or five months. Yes, months!
Kathy Voltin of 92111, offers…
... Bromeliad, passionfruit, and a South African bulb of some sort. For the bromeliads, my son uses a large spray bottle with bromeliad fertilizer to water the “tubes” each week. The passionfruit is on drip irrigation and covers an archway. I have to prune it back aggressively each year.
Jay Ahrens of 92026, reported…
... California Fushia, Epilobium canum, is still blooming but almost finished. The hummingbirds love it. Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' still has new blooms.
All Joe Fuentes said was…
... Mexican Sage.
Rhett Mitch-Lynn of 92117, favors…
...What is blooming, (they have a short life,) are Saffron Crocuses. All my bulbs are with new growth, but I do not expect blooms until after January.
Also, the paper whites are blooming.
Charlotte Getz of 92024, tells us…
...My varieties of Grevilleas are blooming now – Robyn Gorden, and King’s Rainbow. They are watered by Netafim drip irrigation three days a week, but they want to be kept on the dry side since they are South African plants. Tecoma stans is also blooming in yellow. No pests bother the grevilleas or the Tecoma stans.
Linda Cohen of 92131, suggest we learn about…
... The plant Tecoma ‘Oompa Loompa’™, named from Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory! It is drought tolerant. I love the blooms. It has replaced a dying, old hedge that I had for 20 years. I told my gardener to go buy it and plant it. He built a drip system that is water-wise. I love the color.
Jim Bishop of 92103, promotes…
... Senna bicapsularis 'Worley’s Butter Cream'. It always steals the autumn show. Easy from cuttings and can take a hard cutback after blooming. They seem to like the sun and some water. I started with one plant, but now have three and have given more away. They are easy to root cuttings. They also are fast growing, but I don’t know what their potential is. I cut them back hard every year to keep them about 6 x 6 feet.
Karen Esser of 92075 fills us in on…
... A rooted cutting of Tithonia, gifted to me by the Gronbergs’, has grown into a ten foot continuously blooming joy with buds to open in the month ahead.
Cathy Tylka of 92026, speaks up for Pomegranates, especially Ambrosia Pomegranates...
... It’s a delicious fruit shrub or tree with an arching growing habit. Red-orange blossoms attract hummingbirds. Leaves are glossy and narrow. Fruit is soooooooooooo yummy and juicy and really there IS a difference!
The pomegranate, Punica granatum, is one of the oldest fruits known to humans; it’s deeply embedded in our history.
For thousands of years, it has been a vital provider of food and medicine across different cultures and civilizations. The fruit, flowers, bark, roots and leaves of pomegranates contain chemicals, such as polyphenols, which can be used to treat a number of diseases and conditions. It is rich in Vitamin C and folic acid.
Ancient cultures understood the health benefits of pomegranates and used them in remedies for digestive disorders, skin disorders, and intestinal parasites, just to name a few. Modern research has revealed that pomegranates might contribute towards preventing serious conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
I almost forgot my Billbergia it is just starting to bloom and requires no care. Only needs neglect.
Karen England of 92084 has lots, ...
...and she means lots, blooming of what Annie's Annuals calls "sunflowers for winter!" Tithonia diversifolia. Also blooming are aloe, passionflower, rosemary, calendula, plumbago, banana, scented pelargonium, feverfew, roses, fennel, salvia, leptospermum, lavender and more!
Next month's question:
Hope all of you are enjoying your holidays with friends and loved ones. Do any of the plants in your garden remind you of these wonderful people and why?
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